Jimmy Davies was one of America’s toughest and most naturally gifted open-wheel racers of the 1950s and 1960s — a fearless competitor whose career stretched from dirt-track midgets to the mighty Indianapolis 500. Born James Richard Davies on 8 August 1929, he became a standout figure in American motorsport through a combination of raw speed, relentless determination and a willingness to race anywhere, anytime.
Driver Bio
| Nationality | American |
| Birthplace | Glendale, California, USA |
| Born | 8 August 1929 |
| Died | 11 June 1966 |
| First Grand Prix | 1950 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last Grand Prix | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
| Years Active | 1950–1951, 1953–1957, 1959 |
| Current/Last Team | Kurtis Kraft |
Davies made headlines remarkably early in his career. On 6 November 1949, at just 20 years, 2 months and 29 days old, he won the 100-mile AAA Championship race at Del Mar, California, becoming the youngest driver ever to win a major American open-wheel race. The record stood for more than half a century until Marco Andretti finally eclipsed it in 2006. Like several young stars of the era, including Troy Ruttman and Jim Rathmann, Davies had competed using a falsified birth certificate that made him appear older than he really was — a risky but surprisingly common shortcut into top-level racing at the time.
Although he raced successfully in Championship cars, it was in midget racing where Davies truly built his legend. Small, violent and fiercely competitive, midget racing demanded razor-sharp reflexes and absolute bravery, and Davies thrived in the chaos. Over the course of his career, he captured 46 feature race victories and became only the second driver ever to win three USAC National Midget Championships.
His golden era came in the early 1960s. In 1960, Davies dominated the midget scene by winning both the USAC Pacific Coast Midget title and the National Midget Championship. He successfully defended the national crown again in 1961 and 1962, establishing himself as the benchmark driver of the division. He also became a fan favourite at the prestigious “Night Before the 500” races, winning the event three consecutive times — first at Kokomo Speedway in 1960 and 1961, then at the Indianapolis Speedrome in 1962.
Davies’ career was filled with the kind of stories that perfectly captured the wild spirit of mid-century American racing. In one bizarre episode, his prized midget car was stolen, only to reappear a year later after another driver was killed while racing it in Sacramento. Davies recognised the missing car from newspaper photographs of the wreckage — a grim but unforgettable twist in an already dangerous sport.
Beyond the United States, Davies also earned major success internationally, particularly in Australia and New Zealand, where midget racing was known as Speedcar racing. His aggressive driving style and spectacular car control made him hugely popular with fans “down under.” In 1963, he won the prestigious Australian Speedcar Grand Prix at the Sydney Showground Speedway, before adding the 1963 and 1964 South Australian Speedcar Championships at Rowley Park Speedway to his growing list of honours.
Davies also competed at the Indianapolis 500, with one of his strongest performances coming in 1955 when he drove a Kurtis 500B to a superb third-place finish against some of the biggest names in American racing.
Death
Tragically, like so many drivers of his era, Davies’ life was cut short at the racetrack. On 11 June 1966, just three days after his 36th birthday, he died from injuries sustained in a midget car crash at Santa Fe Speedway near Chicago.
Davies’ contribution to the sport was later formally recognised when he was inducted into the National Midget Auto Racing Hall of Fame in 1984, cementing his place among the all-time greats of midget racing.
Grand Prix Stats
| Race Entries | 8 |
| Race Starts | 5 |
| Did Not Start | 0 |
| Best Race Start | 10th |
| Best Race Finish | 3rd |
| Retirements | 1 |
| First-Lap Retirements | 0 |
| Not Classified | 0 |
| Disqualified | 0 |
| Did Not Qualify | 3 |
Podiums
| Podiums | 1 |
| First Podium | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
| Last Podium | 1955 Indianapolis 500 |
| 1st Place | 0 |
| 2nd Place | 0 |
| 3rd Place | 1 |
| Most Consecutive Podiums | 0 |
| Most Podiums in a Single Season | 1 (1955) |
| Seasons with Podiums | 1 |
Qualifying
| Qualifying Sessions | – |
| Reached Q3 | – |
| Q2 Eliminations | – |
| Q1 Eliminations | – |
| Did Not Qualify | 3 |
Points
| Points Scored | 4 |
| Points Finishes | 1 |
| Most Points in a Single Season | 4 (1955) |
| Seasons with Points | 1 |
Stats by Season
| Year | Constructor | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points | Championship |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1950 | Ewing | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27th | 17th | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1951 | Pawl | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27th | 16th | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1953 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 32nd | 10th | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1954 | Kurtis Kraft | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th | 11th | 0 | 0 | NC |
| 1955 | Kurtis Kraft | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th | 3rd | 1 | 4 | 12th |
Stats by Constructor
| Constructor | Years | Entries | Starts | Wins | Podiums | Poles | Fastest Laps | Front Rows | DNF | Best Start | Best Result | Pts Finishes | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ewing | 1950 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 27th | 17th | 0 | 0 |
| Pawl | 1951 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 27th | 16th | 0 | 0 |
| Kurtis Kraft | 1953–1957, 1959 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10th | 3rd | 1 | 4 |
Teammates & Qualifying Head-to-Head
| Teammate | Years | Races | Qualifying H2H |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jack McGrath | 1953, 1955 | 10 | – |
| Andy Linden | 1953, 1955 | N/A | – |
| Art Cross | 1953, 1955 | N/A | – |
| Bill Vukovich | 1953, 1955 | N/A | – |
| Sam Hanks | 1953, 1955 | N/A | – |
