BajaNomad

Baja Racing and Jim McCoy

Mike Humfreville - 8-23-2004 at 06:03 PM

I was having some automotive work done at a shop that's new to me and talking with the owner, who's name is Jim McCoy.

I mentioned that I have a (small) fleet of 4X4 trucks in various forms of disrepair because I abuse them in Baja California.

Jim started talking about his old days in the late 60's through late '70's when he and his pals participated in the Baja 1000 and other Baja races. He was talking about how he met james Garner and Steve McQueen and noting names I'd heard before but couldn't remember where. Maybe it was from nomads.

Anyway, do any of us remember Jim McCoy from those racing years? If anyone remembers him I know he would enjoy hearing about it. He's approaching 70 now.

'Racing's Real McCoy'

David K - 8-23-2004 at 06:53 PM

... is the big book written by Jack McCoy, Keith Sellers and Richard ("thebajarunner") Hagerty... The McCoy's have quite a racing background and this book documents it all!

I will let 'thebajarunner' respond as he probably has the personal story here!!!

McCoy

thebajarunner - 8-23-2004 at 08:14 PM

Racing's Real McCoy (yep, that is the name of our book) was Jack McCoy of Modesto, winner of 54 Winston West events, two time champion and also a Baja racer in the early 80's.
Jack is retired and one of my closest friends, we are headed to Fontana next week for the NASCAR race and some kind of West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame event, since Jack is one of the charter inductees.
Anyway, I will ask him about "Jim"
There was actually another Jack McCoy who raced NASCAR, occasionally Winston West. He was from Portland and lived on the dark side, we had to hustle "our Jack" out of town a couple of times to evade those looking for the other one.
Stay tuned, more later....
(See what happens when you give DK a copy of your book? You never hear the end of it.... thanks DK)

Baja Arriba!!

I once shook hands with Jack McCoy

BajaVida - 8-23-2004 at 08:59 PM

and have a classic McCoy's Bite Rite Racing Tires jacket

thebajarunner

Mike Humfreville - 8-23-2004 at 09:01 PM

The Jim McCoy I'm talking about lives in Santa Paula California (Ventura County) and owns a large automotive repair shop there. It's too late to call him now, but I'll stop bt there tomorrow and see if his real name or others in his family are named Jack. When I find out, I'll update this thread. Thanks to you and David for your info. Y'gotta love nomads.

re McCoy

thebajarunner - 8-23-2004 at 09:52 PM

Mike,
Jack's dad had McCoy Tire Co. stores in Bakersfield and Modesto, as well as a big recap plant in Ceres and a truck tire outlet.
Jack was the Hoosier Racing Tire distributor for the West Coast for years, then McCreary Racing Tire distributor.
His McCoy Racing Products was the major outlet in the West for all the stock car guys, BajaNomad's dad and he were hooked up on various racing gas deals in the past.
Jack is retired, 67 years old, had a place in San Felipe for a long time, still goes to Baja once or twice a year.
If your guy knows West Coast racing he knows Jack McCoy.
(by the way, Baja Vida came by his Bite Rite jacket through nefarious and devious ways.... he's like that)

Baja Arriba!!

thebajarunner

Mike Humfreville - 8-23-2004 at 11:03 PM

I printed out this entire thread and will take it to Jim McCoy ASAP and get back to you. THANK YOU!

PJC - 8-24-2004 at 06:32 AM

BajaRunner,

Do you have any old racing photos to share?

Thanks
Quote:
Originally posted by thebajarunner
Racing's Real McCoy (yep, that is the name of our book) was Jack McCoy of Modesto, winner of 54 Winston West events, two time champion and also a Baja racer in the early 80's.
Jack is retired and one of my closest friends, we are headed to Fontana next week for the NASCAR race and some kind of West Coast Stock Car Hall of Fame event, since Jack is one of the charter inductees.
Anyway, I will ask him about "Jim"
There was actually another Jack McCoy who raced NASCAR, occasionally Winston West. He was from Portland and lived on the dark side, we had to hustle "our Jack" out of town a couple of times to evade those looking for the other one.
Stay tuned, more later....
(See what happens when you give DK a copy of your book? You never hear the end of it.... thanks DK)

Baja Arriba!!

I bought that jacket fair and square

BajaVida - 8-24-2004 at 04:21 PM

it cost either $3.25 or $2.25 in 1978 dollars at the Merced Goodwill or Salvation Army

McCoy

thebajarunner - 8-24-2004 at 05:06 PM

Mike, I talked to Jack today and he has no memories of your friend, Jim McCoy.
Jim may have met Jack, especially if he is a stock car fan.
As a long time member of the McCoy pit crew and also the team manager it was pure joy to pull into a racetrack for the annual visit of the "Best of the West" and know that they odds were good that we would set fast time, win the dash and the feature. Great days, Great memories!!

Blackie, the book we wrote has over 900 photos in its 550 pages. It is a very slick and professional piece of work, several of the Nomads have a copy and have commented on its quality and scope. Photos dating back to the early days of board tracks and wild west racing.
The book sold for $40 + delivery, we sold about 2000 copies to date.
I have some left, would deliver them for $20 each, even get the autograph of the authors, Jack and yours truly.
Let me know if you (or others) are interested.
It also has sections on our Baja racing days, Jack's 8 day stay in the Los Mochis jail, and other various pieces of memory.
(yeah, I gave Baja Vida a copy, he loves the pictures, we are still teaching him to read the captions)

Baja Arriba!!

Jack McCoy

John M - 8-25-2004 at 01:30 PM

Well, I dug out some of my old and tattered SCORE programs - they only go back to 1974 but I do have most of the Baja programs up to the mid 80s. And looking pretty carefully I found several McCoys, no Jim and only one Jack.

Jack McCoy, is in the 1975 "AC-Delco Baja Internacional" with a co-driver by the name of Gary Johnson - both showing Modesto as hometown, raced #803 a Mercury pick-up (360 ci) so the program says, sponsored by McCoy Racing Products.

I checked "The Off-Road Racer" (1976) and found nothing on either McCoy.

Now, I've got dust all over my shirt and hands, old SCORE event patches all over the kitchen table and gettin' an itch to get back to Baja for this year's 1000!

John M.

John M...

Mike Humfreville - 8-25-2004 at 01:38 PM

That's not dust. It's talc and you're on the high bar. Thanks for your dusty efforts. Go get the Baja 1000.

McCoy in Baja

thebajarunner - 8-25-2004 at 04:57 PM

John,
I took a quick look through our book...
These are some of the Baja races that Jack ran:
1975- 500, ran my truck after I broke my leg playing football (sigh) Broke the tranny at El Rosario

1979- 1000, with Darold MacDannald (Old Blue) me, and several others, finished a broken down 9th.

1982, 1000, finished 3rd (Old Blue)

1983, 1000, broke (Ranchero)

1984, Laguna Salada race, bad crash, sad ending...

He finished the second Cannonball Baker Sea to Shining Sea Memorial Trophy Dash, second behind a Ferrari. 36 hours NY to LA. (in a stock Chevy pickup)

All time Winston West wins champ. (54)
Won 17 of 26 features at Stockton Speedway in 1965,
Twice Winston West champion.

Won the first ever NASCAR race in a Dodge Charger!

Its all in our book.

Baja Arriba!!

trying to sell those books, aren't you?

BajaVida - 8-28-2004 at 12:31 PM