Elder grabbed even DW's attention

With the passing of J.C. “Jake” Elder, at age 73, on Feb. 24, a large part of NASCAR’s past came to an end.

He was a crew chief during a time when that meant more presence and command, if fewer responsibilities, than it does today.

There was a time when a crew chief had a relatively basic chore, which was to completely oversee the team. His word was the law and he was seldom overruled.

Teams didn’t have hundreds of employees, so the crew chief wasn’t burdened with an abundance of personnel issues.

Engineers didn’t exist and there were few specialists. There was no such thing as a car chief, a team manager or a vice president for competition.

The chain of command started with the owner. Next in line was the crew chief.

As such, he could run things as he wished. He had power. And many crew chiefs were good at what they did: To make the car go very fast, handle well and win.

But then there was J.C. “Jake” Elder.

Perhaps there was not a more truly gifted shade-tree mechanic in stock car racing, one who succeeded without formal education. Elder never got past the third grade and could neither read nor write.

After he began his career at Petty Enterprises and moved on to the Holman & Moody team, Elder was the crew chief for David Pearson when he won championships in 1968 and 1969.

In the mid-1970s, when a young Darrell Waltrip showed up to make his mark in NASCAR with limited equipment yet high hopes, Elder was his crew chief.

Elder had the experience Waltrip needed. There are tales of the crew chief grabbing his young charge by the collar of his driving suit and telling him, with an assortment of expletives, what he did wrong and to never, never do anything that strayed from Elder’s way.

Elder was never one to settle in with a single team. He was a colorful character with a sense of humor, but when it came to competition, he was focused, a man dedicated to his tasks.

He suffered lightly those he perceived as fools. If what he wanted to do was challenged or ignored, he simply moved on.

He did it so many times that he earned the nickname “Suitcase Jake.” It was said he never took a job without leaving his bags packed – just in case.

In 1979, he was the crew chief for Rod Osterlund’s team. While there, the belief that Elder knew how to mold young talent – as he did with Waltirp – was reinforced.

Osterlund’s driver was a kid named Dale Earnhardt. He knew what Elder told him was the way it was going to be. That was one reason Earnhardt picked up his first career victory at NASCAR's top level at Bristol on Apil 1, 1979.

Check out colleague Tom Higgins' recollection to see what I'm talking about.

Elder served as a crew chief for several teams over the course of many years.

But, in time, his life took a downward turn.

He lost his wife, Debbie, to cancer.

Four years ago he suffered a stroke.

He served his last days mostly in a nursing home in Statesville, N.C. He recognized few people, if any. He could do little for himself. Friends and associates helped all they could.

Elder’s three children, Randy, Andy and Sandy Elder Maxwell, always had the utmost respect and admiration for their father. Randy spent a decade in racing, working for more than seven years for Waltrip.

They realize their father is not widely known among many of today’s fans and wonder if the sport will forget him.

The answer is no.

His longtime friends and peers have said they owe a debt to Jake Elder.

They have said a man who contributed so much to the growth of NASCAR and influenced so many of its competitors would not pass into the mists of time.

He will be appreciated and respected – now and forever.

Nothing else could more meaningfully define the true measure of the man fondly known as “Suitcase Jake.”