Richard Petty, Cale Yarborough, and Dale Earnhardt are universally praised for their monumental contributions to NASCAR, and rightly so. But there are unsung heroes whose impact on the sport also deserves recognition. Jim Paschal is one such figure. He has the distinction of having the most wins in the Cup series among drivers who are eligible yet remain outside the NASCAR Hall of Fame.
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Paschal was a competitor in the first race of what is now known as the NASCAR Cup Series. Throughout his 23-year NASCAR career, Paschal made 421 starts, clinching 25 victories. He finished over half of his races — 230 in total — in the top 10 and secured 12 poles. Except for two of his 25 wins, all came on short tracks, and he maintained an average finish position of 11th.
However, he struggled especially on road courses, where the intricate turns often relegated him to an average finish of P27 place. Nonetheless, he shone brightly on the “big tracks,” securing both of his Coca-Cola 600 victories (previously the World 600) in 1964 and 1967.
During his second win at the Charlotte Motor Speedway, Paschal dominated by leading 335 out of 400 laps — a record that stood for nearly five decades until Martin Truex Jr. surpassed it in 2016 by leading 392 laps to clinch the race.
Jim Paschal would have been 98 today #RIP
Jim Paschal, of High Point, NC, won 25 NASCAR Grand National (Cup) races from 1953 to 1967. He won the World 600 twice (1964 and 1967). pic.twitter.com/5Cgg9LrCDr
— NASCAR Legends (@LegendsNascar) December 5, 2024
Paschal’s career encomium
Throughout his career, Paschal led at least 300 laps in five races which he eventually won. Between 1969 and 1972, he won 16 of the 73 races he entered.
Adding to his list of accolades, Paschal also steered an AMC Javelin to victory in the 1970 NASCAR Paul Revere 250 Grand American Challenge at Daytona International Speedway, marking both his and AMC’s first win at Daytona.
Despite numerous pit stops and fierce competition between Tiny Lund and Buck Baker — until Lund’s engine gave out on lap 35 — Paschal managed to lap the entire field, coasting to his first season victory. Buck Baker secured second place driving his Pontiac Firebird, while Wayne Andrews came in third with his Mercury Cougar.
After retiring from racing in 1972, Paschal switched gears to manage a trucking company and took to farming cattle and poultry. He continued these pursuits until his passing in Georgia in 2004, after a prolonged fight with cancer.
