James Richard Davies (August 8, 1929 – June 11, 1966) was an American racecar driver in Champ cars and midgets. He was the second man to win three USAC National Midget Championships.Biography at the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame When Davies won the 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.

Midget car career In 1960, Davies 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. 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.

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.

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

Career award Inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984.

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 ARL10 INDY MIL TRE SPR MIL DUQ PIK SYR8 DET6 SPR13 LAN16 SACDNQ DMR1 17th 330 1950 INDY17 MIL3 LAN11 SPR10 MIL21 PIK SYR15 DET2 SPR8 SAC15 PHX1 BAY14 DAR 12th 605.5 1951 INDY16 MIL14 LAN DAR24 SPR18 MIL13 DUQ13 DUQ17 PIK SYR DET DNC SJS5 PHX3 BAY8 17th 315 1953 INDY10 MIL8 SPR DET15 SPR16 MIL12 DUQ5 PIK SYR16 ISFDNS SAC4 PHX7 12th 494,2 1954 INDYDNS MIL17 LAN DAR28 SPR1 MIL23 DUQ4 PIK SYR11 ISFDNQ SAC4 PHXDNQ LVG3 12th 614.5 1955 INDY3 MIL5 LANDNQ SPR9 MIL13 DUQ14 PIK SYR8 ISFDNQ SACDNQ PHXDNQ 6th 890 1956 INDYDNQ MIL LAN DAR ATL SPR MIL DUQ18 SYR ISFDNQ SAC PHX-0 1957 INDYDNQ LAN MIL DET ATL SPR MIL DUQ SYR ISF TRE SAC PHX-0 1958 TRE INDY MIL LAN ATL SPR MIL20 DUQ15 SYR ISFDNQ TREDNP SAC PHX-0 1959 DAY15 TRE3 INDYDNQ MIL LANDNQ SPRDNQ MIL DUQ SYRDNQ ISF TRE15 SAC PHX 32nd 140 1960 TRE INDY MILDNQ LAN SPR MILDNQ DUQDNQ SYR ISFDNQ TRE SAC PHX-0 1961 TRE INDY MIL LAN MIL SPR DUQ SYR ISF TRE SAC PHXDNQ - 0 1963 TRE INDYDNQ MILDNQ LAN TRE SPR MIL DUQ ISFDNQ TRE SACDNQ PHXDNQ - 0

Indianapolis 500 results

YearCarStartQualRankFinishLapsLedRetired19502227130.40223171280Flagged19517627133.516171611025Rear end19535332135.26232101930Flagged19541 – – –11*??Running19551510140.274532000RunningTotals63125

Starts5Poles0Front Row0Wins0Top 51Top 102Retired1

* 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 SUI BEL FRA ITA NC 0 1951 Parks Offenhauser / L.E. Parks Pawl Offenhauser L4 SUI 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA ESP NC 0 1953 Pat Clancy Kurtis Kraft 500B Offenhauser L4 ARG 500 NED BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA NC 0 1954 Bardahl / Ed Walsh Kurtis Kraft 4000 Offenhauser L4 ARG 500 BEL FRA GBR GER SUI ITA ESP NC 0 1955 Bardahl / Pat Clancy Kurtis Kraft 500B Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500 BEL NED GBR ITA 12th 4 1956 Novi Racing Kurtis Kraft 500F Novi V8 ARG MON 500 BEL FRA GBR GER ITA NC 0 1957 Trio Brdeact Wind Allass Kurtis Kraft 500D Offenhauser L4 ARG MON 500 FRA GBR GER PES ITA NC 0 1959 Sumar / Chapman Root Kurtis Kraft 500G Offenhauser L4 MON 500 NED FRA GBR GER POR ITA USA NC 0

In 1954 Davies shared his drive with Art Cross, Johnny Parsons, Sam Hanks and Andy Linden. Davies also shared the 20th-placed car with Hanks and Jim Rathmann. Between 1950 and 1960, the Indianapolis 500 was included as part of the Formula One World Championship.

References

External links Profile on Historic Racing