WILLIE DAVIS - USAC HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2016

Willie Davis, of Pittsboro, Ind., was one of USAC’s most proficient car owners and chief mechanics. He captured USAC National Sprint Car Owner titles in 1969 and 1971, producing driver titles for Gary Bettenhausen. He recorded 34 feature victories during his tenure as a USAC car owner. In 1980, he served as the chief mechanic on Bettenhausen’s third-place Indianapolis 500 entry from Armstrong Mould Racing. Having started in hot rods in the 1940s, Willie assisted with Art Bisch’s 1956 CRA Sprint Car championship and later was instrumental in providing Johnny Rutherford’s initial USAC Sprint car ride at Reading, Pa. In 1996, he was inducted into the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame.