James E. Winfrey, age 78, passed away Wednesday afternoon, December 17, 2025, at the Good Samaritan Society, Liberal, Kansas.
He was born August 18, 1947, the son of William E. and Alice Louise (Shuman) Winfrey. He attended Plains High School and Southwestern Heights High School, he was the first class to graduate from Southwestern Heights in 1966.
James was an outstanding football player in high school, a four year starting tailback. After high school, he went to Fort Hays State University on a football scholarship. Early in his first season James suffered a knee injury, which ended his football career.
Leaving Fort Hays State University, he moved to Dodge City Community College and graduated from automotive school in 1968. James then moved to Denver, Colorado, for three years where he worked in the automotive industry.
Returning to Dodge City, James met Karen Straight in 1974. They were married on May 31, 1975.
His true gift was building high performance racing engines, drag racing cars, and showing cars the he built from the ground up. He built a 1966 Corvette and hit the drag racing scene for a couple years.
He was asked at a drag race in Denver, “How in the world do you get that Corvette to launch from the starting gate like a rocket”? He made the mistake of telling two men that he put a solid nine bolt Ford rear end under his Corvette. Those two men later patented his idea of the solid dragster rear end that continues in every dragster today.
After a short racing career, James thought it was time to put the Corvette on the show circuit. Traveled from coast to coast and from Canada to the Gulf, winning the competition class at the majority of the shows he competed in. Winning the Pacific Division Championship in 1986, and was also voted the car owner of the year. The next year, the car was selected to be taken to Europe in a glass bubble where it was exhibited across a few European countries.
He opened Auto Works in Plains, Kansas and ran the shop for thirty-four years.
James and Karen started bowling and they won the Kansas State Bowling Singles with a 820 series and all the events with a 2361 total.
He is survived by his stepdaughters, Sevena Koehn and husband Kenny of Dodge City, and Melissa Archilla and husband Raf of Billings, Montana; a brother, Gordon Winfrey and wife Eldeana of Plains; a sister Carol Palmer of Dodge City; two grandchildren, Isabel and Mark Archilla; two great-grandchildren; and several nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his wife on October 26, 2023; his parents; two brothers, Darrell and Larry Winfrey; and a sister, Joy Brackey.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, December 23, 2025, at the New Beginnings Church, Plains. Interment will follow in the Plains Cemetery. Friends may call from 9:00 a.m. until 7:00 p.m. with the family present from 5:00 p.m. until 7:00 p.m. Monday at Fidler-Orme-Bachman Mortuary, Meade, Kansas.
The family would welcome memorials to the Good Samaritan Society in care of the funeral home.
Personal condolences may be given to the family at www.fidlerormebachmanmortuary,com