Mainly in sprint and dirt track races, he was killed in a sprint car crash. Patterson was the son of a Kentucky-born farmer. Patterson’s car tangled with Clay Weatherly’s vehicle on the final lap of the first heat race at Winchester Speedway. Both cars went over the wall, with Patterson’s car hitting a tree. James died instantly of a fractured skull. His son, also called James, was just three months old when Patterson was killed and would later go on to serve his country in Vietnam.

Biography last updated 8 Sep 2017