J.D. McDuffie

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**John Delphus McDuffie**

Born:	December 5, 1938
Birthplace:	Sanford, North Carolina
Died:	August 11, 1991 (aged 52)
Cause of Death:	Race car crash in turn 5 at Watkins Glen International during the Bud at the Glen
Awards:	—
NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Statistics
653 races run over 27 years.
Best Cup Position:	9th - 1971 (Grand National)
First Race:	1963 Speedorama 200 (Myrtle Beach Speedway)
Last Race:	1991 The Bud at the Glen (Watkins Glen)
Wins	Top Tens	Poles
0	106	1

John Delphus McDuffie (December 5, 1938 - August 11, 1991) was a NASCAR Winston Cup (now NEXTEL Cup) Series driver.

He made his debut in 1963 at Myrtle Beach Speedway, finishing 12th out of 18 drivers. He went on to finish in the top ten in points twice in his career and won the pole position for the 1978 Delaware 500. He fielded his own team for most of his career. His underfunded efforts made him a fan favorite, especially as his career ran down and he only ran selected races.

McDuffie was involved in an accident in the opening laps of the 1991 Bud at the Glen race at Watkins Glen International Raceway. He lost control of his car in turn 5 (now turn 9), slammed the tire barrier at the end of the corner, causing the car to flip, and landed upside down onto fellow competitor and independent Jimmy Means' car, which had slid off the track as well. Means made it out relatively uninjured, but McDuffie did not survive the crash.

McDuffie's fatal wreck, and a serious injury to Tom Kendall six weeks earlier in the Camel Continental VIII, led to a new bus stop chicane shortly before Turn 5 to slow down cars entering the turn.

McDuffie's widow, Ima Jean, unsuccessfully (as of September 1993) sued Watkins Glen and NASCAR for $4.25 million, claiming the barrier McDuffie hit was unsafe. The judge in the case ruled that McDuffie was familiar enough with the track to be aware of the dangers and that mechanical failure caused the accident [1].

J.D. McDuffie is still the record holder for most starts in NASCAR's top touring series without recording a win. His 653 starts ranks him 14th in all-time starts (as of May 7, 2006).