"Suitcase Jake" Elder: Remembering a Legendary NASCAR Crew Chief

J.C. "Jake" Elder, a former crew chief in the Cup Series, died Wednesday in Statesville, North Carolina at the age of 73. He was known as "Suitcase Jake" because he could never settle down with one organization for very long.

He is generally considered by the NASCAR community as one of the greatest crew chiefs of all-time. He won two championships with David Pearson and helped mold some of NASCAR’s legends, including Dale Earnhardt, Darrell Waltrip, and Benny Parsons.

If you want to take a look back at the grassroots of NASCAR, Jake Elder is a great place to begin.

He was born on November 22, 1936, and his education ended around the third grade. Elder never learned to read and write, but his knowledge of cars was almost unrivaled.

He began his NASCAR career in 1960 as a fabricator for Petty Enterprises.

"Jake came to work for us in Level Cross in the ‘60s, down from the Hickory area, and he was a fabricator," Richard Petty said. "Jake was old school. There was no engineering; it was all off the cuff. He'd put something on the car and say, ‘OK, now it's right. Here, you go drive it. And don't come back in complaining to me, because I got the car fixed. You go learn how to drive it.'"

Rusty Wallace remembers Elder as the go-to guy for all the teams.

"Jake was old-old school," said Wallace.

"He worked for so many teams. But, he was the guy you would call when you needed some help. If your old car wasn't running right, and you were confused, you'd want to call Jake and say, ‘Hey, can you come bail me out?' And he could help you fix it.

"I called him once, when my car wasn't running right, and asked, ‘Jake, can you come over and crew chief this car for me?' And Jake said, 'All right, just one race.'

“And he came over with his tool box—which was filled with so much doggone prehistoric stuff that it was unreal. He had the string out, and the levels, and said, ‘You do this and this.…'

"And I took it to Charlotte and had my best run ever."

In 1979, Elder was the crew chief for Rod Osterlund’s team, who had a young driver named Dale Earnhardt. Elder was one of the big reasons Earnhardt picked up his first career NASCAR Cup victory in the spring race at Bristol.

After that first win, the colorful Elder told Earnhardt, “Stick with me, kid, and we’ll win diamonds big as horse turds.”

Earnhardt went on to win Rookie of the Year that season but, in characteristic fashion, Elder had already packed his suitcase and moved on.

Elder left NASCAR in the mid-1990s and later lost his wife Debbie to cancer. In 2006, Elder suffered a stroke and had been in failing health since then.

“Suitcase Jake” Elder was one of a kind. Although he was known for his sense of humor, he was most known for his focus and determination. He was truly a NASCAR pioneer and his contributions to the sport should never be forgotten.

Motorsports writer Steve Waid once said, "Perhaps there was not a more truly gifted shade tree mechanic in stock-car racing, one who succeeded without formal education.

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

Elder is survived by three children, Randy, Andy, and Sandy Elder Maxwell.