Longtime and well-respected drag racer, track operator, and Pro Stock team owner Jim Cunningham, who became the oldest man to qualify for an NHRA Pro Stock race at the age of 73, passed away this week after losing his battle with cancer at the age of 77.

Cunningham, from Crownsville, Maryland, was best known in recent years for his pioneering efforts in the Pro Stock arena, where, as a Blue Oval supporter through-and-through, he worked tirelessly to develop a competitive Ford program in a GM and Chrysler-dominated category. For a time, Cunningham campaigned the one and only Ford (or a pair of matching Fords, rather) in the class, and employed such names as Erica Enders-Stevens, Buddy Perkinson, and Grace Howell to pilot his bright red Cunningham Motorsports machines.

Cunningham himself also wheeled one of the original S197 model Mustangs built by Jerry Haas Race Cars, and after 66 unsuccessful attempts to make a race day field, he finally made history at the Northwest Nationals in Seattle in 2010, becoming the oldest driver to ever qualify in the factory hot rod rod division.

In addition to his Pro Stock efforts, Cunningham operated the Capitol Raceway in Maryland, beginning in 1974, located adjacent to his Cunningham Sand and Gravel business.

Cunningham was reportedly stricken with lung cancer late last year, and despite positive responses to treatments, lost his battle on Tuesday, August 19th, at the age of 77. Chassis builder Jerry Haas, who had become a close friend of Cunningham over the years, was among those at his bedside upon his passing.

Although Cunningham never won a race or a championship in Pro Stock, he will certainly be long remembered for the perseverance and the dedication that he showed in his nearly 15 years in the category.

Photos courtesy NHRA/National Dragster