Jim was born on a farm in Mackenzie, TN, the only child of two professional auctioneers. Shy and withdrawn, Jim was mute until the age of five. But watching his parents at rodeo events around the country, he overcame his fear and was even crowned FAA (Future Auctioneers of America) state champion in 1975.
To his parents' horror, Jim fell in with an animal rights activist group and left a promising stint in livestock auctioneering. But he soon quit the group and dabbled as a weatherman in Knoxville. Then in 1984, attending a race at "the World's Fastest Half Mile" in what is now known as Bristol Motor Speedway, Jim found himself yelling with excitement. To his surprise, his booming voice was able to transcend the deafening roar of the stock cars and the crowd. It was fate.
Jim called the legendary moment at Daytona in 1993 when former UPS racing star Dale Jarrett edged out Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Bodine for his historic win. It was, according to the only witness in the room, "one of the finest feats of sports announcing in the history of sports." Unfortunately, without his knowledge, Jim's microphone shorted out long before the race ended, thus leaving Ned Jarrett's famous call of the event as the only one on record. In early 2000, Jim teamed up with Bob Stuart to become one of NASCAR's most animated broadcasting duos.
His proudest accomplishments are his children and his hair, of which one announcer said "was coifed so perfectly you could cry." It requires approximately 2 hours in the make-up chair and half a can of spray mount before he goes live on television.
Jim on David Ragan: "He's one of the finest stock car drivers I've ever seen. His technique and his instincts are amazing. He'll need it all when he goes head-to-head against the delivery drivers of UPS."
Bob was born in Waxahachie, TX, the youngest child of seven. His father was amateur racing champion, Stu Stuart, whose most notable exploits, besides twice-winning the Laredo 300 Dash, was bootlegging "El Paso moonshine" up the Chisolm Trail for 14 years after the end of Prohibition.
Following in his father's footsteps (or tire tracks, rather) Bob became a star in the underground racing circuit with a souped-up 1973 AMC Gremlin. He was renowned for his speed and prowess, creating such famous maneuvers as the "the Stuart Stickeywicket" and the "Bob-alob-wangdangdoodle" which involved threading between 23 drivers for the lead after the white flag. In 1981, he was the youngest driver ever to win the unofficial Cannonball Run in 36 hours and 2 minutes. Legend has it Dom DeLuise's character in the same-named movie was based partly upon the exploits of Bob.
In 1987, a serious accident with a stray moose on a road course put an end to his racing career. Bob turned his extensive expertise and road skill to announcing — starting with small town derbies and Japanese drag races, before breaking into NASCAR in mid-1993. In early 2000, he met Jim Padgett and as they talked, "the sparks flew faster than a busted muffler over top a steel track."
Bob still has his Gremlin, which he lovingly refers to as "the Gremlin."
Bob on David Ragan: "He's got lead in his foot and love in his heart — all the hallmarks of a great racer. I can't wait to see how he does against those pros at UPS."