James R. Packard was a racing driver from Hendersonville, North Carolina

Hendersonville, North Carolina

Hendersonville is a city in Henderson County, North Carolina, USA, southeast of Asheville. In 1900, 1,917 persons lived in Hendersonville; in 1910, 2,818; and in 1940, 5,381 people lived here. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 12,223, up fivefold in one century. It is the county...

 who competed in the USAC Championship Car series. He made 22 starts and registered a single win in August 1960 at the Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack

Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack

Illinois State Fairgrounds Racetrack is a one mile long clay oval motor racetrack on the grounds of the Illinois State Fair in Springfield, the state capital. Constructed in the late 19th century and reconstructed in 1927, the "Springfield Mile" as it is known has hosted competitive auto racing...

, however he was killed in an accident during a midget

Midget car racing

Midget cars, also Speedcars in Australia, are very small race cars with a very high power-to-weight ratio and typically use four-cylinder engines.-Cars:Typically, these cars have 300 to 400 horsepower and weigh...

 race in Fairfield, Illinois

Fairfield, Illinois

Fairfield is the county seat of Wayne County, Illinois, United States, the site of Frontier Community College, , , and Airtex; an auto parts manufacturing facility...

 on October 1 of that year. He attempted to qualify for the Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

in 1959 and 1960 but wrecked his car in practice in 1959 and failed to make the field the following year.

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