Rex Mays is a former AAA Championship Car

Champ Car

Champ Car was the name for a class and specification of open wheel cars used in American Championship Car Racing for many decades, primarily for use in the Indianapolis 500 auto race...

 race driver from Riverside, California

Riverside, California

Riverside is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, and the county seat of the eponymous county. Named for its location beside the Santa Ana River, it is the largest city in the Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario metropolitan area of Southern California, 4th largest inland California...

. He made his Indianapolis 500

Indianapolis 500

The Indianapolis 500-Mile Race, also known as the Indianapolis 500, the 500 Miles at Indianapolis, the Indy 500 or The 500, is an American automobile race, held annually, typically on the last weekend in May at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway in Speedway, Indiana...

 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 and 1941. However, World War II

World War II

World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 suspended racing until 1946, denying Mays of what likely would have been the peak of his career. After the war Mays again won the Indy pole in 1948 but was knocked out by a mechanical problem. He was killed in a crash during the only Champ Car race held at Del Mar Fairgrounds

Del Mar Fairgrounds

The Del Mar Fairgrounds is a property that is the site of the annual San Diego County Fair . Its Del Mar Racetrack was built by the Thoroughbred Club in 1937 by founding members Bing Crosby and Pat O'Brien with Paramount Studios as corporate sponsor.The fairgrounds is owned by the State of...

 race track in Del Mar, California

Del Mar, California

Del Mar is an upscale beach town in San Diego County, California. The population was 4,161 at the 2010 census, down from 4,389 at the 2000 census. The San Diego County Fair is hosted on the Del Mar Fairgrounds every summer. Del Mar is Spanish for "of the sea" or "by the sea", because it is located...

 in November 1949.

Career awards

• He was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  Motorsports Hall of Fame of America
  The Motorsports Hall of Fame of America is a Hall of Fame and museum for American motorsports legends. It was originally located in Novi, Michigan and it moved to the Detroit Science Center in 2009.-Museum:...
  
   in 1995.
• Mays was inducted in the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame
  National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum
  The National Sprint Car Hall of Fame & Museum is a Hall of Fame and museum for sprint car drivers, owners, mechanics, builders, manufacturers, promoters, sanctioning officials and media members....
  
   in the first class in 1990.

Indy 500 results

Year Car Start Qual Rank Finish Laps Led Retired 1934 1934 Indianapolis 500 The 22nd running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1934. The winner was the number seven car driven by Bill Cummings, an Indianapolis native, at an average speed of 104.863 miles per hour. Cummings led for 57 laps total, including the last 26. Of the 33 cars that began the race, only 12... 35 23 113.639 15 23 53 0 Front axle 1935 1935 Indianapolis 500 The 1935 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1935. Despite attempts to improve participant safety by requiring crash helmets and installing green and yellow lights around the track, the event that year would prove to be one of the worst in terms of fatalities.-Pre-race and... 33 1 120.736 1 17 123 89 Spring shackle 1936 1936 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1936 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Saturday, May 30, 1936.... 33 1 119.644 1 15 192 12 Out of gas 1937 1937 Indianapolis 500 The 25th International 500-Mile Sweepstakes was held at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Monday, May 31, 1937.Late in the race, Wilbur Shaw held a comfortable lead, and had lapped second place Ralph Hepburn. With about 20 laps to go, however, Shaw's car had been leaking oil, and had nearly lost... 14 23 119.968 10 33 24 0 Overheating 1938 1938 Indianapolis 500 The 26th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on Monday, May 30, 1938. The race was won by the number 23 car driven by Floyd Roberts. Roberts' car started in the pole position, and was the first car to win from that start since 1930. Roberts led 92 laps, posted an average speed of 117.200... 8 3 122.845 5 28 45 16 Supercharger 1939 1939 Indianapolis 500 The 27th Indianapolis 500 took place May 30, 1939. The race was won by the number two car of Wilbur Shaw, who started in the third position. The race was notable for a three car accident on lap 109, when Floyd Roberts the reigning champion, was killed when his car went through the wooden outer wall... 15 19 126.413 7 16 145 1 Rings 1940 1940 Indianapolis 500 The 28th running of the Indianapolis 500 took place on May 30, 1940. The winner was Wilbur Shaw in the number one car Maserati 8 CTF, the same car Shaw had driven to victory in 1939. Shaw became the first driver in the history of the race to win in consecutive years. It also marked Shaw's third... 33 1 127.850 1 2 200 59 Running 1941 1941 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1941 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1941.Notes*Floyd Davis was the starting driver for the #16 car. On lap 72, Davis came in for a pit stop, and was relieved by Mauri Rose. Rose had started the race in another car and dropped out earlier. Rose went on to... 1 2 128.301 2 2 200 38 Running 1946 1946 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1946 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Thursday, May 30, 1946.... 1 14 128.861 2 30 26 3 Manifold 1947 1947 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1947 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Friday, May 30, 1947.Late in the race, Lou Moore teammates Bill Holland and Mauri Rose were running 1st-2nd. The pit crew displayed a confusing chalkboard sign with the letters "EZY" to Holland, presumably meaning for him to take the... 9 20 124.412 7 6 200 0 Running 1948 1948 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1948 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 31, 1948.... 5 1 130.577 2 19 129 36 Fuel leak 1949 1949 Indianapolis 500 Results of the 1949 Indianapolis 500 held at Indianapolis on Monday, May 30, 1949.... 5 2 129.552 4 25 48 12 Engine Totals 1385 266

Starts 12 Poles 4 Front Row 7 Wins 0 Top 5 2 Top 10 3 Retired 9