Jim Hurtubise

James Ernest Hurtubise (5 December 1932 - 6 January 1989): American racing driver nicknamed 'Herk' who competed in Championship Cars, sprint cars, and stock cars. The Indianapolis 500 was part of the FIA World Championship from 1950 through 1960, with drivers competing at Indy during those years being credited with World Championship points and participation. Hurtubise participated in one World Championship race, finishing eighteenth and receiving no points. He raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1959-1968 and 1970-1974 seasons with 97 career starts, finishing in the top ten 38 times with four victories: 1959 at Sacramento, 1960 at Langhorne, and 1961 and 1962 at Springfield.

He ran in ten Indianapolis 500 races between 1960 and 1974 and was named the 1960 Indianapolis 500 Rookie of the Year. His best finish was thirteenth in 1962. Hurtubise enjoyed much success in sprint cars, champ dirt cars, and stock cars and was the winner of the 1966 Atlanta 500; however, he never achieved the success at the Indianapolis 500 which his rookie qualifying run promised when he out-qualified pole-sitter Eddie Sachs by three mph, nearly breaking the 150-mph mark. In 1964, after suffering serious burns in an accident during the Rex Mays Classic at the Milwaukee Mile, doctors asked Hurtubise how he wanted his hands shaped permanently.

Hurtubise told them to pin his hands so he could hold a beer can, knowing that if he could hold a beer can he could hold a steering wheel. He was later awarded the Ralph DePalma award for overcoming his injuries to return to racing. In 1957 Hurtubise started his NASCAR Cup career running two races, and over the next twenty years he entered 36 races, winning one race at Atlanta Motor Speedway and amassing eleven top-ten finishes. He was a fan favorite throughout much of his career because of his fun-loving attitude and hard-driving style.

Hurtubise died 6 January 1989 after suffering a heart attack near his home in Port Arthur, Texas. He was 56 years old.