There are very things drivers are scared of doing when it comes to winning races. Ross Chastain once gambled on a dangerous wall ride to stay in championship contention. So did Christopher Bell. However, just a few decades ago, one legendary driver had a different idea when it came to overtaking his rivals on the track.

Read more about James Hylton, the driver who came to the racetrack with a horn equipped in his car and helped the audience in more ways than one.

Dover Downs 1979: James Hylton with his prank for the day

Throughout his career, James Harvey Hylton truly represented the essence of an independent driver. His performances on the track were among the most competitive seen by any independent racer. Despite having limited financial support for most of his career, Hylton managed to secure second place in the NASCAR Monster Energy Cup standings three times.

It all started when the NASCAR on NBC handle posted on X. “Imagine if NASCAR cars had horns lol.” The post became a source of hot debate for some fans. Some went as far as to ask for blinkers and a “Yeehaw” as the horn sound. The comment was enough to get people thinking about a different driver, one who embraced the spirit of having a horn on his NASCAR vehicle. That’s when one user posted an audio clip between a presenter and James Hylton.

James Hylton was not what we call a vanilla driver. And it’s not just because of his driving style but also because of his sense of humor. In the clip, one presenter asked where Hylton planned to use the horn, and if it could be enough to bring him an advantage in the race. Hylton had a very simple reply. “Sure, people run around the pit and down the pit road. They’ll scare them out of the way. Oh yeah, just for kicks, you know, to see what it’s like and kind of break up the monotony of it.”

What made the whole incident so funny for viewers was the sheer presence of the horn. Although NASCAR once raced with cars used to boot-leg alcohol across states, ever since its inception in 1947, it turned into having the fastest car on the track. To do so, teams realized they could shed the car’s weight by scrapping any unnecessary weight. This meant the horn was out of the car. After all, who needs a horn when the engine makes enough sound to scare people off?

James Hylton: How the career spanned?

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In 2013, when Hylton did his last race, he was the oldest driver to do one in NASCAR’s history. And he was a bit slow. But he embraced the true spirit of racing. He told the Associated Press before the race, “I know it’s going to be very painful, especially the way this car drives. To be out there running with some of the top guys — before I’d see them disappear, now I can keep them in sight. It’s a tremendous feeling. To know at the end of the day it’ll all be kind of like a dream. It’ll be gone, but I’m going to make the best of it.” He finished 18th that day, but that doesn’t diminish his rankings in the hearts of his fans or NASCAR.

He began his career as a mechanic for Rex White and later became the crew chief for Ned Jarrett during the formative years of NASCAR. Eventually, he became a driver and achieved a second-place finish in the Cup standings in 1966. Before the 1966 racing season kicked off, Hylton purchased a 1965 Dodge Coronet from the famed race car builder Cotton Owens, spending $5,500 on it. Together with crew chief Bud Hartje, Hylton operated a one-car team throughout the entire 1966 Grand National season.

The rookie driver accomplished his first NASCAR win on November 6th, securing victory in the NASCAR Late Model Sportsman Series Cracker 250 at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Hylton finished two laps ahead of runner-up Donnie Allison in a race featuring NASCAR stars such as Bobby Isaac, Bobby Allison, and Curtis Turner. Through sheer determination and his mechanical skills, Hylton overcame the odds, transforming his small team from Inman, SC, into a serious contender.

And guess what? Hylton finished second in points to Richard Petty in 1967 and 1971. He also won twice in more than 600 Cup starts: at Richmond in 1970 and Talladega in 1972. Overall, the affable Hylton achieved 140 top-five finishes and 321 top-10 finishes in the Cup series. “I’m not going to retire completely to where I don’t want to try a racecar out,” Hylton told USA Today. “I’ll go down there in the middle of the week and do me some laps so I just totally don’t forget about it. As far as competition is concerned, I’m done.”

He passed away in a car crash in 2018 at the age of 83.