Jim Shampine

D. James "Jim" Shampine (March 25, 1941 – September 4, 1982) was one of the most successful drivers in Supermodified competition and an equally skilled racer in asphalt and dirt-track Modified stock cars. He won 92 feature races at Oswego Speedway NY, and with his innovative car designs captured 38% of the Supermodified events held from 1970 to 1979.^[1]

Jim Shampine
Born	Donald James Shampine March 25, 1941 Syracuse, New York
Died	September 4, 1982(1982-09-04) (aged 41)
Oval track racing career
Debut season	1962
Car number	8-Ball
Championships	8
Finished last season	1982
Previous series
1959-1961	Drag racing
Championship titles
1977 International Supermodified Association Champion

Racing career

Jim Shampine began drag racing in 1959 at the quarter-mile ESTA Safety Park Dragstrip in Cicero, New York. Then in 1962 he bought his friend Nolan Swift's championship-winning “Ten Pins” numbered modified, converted it to a supermodified, and renumbered it the enduring “8-Ball”. He went on to win seven (1967, 1970, 1972–1974, 1976 & 1979) Oswego Speedway track championships, as well as an International Supermodified Association championship competing at venues throughout the northeast.^[2][3][4]

Shampine concurrently campaigned his modified at New York's asphalt Fulton Speedway, Lancaster Speedway, Shangri-La Speedway, Spencer Speedway, and Utica-Rome Speedway. He also competed successfully in a dirt-track modified at Langhorne Speedway PA and Weedsport Speedway NY, and captured the 1970 track championship at the Rolling Wheels Raceway in Elbridge, New York.^[5]

Jim Shampine died in a Modified racing accident at Oswego Speedway on September 4, 1982.^[6] He was inducted into the Eastern Motorsports Press Association, the Northeast Dirt Modified and the New York State Stock Car Association Halls of Fame.^[5][7]