Markey James

Markey Lee James (November 4, 1941 – June 29, 2018) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series and NASCAR Winston West Series in the 1970s.

James began racing in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1971, driving for Jim Calder. In nine races, he scored five top-ten finished and led the only five laps of his career. In running these races, he also made his NASCAR Winston Cup Series debut at Riverside International Raceway after failing to qualify at Ontario Motor Speedway, finishing last after retiring with engine issues after one lap. James ran fifteen of thirty West Series races in 1972, scoring four top-ten finishes. These starts included two combination races with the Winston Cup Series, as he failed to qualify at Ontario, but would finish twenty-fourth and fortieth in the Riverside races. James ran only twelve West races in 1973, but saw improvement in results, finishing top-ten in nine of these races, including seven top-fives. In his lone Cup start of the year, he finished twentieth at Riverside. James ran twenty-six of twenty-eight West races in 1974, scoring twelve top-ten finishes. He finished sixth in the points standings and was awarded rookie of the year. He made his final Winston Cup start at Riverside, scoring a career-best eighteenth-place finish. James made his final two Winston West starts in 1975, finishing twelfth at Laguna Seca Raceway and fourteenth at Manzanita Speedway. His final recorded start in racing is a NASCAR Grand American Stock Car National Championship race at Medford Speedway in 1980, where he finished seventh.

James died on June 29, 2018.

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)