Jim Schoch joined the Quincy Welding race team in 1956 as a pit crew member, working part-time. Once he graduated from high school, he began working for Quincy Welding full time. Jim began his racing career for Quincy Racing in 1957, running in the C Service Runabout class. Jim won his first race in C Service Runabout at the Division I & IV races at Carlinville, Illinois on July 14th of 1957. He won several races in 1957 in this class with a Mercury Mark 50.

Jim moved on to A & B Runabout and A & B Hydro classes. Schoch won his first National Championship in 1960 while driving for Quincy Welding in D Hydro at the World Championships in Bakersfield, California. The 1960 World Championships were held in McAlester, Oklahoma over the Labor Day weekend. There were 541 entries (slightly less than the record breaking 553 from the year before at Springfield, IL), with a record 58 C Hydro entries. Jim took a 3rd in C Hydro, 1st place in D Hydro, 3rd in A Runabout and a 2nd in B Runabout at the World Championships. Jim was also given the Silver Prop Award for being one of the outstanding drivers in the nation.

At the 1960 North-South National Outboard Championship held in Tennessee, Jim finished 1st in both heats of C and D runabout, along with a 1st in B Runabout. Jim also came in 2nd in D Hydro and C Hydro and 3rd in B hydro test. Jim Schoch ended up capturing 5 firsts at this event in front of an estimated crowd of 25,000 fans. There were 187 entries, causing the offcials to run 13 qualifying heats before the official race program could begin. According to a March 1961 issue of the Rooster Tail: "In the 1960 battle the Blue Coats of the North led by Jim Schoch, Quincy, ILL, a newcomer to the outboard racing sport, sparked an aggressive group of Yankee cohorts to a 12,111 to 10,242 point victory. Schoch alone accounted for 2430 of the Yankee points to gain top honors in the traditional Yankee-Rebel classic. In collecting these points, Schoch earned the honorary title, General Ulysses S Grant, and the honor of the Blue Coats."

In 1961 Jim won 2 national titles at the World Championships in St. Paul, Minnesota, for the classes F Hydro and Unlimited Hydro. In Alexandria, Louisiana, in June of 1961, Jim shattered the previous D Hydro record, turning in a 78.603 mph run. He became the 1961 Louisiana State Champion in D Hydro at that event. Jim also won C Hydro & took 3rd in F Hydro, 3rd in A Runabout, 2nd in B Runabout at the same Louisiana regatta. He went on to win 3 national titles in 1962. Jim was then selected into the Gulf Marine Hall of Fame.

In 1963 Jim dominated the racing circuits by placing 1st in over 1/2 of the classes he ran at the various races. At the APBA World Nationals in 1963 at Moses Lakes, Washington, Schoch became the 5th man in history to win 3 titles in one year (Class C Hydro, Class D Hydro & Class F Hydro).

Jim and the Quincy Racing team then moved on to the NOA World Championships near Atlanta, Georgia at Lake Spively where Jim took 6 1st place finishes and went on to win the 1963 titles in A Hydro, C Runabout and F Runabout. That same year Jim set a 5 mile competition record for D Hydro (75 mph) at Lakeland, Florida. Note: Jim won 6 World Championships by winning 3 championships in each sanctioning body, both APBA and NOA, in 1963, a historic first.

In 1966 Jim was the Southern Champion in both A Runabout and C Runabout. Jim was also a World Speed Record Holder for 1/2 mile Straightaway in C Runabout at 78.947 mph.

By the early 1970's, Jim left racing to start J & J Marine in Quincy, Illinois.