Legendary NASCAR Wrenchman Jake Elder Passes Away
Jake Elder 1980. Credit ISC Archives/Getty Images via nascarmedia.com
Former NASCAR Crew Chief “Suitcase” Jake Elder passed away today due to natural causes, he was 73.
Elder earned the nickname “Suitcase Jake” because he frequently changed teams. What it boiled down to he would get mad at something or disagreed with the way things were running and he’d leave, but he wouldn’t be unemployed for long because he was so good at what he did other teams would readily pick him up.
Perhaps for me Elder is best known as being Dale Earnhardt’s crew chief during his Rookie of The Year season, but Elder had been around for a while and won Championships in the late ‘60s with David Pearson.
I wish I would have had the opportunity to meet him and listen to his stories about NASCAR just once. That would have been an experience.
Here is what NASCAR had to say about Elder’s passing;
"J.C. “Suitcase Jake” Elder was one the first crew chiefs in NASCAR to achieve celebrity status with our fans. He was a pioneer in that regard, and his celebrity was well-deserved. He was truly one of the greatest crew chiefs of all-time, winning two championships with David Pearson. Our sport has lost one of its legends, with his passing."
