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. 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.

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. 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.

He 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 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

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.