Several decades after his death, Jim Shampine remains one of the most popular supermodified drivers ever. He is a member of the Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame, the Cicero-North Syracuse Wall of Fame and the Oswego Speedway Hall of Fame. Shampine is the winningest driver in the history of the Oswego Speedway, which is considered the zenith of supermodified racing. At that facility he collected 87 supermodified victories, 5 modified victories plus 7 Supermodified titles.
In several aspects and instances Jim Shampine is credited for having revolutionized the design and construction of supermodifieds. Shampine's designs were so dominating that his cars obsoleted the rest of the field. One example was his famous rear-engined car, which was banned from Oswego Speedway on the grounds of being too fast.
In 1981 Shampine decided to prove himself behind the wheel of sprint cars. He had become so successful in supermodified racing that winning had lost his fascination. So, at the age of 40 he parked his super and bought a Lloyd sprinter, joining the URC - United Racing Club series. Shampine had his debut at the Rolling Wheels Raceway near Auburn, New York - and, astonishingly, he won that event. "Winning that one felt great" Jim said. "I proved something to myself, I satisfied a desire within me and conquered a new challenge". Shampine did not participate in all the URC races of the season; instead, his racing endeavors in that year were restricted to only the URC's northernmost events and the Oswego Classic.
Sadly, the same track that brought so many joys to Shampine would assist his final demise, on the 1982 Labor Day weekend. Coming off the second turn, Shampine's car spun and was hit in the driver's side by another racer, during the Modified 200, a supporting race held the night before the Supermodified Oswego Classic 200, where he had qualified third fastest. Shampine was not at the wheel of his usual 8-ball car #89, but of Billy Taylor's Chevrolet Cavalier Modified #99.
R.I.P
