Until his relatively recent death, Overton was believed to be the oldest and only pre-war surviving driver of the Indianapolis 500. Often raced his own prepared car, with his brother, Russell, involved as mechanic and co-builder. Snell's first name was actually James, but he chose his middle name (his grandfather was called Overton) instead. Between 1933 and 1936, the Snell Brothers entered three cars; a Ford, one Studebaker and one Miller but they never made the cut. However, Snell did race at an AAA dirt oval event in 1935, at Springfield, finishing an impressive fifth.

Biography last updated 28 Jun 2017