Rex Mays


Rex Houston Mays Jr. was an American racing driver. He was a two-time National Champion, won four poles for the Indianapolis 500, and is generally regarded as one of the greatest drivers of his era.

Racing career

Mays won regional sprint car championships in the mid-1930s. He made his Indianapolis 500 debut in 1934 and won the pole in 1935, 1936, and again in 1940 and finished second, he returned the next year and finished second again. Mays won the AAA National Championship in 1940 [AAA Championship Car season|1940] and 1941 AAA [Championship Car season|1941]. However, World War II suspended racing until 1946, denying Mays of what likely would have been the peak of his career. After the war, Mays again won the Indianapolis pole in 1948, but was knocked out by a mechanical problem.
In a race at Milwaukee on June 6, 1948, a fellow driver, Duke Dinsmore, was thrown from his car during an incident in the south turn. Mays was leading the race and seconds after the incident saw Dinsmore's body lying in the middle of the south turn. Mays spun his car into the wall, got out of the car, and pulled the unconscious Dinsmore to safety.

Death

Mays was killed at the age of 36 in a crash during the only Championship Car race held at Del Mar Fairgrounds race track in Del Mar, California in November 1949. In this accident, Mays swerved to miss a car that had crashed in front of him. His car went out of control and flipped, throwing Mays to the track surface, where he was hit by a trailing car.

Awards and honors

Mays has been inducted into the following halls of fame:
In addition, the Milwaukee Mile Indy car race traditionally run the weekend after the Indianapolis 500 was renamed in Mays' honor, recognizing not only his career and tragic death, but his selfless earlier actions in protecting Dinsmore. The Rex Mays Classic ran as such from 1950 to 1987 - at which time the Mays name was eliminated in favor of Miller High Life sponsorship. Riverside International Raceway also held an Indy car race named after Mays, the Rex Mays 300, which ran from 1967 to 1969.

Motorsports career results

AAA Championship Car results

  • 1946 table only includes results of the six races run to "championship car" specifications. Points total includes the 71 races run to "big car" specifications.

Indianapolis 500 results

Starts12
Poles4
Front Row7
Wins0
Top 52
Top 103
Retired9