Jimmie Wayne Patterson, a former race car champion at several Central Virginia short tracks, died early Wednesday morning in a single-vehicle crash in Nottoway County.
He was thrown from the pickup truck he was driving and pronounced dead at the scene, according to Virginia State Police. He was traveling westbound on U.S. 360 when he lost control of the car at the intersection with state Route 615.
Mr. Patterson, 60, resided in Jetersville and operated a business in Amelia.
He earned a reputation as a fierce competitor in the Late Model Sportsman division at Southside Speedway in Midlothian. He captured the first-ever Late Model title at Southside in 1982, then followed up with a track-record speed of 84.722 mph — a mark that still stands.
The Chesterfield County native was among the first drivers to compete in NASCAR's Busch Series (now Nationwide). He won more than 100 races and several titles at Southside, South Boston and Langley speedways.
"There were two ways to race for Wayne," said Joe Kelly, a local radio host. "He was always go, go, go. But he was conservative in a long race.
"He had a chance to go big-time, but he always missed the big one because something always happened to his cars. He decided to commit to his family instead of racing."
Mr. Patterson raced only sparingly after 1995.
Mr. Patterson is survived by his wife, Brenda Patterson, and two children.
Ralph N. Paulk writes for the Richmond Times-Dispatch.
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