Jim Hurtubise
THE BALLAD OF JIM HURTUBISE
The North Tonawanda History Museum is seeking information on the story behind a 45 record, “The Ballad of Jim Hurtubise (believed created by Dopey Duncan)” recorded by Dee Dee and the Bee Bee’s on the Malvern Music Co. label. Malvern is an inner ring suburb of Philadelphia, PA.
Museum representatives are seeking readers’ assistance in answering some questions about the recording, such as whether Dee Dee is Dopey Duncan and whether he was the owner/operator of Dopey Duncan’s Auto Building and Repair Shop in Malvern—and what was his connection to North Tonawanda’s Jim Hurtubise.
Also hoped to be determined is the date of release of the recording, whether it was a retail or commercial release, and where was it available (i.e. locally, at Indianapolis, or ?), and was it for sale or used as a promotional item.
Jim Hurtubise, whose nickname was Hercules, was a champion automobile race car driver, establishing a fine record nationally until he was seriously injured and burned in a racing accident. It is said that he instructed his doctors to mold his badly burned hands into a position so that they could hold a steering wheel and went on to resume his career.
Jim had been born on December 5, 1932, in North Tonawanda. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in the early 1950s. While stationed in Tampa, Florida, he became interested in stock car races there. His first car was a 1934 Ford coupe, which bore the number “56.” He kept that number for the rest of his life.
Jim built a 1937 Ford 2-door in 1955 and raced with it at the Merrittville, Lancaster, Akron, and Cuba Lake speedways. He also raced in Rochester at the Monroe County Fairgrounds.
His first win was recorded at Merrittville Speedway in Thorold, Ontario, on June 18, 1955. Many more wins followed.
Jim had worked at American District Steam on Bryant Street, but his new passion for racing caused him, with his chief mechanic Lee Bruss, to move to California in February 1956 in order to race all year round.
In 1956 Jim won features in his home-built vehicle, with even better results in 1957, the year he was elevated to “superstar” status alongside Parnelli Jones and Roger McCluskey. Jim was leading the IMCA point standings in 1959 when USAV star Johnny Thomson was injured in a sprint car. Thomson’s car owner, Art Lathrop, asked Jim to leave IMCA and fill in for Thomson while he healed.
In his third championship car outing, Jim beat Tony Bettenhausen and A. J. Foyt to win the Sacramento 100. He’d gone from driving at Merrittville to winning the last champ car race of the 1950’s in four years.
In 1960, Jim became a legend. As a rookie at Indianapolis, he broke the track record by nearly two miles per hour. He came very close to being the first to turn a lap in less than one minute. In 1961, he started outside the front row, and in 1963 in the middle of the front row. He often led at Indianapolis, but mechanical breakdowns kept him from the Victory Lane. However, he had become a master of Indy cars on mile dirt tracks, conquering Langhorne, Springfield, and Sacramento!
On June 7, 1964, during the champ car race at Milwaukee, Hurtubise qualified third fasted behind Rodger Ward and A. J. Foyt. They ran nose-to-tail for the first 51 of the 100 laps. Ward’s rear end seized up, Foyt jumped on the brakes, the left front of Jim’s car vaulted Foyt’s tail and Jim rammed the front of stretch wall. Jim’s right-rear tire snapped off and struck him in the chest, breaking three ribs and puncturing a lung. Jim was unconscious as methanol flooded the cockpit, erupting almost immediately into a 1000-degree inferno.
Jim’s brother Pete pulled him from the flaming wreck. Jim almost died, lying in critical condition at the Houston Army Burns Center. Doctors told him that his hands would remain paralyzed by the burns. Jim asked them to mold them to fit around a steering wheel. The doctors did so.
In 1965 Jim returned to racing and was tenth fastest at Indianapolis in Andy Granatelli’s Novi. The car broke down on the first lap. Jim brought in a 4 th place finish at Atlanta and a second at Trenton—but he was no longer the driver he had been before the fire. His 1965 comeback earned him nine awards for bravery, but he was no longer sought by owners of top cars.
He had several disappointing years in 1967, 1968, and 1969, and came home to find a local modified ride to get enough races to quality for the “race of champions” at Langhorne. Known as “the Horne,” that was Jim’s favorite track, having had six wins there during his career.
Jim moved his family to Indianapolis and became a one-time-a-year racer at the Indy 500. In 1971, he crashed in practice. He continued racing but never was able to reach his earlier successes. He moved to Texas and operated a hunting lodge there, displaying his beloved Mallard on the first floor. He died of a heart attack on January 6, 1989.
Despite his limited success, Jim was a fan favorite throughout much of his career, and many described him as an “old style” race car driver. He raced in the USAC Championship Car series in the 1959-1968 and 1970-1974 seasons, with 97 career starts. He finished in the top ten 38 times, with 4 victories, in 1959 at Sacramento, 1960 at Langhorne, and 1961 and 1962 at Springfield.
Jim was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame in 1993.
Call the Museum at 213-0554 if you can help answer questions about the recording.