James Hylton teams with John Carter’s EM Motorsports team for ARCA 200

At 6:00 p.m. on December 26^th, Santa made a late delivery to the Inman South Carolina shop of James Hylton Motorsports in the form of good news!  John Carter, owner of EM Motorsports, informed James Hylton that he was selected to drive the team’s 2007 Dodge Charger in the 2008 ARCA Daytona 200 on February 9^th.  Hylton tested the 2007 Charger at Daytona International Speedway in mid December and was 18^th fastest with a best lap of 50.702 seconds / 177.508 mph.  In 2005, John Carter / EM Motorsports scored a 9th place finish in the Daytona 500 with a Dodge Charger driven by Kevin LePage. 

The 2007 EM Motorsports Dodge Charger will be sponsored by Rhino Energy Drink of Austria.  Rhino Energy Drink and Food AG  believes that the affiliation with EM Motorsports and driver James Hylton will help increase brand awareness and exposure of Rhino Energy Drinks in North America.   No stranger to motorsports, Rhino has been a sponsor of Midland Racing / Spyker Motorsports in Formula One since 2006. 

James was elated about the news and said, “This is the best Christmas present a fellow could ask for! This car is a top of the line Dodge Charger that was a pure pleasure to drive, either alone or in a pack of cars. If this car gets even a sniff of a draft, it really takes off! The car certainly has the potential to run at the front, and even win this race. I was very happy to have had the chance to help John Carter and his team out while we were down for the test.  I appreciate the effort that the EM Motorsports team put forth, especially Carl Long acting as crew chief and Charles Swing as car chief. During the test, the car got quicker each time we went out.” James added,” I really didn’t think that he’d select me to drive in the race, so to say the least, I’m very pleased with this opportunity!”

Hylton has said that Speedweeks 2008 will be his final run at Daytona as a driver in the ARCA/REMAX series. “There are a lot of memories for me here at Daytona, this is where my career really took off. This has always been one of my favorite tracks.”   Hylton has recorded 38 starts at Daytona (36 NASCAR SPRINT CUP, 1 NASCAR Grand American and 1 ARCA RE/MAX Series) during his career.  Hylton won the 1970 NASCAR Grand American Series Citrus 250 and has 3 Top Fives and 17 Top Tens to his credit at the track.

James Hylton sees this effort as a great opportunity to start the 2008 ARCA/REMAX season off with a bang.  Hylton is also looking for an opportunity to attempt a start in the 50^th Daytona 500. With a  tremendous effort in 2007, James stunned the racing world with a strong run in his 150 mile qualifying race. A balky clutch is the only thing that kept him from becoming the oldest driver to participate in any NASCAR points race. “Prior to the race, during, and after the race, you wouldn’t believe the response from the fans, the media, and my ARCA/REMAX friends, encouraging me and wishing me the best. I never thought that we’d draw the attention from the media and the fans that we did. I’ve received thousands of letters, calls, faxes and emails from fans, friends and strangers that said they supported me.”  Retirement Living TV, a cable network that tailors it’s programming towards the retirement community came on board to sponsor James’ effort for the 2007 Daytona 500.    “This opportunity brought to light the number of older race fans that supported me. They remember racers like Richard Petty, David Pearson, Bobby Allison; and the fan mail, calls from well wishers that I’ve received has been overwhelming.  Numerous anonymous fans made contributions towards our efforts at Hylton Motorsports, and I am very appreciative of their help!” 

Looking forward to what could be the team’s best year in the ARCA/REMAX Series, James is working to put together a partnership with a driver and sponsors that allows the team to compete for the ARCA/REMAX points championship. Hylton states "we’re entertaining all of our options, talking to as many people as we can. I’d like to thank our fans, sponsors, and friends who supported me in all of our efforts in 2007.  I ’m calling on our fans, potential drivers, and sponsorship partners who are interested in running in what has become the most competitive stock car series in America, to contact me and help us get off to a great start in 2008!"

James can be reached at:  864-473-1405 (shop), 864-472-0343 (fax), 864-472-0942 (office) or by email at Hylton48@alltel.net