Commissioners honor late Sanford NASCAR driver J.D. McDuffie

Aug. 10—The Lee County Board of Commissioners recognized "Sanford's hometown hero" with the adoption of a resolution honoring NASCAR driver the late John Delphus "J.D." McDuffie.

"He represented Sanford and Lee County and was an ambassador to the sport of auto racing," Commissioner Arianna Lavalle, vice chair, said as she read the proclamation.

"This is a tribute to Sanford's hometown hero," she said.

McDuffie began his racing career on dirt tracks where he won several races. He moved to NASCAR in 1963 until he died in a crash during the 1991 Budweiser at The Glen race at the Watkins Glen International track in Watkins Glen, New York, at the age of 52.

His daughter, Linda McDuffie, thanked the board for the recognition for her father.

"I just want to say thank you to everyone, especially the board for doing this," she said. "It is an honor. My dad loved Sanford, he loved the people here, he loved his fans.

"I was lucky enough to call him my father and dad," she said.

McDuffie was an independent race with a major sponsor and was known for his tenacity as raced each week on a "shoestring budget," Lavalle said.

The board also approved designating Sept. 5 — which is Labor Day — as J.D. McDuffie Day. He will be honored with the unveiling of a mural on a building located at 329 Carthage Street.