James Hylton was presented with the  Pocono Raceway’s Bill France Award of Excellence during ceremonies on June 9, 2007.  . The Pocono Raceway Bill France Award of Excellence has been presented annually to the person, corporation or organization that has made outstanding contributions to the sport of NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series Racing. 

The award was presented by Dr Joseph Mattioli at ceremonies conducted at the Blakeslee Inn in Blakeslee, PA.   Mike Helton, President of NASCAR, was also on hand and active in the presentation.

“James Hylton and his # 48 stock car were fixtures on the NASCAR scene and he competed successfully against better funded teams. His grit and determination are an inspiration to all who know him,” stated Pocono Raceway C.E.O Dr. Joseph Mattioli. “We are proud to announce that James Hylton has been named the recipient of Pocono Raceway’s 2007 Bill France Award of Excellence,” concluded Dr. Mattioli.

“Pocono is a wonderful place to race,” states Hylton. “The Mattioli’s stand alone in their hospitality shown to the drivers and teams. Pocono is an absolute winner,” states Hylton “and it has the fan base to prove it.” “I am proud to be the recipient of this prestigious award” concluded Hylton.

The Pocono Raceway Bill France Award of Excellence, a beautifully sculptured and highly polished piece of anthracite coal mined in Pennsylvania, will be presented to James Hylton at an award ceremony on Saturday, June 9, 2007.  This ceremony is part of the festivities leading up to the June 10, 2007 POCONO 500 NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series event at Pocono Raceway.

Hylton will join the prestigious list of Pocono Raceway’s Bill France Award of Excellence winners listed below:

POCONO RACEWAY’S BILL FRANCE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE WINNERS

1977      Bill France

1978      Winston

1979      Purolator

1980      Union Oil

1981      The Petty Family

1982      G.H. Long

1983      STP

1984      Goodyear

1985      GNRWA ( Now WOW Wives Auxiliary)

1986      MRN (Motor Racing Network)

1987      Grand National Scene (Now NASCAR Scene)

1988      Charlotte Motor Speedway

1989      Ned Jarrett

1990      T. Wayne Robertson

1991      ESPN

1992      MRO (Motor Racing Outreach)

1993      The Allison Family

1994      Rev. Hal Marchman

1995      The Wood Bros.

1996      Clay Earles/Paul Sawyer

1997      Junie Dunlavey/Bud Moore

1998      NASCAR

1999      Rick Hendrick

2000      Robert Yates

2001      Joe Gibbs

2002      Richard Childress

2003      Jack Roush

      2004   Dr. Dean L. Sicking and The Midwest Roadside Safety Facility         

      2005   Nextel

      2006   Sunoco, Inc.