Notes:
Three-time winner of the NASCAR Winston Grand National West Series in 1983, 1984 and 1985, Jim Robinson died on Thursday, 28 December 1995 at Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley, California, of complications from pneumonia. He never recovered from head injuries suffered more than seven years before, in a racing accident that happened on Sunday, 07 February 1988, at Phoenix International Raceway. He was 49 years old.

James R. Robinson, "Cowboy Jim" Robinson as he was almost invariably called, because in his youth he also competed in rodeos, was driving an orange-and-white Pontiac Trans-Am owned by Dave Jackson of San Fernando, California, in the 40-lap stock car race held at the very fast one-mile oval of Phoenix, Arizona, United States. The race was part of the 11th Annual Copper World Classic auto races program sponsored by Skoal Bandit. 1988 was the last unsanctioned edition of the event, in 1989 USAC inaugurated its Silver Crown season at the Copper World, and would continue to sanction the races until the late 1990s.

After starting from the pole position, Jim Robinson, who was 42 at the time, was dicing for the lead with the 1986 and 1987 Copper World champion Gary Collins of Bakersfield, California, in a Chevrolet Camaro. On ninth lap, while running 130 mi/h (209 km/h) the two cars had apparently light contact in Turn 2, and Robinson spun into a reverse spin, crashing hard into the outside retaining wall. The force of the impact crushed the driver's window up against the wall before the car rebounded into the middle of the track. Robinson sustained extensive head injuries, a broken jaw, cheekbone and nose, and damaged the eye socket. Possibly the driver hit both the roll bar and the wall with his helmet, that was cracked.

After the accident, the race was stopped for more than one hour, before restarting. In order to extricate Robinson from his badly damaged Pontiac, the safety crews had to use hydraulic cutters - popularly known as "the jaws of life". He was taken by helicopter to the Barrow Neurological Institute at St. Joseph's Hospital in Phoenix, Arizona. Several weeks later, while being still in a coma, he was first transferred to the Holy Cross Hospital in Mission Hills, California, and later to the neurological care unit at Woodruff Community Hospital in Long Beach, California. He remained hospitalized for almost eight years after the accident, until his death at Pacifica Hospital in Sun Valley, California.

One of the most popular stock car drivers on the West Coast for almost one and a half decades, "Cowboy Jim" Robinson started his career in mid-1970, competing with the NASCAR Winston West Series in New Mexico, before moving to Southern California. He made his debut in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series in 1979, driving a Chevrolet at the Winston Western 500 at Riverside, California. He became a regular on both the NASCAR Winston West Series and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, until 1987. He achieved 14 outright wins in his career.

In early 1988 Jim Robinson, alongside Bobby Allison, Kyle Petty, Neil Bonnett, Dave Marcis and such, was one of 15 NASCAR Winston West drivers selected to compete in a NASCAR-sponsored Challenge Cup series between the United States and Australia at Calder Park Thunderdome, Australia.

A resident of North Hollywood, California, Jim Robinson owned an auto repair shop in his hometown. He was survived by his two daughters, Brenna and Glenna; his parents, Frank and Vivian (née Bradley) Robinson; his former wife, Ouida. All of them looked after him until his death. He was buried at the Eternal Valley Memorial Park in Newhall, Los Angeles County, California, United States.

• U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007.
• California, Death Index, 1940-1997.
• Website Los Angeles Times, article "Stock Car Racer Jim Robinson Remains 'Very Critical'" published on Wednesday, 10 February 1988, page http://articles.latimes.com/1988-02-10/sports/sp-28157_1_stock-car [E1].
• Website Los Angeles Times, article "WAITING GAME : Robinson Family and Friends Have Faith He'll Recover" published on Saturday, 23 April 1988, page http://articles.latimes.com/1988-04-23/sports/sp-1740_1_jim-robinson [E1].
• Website Los Angeles Times, article "Saugus Program to Raise Money for Robinson's Treatment" published on Thursday, 10 August 1989, page http://articles.latimes.com/1989-08-10/sports/sp-324_1_jim-robinson [E1].
• Website Los Angeles Times, article "Services for Robinson, Former Champion, Are Today" published on Friday, 05 January 1996, page http://articles.latimes.com/1996-01-05/sports/sp-21233_1_car-racing-champion [E1].
• Website Ultimate Racing History, page http://www.ultimateracinghistory.com/racelist2.php?uniqid=178 .
• Website Racing Reference, page http://www.racing-reference.info/driver/Jim_Robinson .
• Website AUTOSPORT → Forums → The Nostalgia Forum, thread "Copper World Classic", page https://forums.autosport.com/topic/208679-copper-world-classic/ .
• Website Find-A-Grave: James R “Cowboy Jim” Robinson. [E1].
• E-mail by "Eman", dated 30 August 2013, citing [E1].
• E-mail by Jim Thurman, dated 25 January 2019, citing his own research.