 Car
owner
Jim
Gardner
has
spent
his
life
in
competitive
sports.
As
a
youth,
Jim
helped
his
father
who
worked
with
various
teams
preparing
Indy
cars
in
the
30's,
40's
and
50's.
He
grew
up
in
the
shadow
of
Gasoline
Alley
and
was
a
member
of
the
Novi
car
pit
crew
at
Indy
in
1958.Jim
played
football
for
fourteen
years,
in
high
school,
college
and
professional
sports.
At
Duke
University,
he
played
offensive
tackle
and
was
All-Conference
and
All-American.
He
played
offensive
guard
for
the
Cleveland
Browns
during
the
1961-63
throwing
blocks
for
Hall
of
Fame
running
back
Jim
Brown.
After
professional
football,
Jim
rejoined
the
Indy
racing
circuit
in
1963
as
team
member
with
racer
Jim
Clark.
In
1965
he
was
with
the
pit
crew
for
Dan
Gurney's
All
American
Racers
and
their
successful
line
of
Eagle
racing
cars.
In
1965,
Jim
became
a
crew
member
of
Elmo
Langley's
race
team
and
worked
with
that
team
until
Elmo's
retirement
in
the
late
eighties.
In
1992,
Jim,
together
with
his
wife,
Judie
formed
Jim
&
Judie
Motorsports.
They
hired
Florida
driver
Dan
Pardus
and
together
they
have
participated
in
seven
years
of
racing,
three
in
the
Goody's
Dash
Series,
and
four
seasons
in
the
ARCA/Bondo Mar-Hyde series and now in the Nascar Busch Grand National Series.
Jim's
tall
stature
and
formative
appearance
belies
his
mild
manner,
kindness,
and
sense
of
humor.
He
has
been
a
fifty
year
ambassador
for
motorsports.
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