- The video shows the last known stop of James Dean at Blackwells Corner, his last completed race at Minter Field in Shafter, and his memorial in Cholame.
- On Sept. 30th 1955, James Dean lost control of his Porsche Spyder and died in a crash. According to Minter Field Air Museuem Board Chair Ron Pierce, Dean's last completed race was at Minter Field on May 1st, 1955. Ryan Uytdewilligen, an author, screenwriter and journalist from Toronto noted that Dean's candor on screen and ability to relate to the public are part of the reason the icon is still talked about today.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Most folks know that Blackwells Corner is the last stop for James Dean before crashing just a few miles down that road. I mean, come on, take a look at this. But did you know that there's more Dean history in Kern County and specifically in Shafter?
In 1955, on May 1st at Minter Field, James Dean completed what would be his last race. He came in third overall and first in his class in his 1955 Porsche speedster.
"Nobody knew who he was. He was just another driver with a Porsche speedster. Everybody including me with more interested in the Mercedes Gullwings and the faster, more exciting cars than he was driving," said Ron Pierce.
While Dean was a car enthusiast, he's noted mostly for his contributions to the silver screen..
"He had a lot of unconventional methods."
That's Ryan Uytdewilligen, an author, screenwriter, and journalist from Toronto who penned the article "Why James Dean Is So Iconic, Despite Starring In Only Three Movies," for ScreenRant in 2022.
Over the course of his research, he found that many cited Dean's willingness to be open on screen as one of the main reasons he's still talked about today.
"He had a very traumatic childhood. So he used a lot of that raw emotion to convey something that was instead of based on more of that hammy theatrical stage play type of acting, something that came from a real place and therefore came out of, you know, something a little bit more intense and relatable."
After wrapping filming on the movie Giant, Dean was headed to another race in Salinas, unfortunately, he never made it, crashing near Cholame, west of Blackwells Corner. Leaving the world to wonder what was to be for him as a driver following his success on screen and as an academy award-nominated actor.
"He's become a symbol for the Hollywood golden age. So I think he is still alive and well, even though he's been dead for over nearly 70 years now."
Now, that wasn't the last race that Dean ever competed in. The last race he did was May 30th of 1955 out in Santa Barbara, where he moved from 18th place to fourth place before blowing a cylinder in the engine of that '55 speedster terming the end of its life and bringing in the 1955 Porsche Spyder, the one he was later killed in.
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