Jimmy Davies

James Richard Davies[1] (August 8, 1929 – June 11, 1966)[2] was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships.[3] When Davies won the 100-mile (160 km) AAA Championship race at Del Mar, California on November 6, 1949 – aged 20 years, 2 months, 29 days, he became the youngest driver to win a race in a major U.S. open wheel series, a record not broken until Marco Andretti won the IRL race at Sonoma, California in 2006. Davies raced AAA on a false birth certificate showing him older (as did Troy Ruttman and Jim Rathmann), and was racing illegally.

The Kurtis 500B driven by Davies to 3rd place in the 1955 Indianapolis 500
Jimmy Davies
BornJames Richard Davies
(1929-08-08)August 8, 1929
Glendale, California, U.S.
DiedJune 11, 1966(1966-06-11) (aged 36)
Burr Ridge, Illinois, U.S.
Champ Car career
56 races run over 13 years
Years active1949–1951, 1953–1961, 1963
Best finish6th – 1955
First race1949 Arlington 100 (Arlington)
Last race1959 Bobby Ball Memorial (ASF)
First win1949 Del Mar 100 (Del Mar)
Last win1954 Springfield 100 (Springfield)
Wins Podiums Poles
3 9 2
Formula One World Championship career
Active years19501951, 19531957, 1959
TeamsKurtis Kraft, Pawl, Ewing
Entries8 (5 starts)
Championships0
Wins0
Podiums1
Career points4
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
First entry1950 Indianapolis 500
Last entry1959 Indianapolis 500

Midget car career

In 1960 he won the USAC Pacific Coast Midget title as well as the National Midget Championship. He repeated as National Midget champion in 1961 and 1962. He won 46 feature events in the midgets in his career.[3] Davies won the Night before the 500 midget race three times, in 1960 and 1961 at Kokomo Speedway, and next year at the Indianapolis Speedrome. Davies's midget car was stolen but was recovered a year later when a driver was killed in it at Sacramento. Davies recognized the car in the newspaper photos of the wreck.[3]

Davies also had success racing midgets (called Speedcars down under) in Australia and New Zealand during his career. He won the 1963 Australian Speedcar Grand Prix at the Sydney Showground Speedway, as well as the 1963 and 1964 South Australian Speedcar Championships at the Rowley Park Speedway in Adelaide.

He died on June 11, 1966, aged 36, from injuries suffered in a midget crash at Santa Fe Speedway in suburban Chicago.

Career award

Complete AAA/USAC Championship Car results

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Pos Points
1949 ARL
10
INDY
MIL
TRE
SPR
MIL
DUQ
PIK
SYR
8
DET
6
SPR
13
LAN
16
SAC
DNQ
DMR
1
17th 330
1950 INDY
17
MIL
3
LAN
11
SPR
10
MIL
21
PIK SYR
15
DET
2
SPR
8
SAC
15
PHX
1
BAY
14
DAR
12th 605.5
1951 INDY
16
MIL
14
LAN DAR
24
SPR
18
MIL
13
DUQ
13
DUQ
17
PIK SYR
DET
DNC
SJS
5
PHX
3
BAY
8
17th 315
1953 INDY
10
MIL
8
SPR
DET
15
SPR
16
MIL
12
DUQ
5
PIK SYR
16
ISF
DNS
SAC
4
PHX
7
12th 494,2
1954 INDY
DNS
MIL
17
LAN
DAR
28
SPR
1
MIL
23
DUQ
4
PIK SYR
11
ISF
DNQ
SAC
4
PHX
DNQ
LVG
3
12th 614.5
1955 INDY
3
MIL
5
LAN
DNQ
SPR
9
MIL
13
DUQ
14
PIK SYR
8
ISF
DNQ
SAC
DNQ
PHX
DNQ
6th 890
1956 INDY
DNQ
MIL LAN DAR ATL SPR MIL DUQ
18
SYR ISF
DNQ
SAC PHX - 0
1957 INDY
DNQ
LAN MIL DET ATL SPR MIL DUQ SYR ISF TRE SAC PHX - 0
1958 TRE INDY MIL LAN ATL SPR MIL
20
DUQ
15
SYR ISF
DNQ
TRE
DNP
SAC PHX
- 0
1959 DAY
15
TRE
3
INDY
DNQ
MIL
LAN
DNQ
SPR
DNQ
MIL
DUQ
SYR
DNQ
ISF
TRE
15
SAC
PHX
32nd 140
1960 TRE INDY
MIL
DNQ
LAN
SPR MIL
DNQ
DUQ
DNQ
SYR ISF
DNQ
TRE SAC PHX - 0
1961 TRE
INDY
MIL
LAN MIL SPR DUQ SYR
ISF TRE SAC PHX
DNQ
- 0
1963 TRE INDY
DNQ
MIL
DNQ
LAN TRE
SPR MIL DUQ ISF
DNQ
TRE
SAC
DNQ
PHX
DNQ
- 0

Indianapolis 500 results

* Shared drive with Art Cross, Johnny Parsons, Sam Hanks and Andy Linden

Complete Formula One World Championship results

(key)

Year Entrant Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 WDC Points
1950 Pat Clancy Ewing Offenhauser L4 GBR MON 500
17
SUI BEL FRA ITA NC 0
1951 Parks Offenhauser / L.E. Parks Pawl Offenhauser L4 SUI 500
16
BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP NC 0
1953 Pat Clancy Kurtis Kraft 500B Offenhauser L4 ARG 500
10
NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0
1954 Bardahl / Ed Walsh Kurtis Kraft 4000 Offenhauser L4 ARG 500
11
BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0
1955 Bardahl / Pat Clancy Kurtis Kraft 500B Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500
3
BEL NED GBR ITA 12th 4
1956 Novi Racing Kurtis Kraft 500F Novi V8 ARG MON 500
DNQ
BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0
1957 Trio Brdeact Wind Allass Kurtis Kraft 500D Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500
DNQ
FRA GBR GER PES ITA NC 0
1959 Sumar / Chapman Root Kurtis Kraft 500G Offenhauser L4 MON 500
DNQ
NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA NC 0

References

  1. "Jimmy Davies". www.champcarstats.com. Retrieved 2023-06-29.
  2. Jenkins, Richard. "The World Championship drivers – Where are they now?". OldRacingCars.com. Retrieved 2013-06-11.
  3. Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame Archived November 18, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
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