,



Rex Mays

1913 - 1949

Motorsports Hall of Fame Biography




From an article about California drivers in the December, 1932, issue of Speedway Magazine.




Limited Edition print by Bob McCoy.
From "Legion Ascot Speedway, 1920s-1930s" by John R. Lucero
About 1932. Car owned by Paul Fromm.
Courtesy of Rex Mays Jr.
The same car, but with a newer chassis and a cross-spring front end. This photo of the restored car was taken in 1990.



Courtesy of Rex Mays Jr.



About this time, Celia Parker was appearing in low-budget Westerns with John Wayne. She later appeared in Andy Hardy movies as Andy's sister.



From "Legion Ascot Speedway, 1920s-1930s" by John R. Lucero

Mays, front row outside, next to Floyd Roberts. Ascot, August 26, 1934
Below are excerpts from commentary that appeared in the program for races at Ascot on Sept. 5, 1934.

Bob Schilling, a Rex Mays historian, reports an error in this clipping. It should be compression ratio, rather than gear ratio.



From "Legion Ascot Speedway" by John R. Lucero

1934

Courtesy of Rex Mays Jr.

Rex Mays Jr., with his father's helmet and restored car, 1990.
Indianapolis Motor Speedway Photos
Indianapolis 1934, left, with mechanic Bob Flory, and 1935, with Taki Harashima.



Photo published with a review of the 1935 Ascot season in Exhaust magazine.

Read the Article




Pole winner, Indianapolis, 1935. With riding mechanic Taki Hirashima and car owner Paul Weirick (white shirt, right).



Indianapolis, May 30, 1935. Mays led 89 laps including this one. A broken spring shackle put him out of the race. Behind him in this photo were Lou Meyer, Al Gordon, Floyd Roberts and Tony Gulotta.




Rex Mays's Record in the Indianapolis 500

Rex Mays's Record in ALL championship races
Chasing Kelly Petillo at Legion Ascot Speedway, probably 1935.



Ascot, 1935



June 7, 1936: Rex Mays wins a 50-miler at Roby, Ind., near Hammond. These photos, above and below, are from a newsreel.



Have helmet, will race. Rex Mays at Ascot, late 1936?







From "American Road Racing, the 1930s" by Joel E. Finn
1937. Mays finished 3rd in this Alfa Romeo, behind Rosemeyer and Seaman.
From "The World of the Automobile" by Ralph Stein





The New York Times covers the 1937 Vanderbilt Cup Race

A Vanderbilt Cup History




Armin Krueger Photo
Milwaukee, August 29, 1937. Car owned by Paul Weirick



Probably Indianapolis, 1938.







Armin Krueger Photo
Signing autographs, Milwaukee, June 4, 1939.



From the estate of car owner Paul Weirick: Certification of a Milwaukee track record of 37.78 seconds, 95.29 miles per hour, set by Rex Mays on June 9, 1940.



Winning pole position for the 1940 Indianapolis 500. He was 2nd in the race.




That championship season: 1940


Syracuse, Sept. 2, 1940. Mays won.



At the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum




Wilbur Shaw, Mays, Mauri Rose, 1941

Also 1941. Mays, Joie Chitwood, Emil Andres





Indianapolis, 1941

"Rex Mays Bowes Seal Fast Special, Langhorne, Pa., 1940's" by Peter Helck

Program for the first Rex Mays 300 at Riverside, Calif., Nov. 26, 1967
rex

rex
Armin Krueger Photo
Milwaukee, August 24, 1941.


Indianapolis 1941, famous publicity photo.




Milwaukee, Aug. 24, 1941. Pole sitter and winner.




Repeat. Milwaukee, September, 1946. Mays won the pole and the race.



Date and location uncertain. Any ideas?



Tower Studio Photo courtesy of Peter Scott
Indianapolis, 1946




Indianapolis, 1947




Milwaukee, 1947



Langhorne, June 22, 1947
Armin Krueger Photo
Victory in a midget: Soldier Field, Chicago, 1947, probably in an exhibition match race. Mays almost never drove in regular midget competition.



L. E. Evans Photo courtey of Peter Scott
Mays with mechanic Pete Clark, Los Angeles, 1948



1948. Started 1st, placed 19th

From the Indianapolis Motor Speedway "jewels" collection



 

Milwaukee, June 6, 1948

Early in the race, Duke Dinsmore crashed in the south turn and was thrown from his car. Rex Mays spun to avoid him, then left his car to wave other drivers aside to protect Dinsmore. After Mays died in 1949, a plaque was placed in the wall near the spot where Mays' car is shown in this photo, published in The Milwaukee Sentinel.

The June race in Milwaukee has been called the Rex Mays Classic since 1950.

From The Milwaukee Journal, June 7, 1948:

Dinsmore was interviewed in the hospital by The Milwaukee Sentinel later that week:






Indianapolis, 1949. Mays was a front-row starter (2nd) for the seventh time in 12 Indianapolis appearances. He finished 25th, with engine trouble.



Armin Krueger Photo



Milwaukee Journal Photo
Milwaukee, Aug. 28, 1949. Mays (red No. 15, front row) finished 3d. Johnnie Parsons started 5th (red car, bluish shirt) and won. Mel Hansen, in the Bowes car, was the pole-sitter.



Program for the race in which Rex Mays died.

See the entire program.
Photograph by Bob Sheridan
The backstretch at Del Mar (2002).




Dick Adams Photo

1949. Rex Mays with the last championship car he drove.





Courtesy of Rex Mays Jr.

Copy of charcoal drawing by Gus Mannum, autographed by Rex Mays.
Australian tribute to Rex Mays, 2002

,