James Edward Vaill was born in Torrington on Feb. 18, 1921 and grew up in the Lakeville section of Salisbury.
He was trained as a singer and performed in light opera but primarily worked for his father in the family farming and construction business.
In the spring of 1955 Vaill, who raced a car that was owned by his friend in a gravel pit on Vaill family property in Lime Rock, was approached by a group from the Sports Car Club of America.
The group proposed that Vaill build a permanent road-racing course. He laid out a plan for a 1.53-mile road-racing course. While it is not considered a major speedway, Lime Rock has attracted drivers such as Dan Gurney, Parnelli Jones and Mark Donohue, and celebrity racer Paul Newman.
In 1963, Vaill sold the track and focused on real estate. The circuit is now owned by Skip Barber, who started a chain of high-performance driving schools, including one based at Lime Rock Park.