James Hylton began his driving career in 1964 driving Ned Jarrett’s backup car.  In 1966, Hylton had 20 top five finishes in 41 races and was named NASCAR’s Grand National Rookie of the Year.  Hylton finished second in the points standing to champion David Pearson and also  finished second in 1967 with 26 top five finishes. In 1969, Hylton became the first independent driver to win over $100,000 on the Grand National circuit during a single season.   On March 1, 1970, Hylton drove his 1969 Ford Torino to his first win at the .542 mile Richmond Fairgrounds Raceway in the Richmond 500.  In 1971, Hylton again finished second in the season standings to winner Richard Petty. 

On August 6, 1972, Hylton led 106 laps in his 1971 Mercury Montego and won the Talladega 500.   1975 saw James Hylton finish third in the point’s race while driving his Chevrolet Laguna .   1981 was his last year as a full time driver on the Winston Cup Circuit.  In the eighties, Hylton began competing in the ARCA RE/MAX Series and finished 18th in points during the 2006 season.