Steve Waid: 'Suitcase Jake' left his mark on the sport

By Steve Waid

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Article Rating: 3.9
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There was a time when a NASCAR 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: Make the car go very fast, handle well and win.

Many crew chiefs from NASCAR’s past made their impact on the sport, men such as Dale Inman, Herb Nab, Leonard Wood, Waddell Wilson, David Ifft, Harry Hyde, Buddy Parrott, Barry Dodson, Travis Carter and Tim Brewer.

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.

And perhaps there was never a keener observer and nurturer of raw talent.

In the mid-1970s, when a young Darrell Waltrip showed up to make his mark in NASCAR with limited equipment yet high hopes, his crew chief was Elder, who had already established his reputation at Holman-Moody and Petty Enterprises.

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 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 NASCAR Cup victory in the spring race at Bristol

Known for his down-to-earth style, Elder told the young Earnhardt after that first win, “Stick with me, kid, and we’ll win diamonds big as horse turds.”

Earnhardt went on to capture rookie-of-the-year honors that season. A year later, Earnhardt won his first championship. But Elder had moved on after 15 races.

Earnhardt went on to greater glory.

Elder did not.

He continued to be a part of the sport. He 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.

Two years ago, he suffered a stroke.
 
He is in a nursing home in Statesville, N.C. He recognizes few people, if any. As of more than a week ago, he had eaten virtually nothing. He can do little, if anything, for himself. He has no strength.

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

Elder’s children readily express how proud they are of their father and what he accomplished in racing.

But they know that he is not familiar to today’s fans and wonder if the sport will forget him.

The answer is no – not if some of the most recognized and admired names in NASCAR have anything to do with it.

A group of longtime friends and peers, who don’t wish to be identified by name, are getting Elder a mechanical wheelchair and helping him in other ways.

They said they owe a debt to Elder. They know of only one way to repay it.   

A man who’d contributed to the growth of NASCAR and influenced so many of its competitors would not pass into the mists of time as a forgotten man. Not if they had anything to do with it.

He was going to be appreciated and respected throughout what remains of his life and beyond. They would do all they could to assure that.

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

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Comments

5 responses to "Steve Waid: 'Suitcase Jake' left his mark on the sport"
  1. 1
    linda head said:
    May 18, 2008 at 2:06 PM

    I have been watching this sport since the early fifties and like to hear what happened to some of the early names involved in the beginning.Keep it up Steve for the old corefans.

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  2. 2
    Worm Dirt said:
    May 18, 2008 at 5:40 PM

    Great article sir. I agree with Linda Head.... Keep the articles like these coming. Well done.

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  3. 3
    charlie starke said:
    May 18, 2008 at 7:41 PM

    jake Elder is one of the true great legends of nascar.you need to list some of the great crew chiefs and nascar members who learned from jake. bbq charlie

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  4. 4
    Anonymous said:
    May 19, 2008 at 11:14 AM

    I feel terrible that Suitcase Jake's in such failing health. He's been such an inspiration and a brilliant mind over the years... I'll always miss the days when men like Jake Elder and Harry Hyde were in the pits. We won't see anything like that again, any time soon. My best wishes and prayers to Mr. Elder's family.

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  5. 5
    tony burgess said:
    May 21, 2008 at 5:26 PM

    thank you for the article, it hit a homerun. sorry about his health issues, glad to see his old friends helping out. he helped many people both drivers, and machinics get started.his family has my rayers and wishes with them

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