Photo provided by Warrick L. Barrett

Photo from Gene Heeter

Jimmy Daywalt by Ron Woodward, Wabash ‘the paper’ May 22, 1985

Jimmy Daywalt was the son of John and Carrie Daywalt.  After leaving school, he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, serving as a turrent gunner on B-17s and B-24s during World War II.

After leaving the service he worked for Bob Brown of Wabash.  Soon he joined with Bob Brown to fix up an old Crager race car.  This was the beginning of his racing career.  By the earlly 1950s, he became a leading sprint and midget driver on the dirt tracks of Central States Racing Association (CSRA).  As his reputation grew he was picked up by a Fort Wayne firm who sponsored the Merkler Special.

In 1951, Daywalt made his attempt at the Indianapolis Speedway.  He failed to qualify for the race in his Merkler Special  he then attempted to qualify in an Iddings Special.  Again he failed when he spun out and hit the northwest turn wall.

He missed the race in 1952, but in 1953 he joined the Sumar Special racing team sponsored by Terre Haute businessmen Chapman Root.  He qualified for the race at a spineedo fo 135.747 miles per hour.  He finished in the sixth place, averaging 124.379 miles per hour.  Stark and Wetzel accorded Daywalt the honor of “Rookie of the Year.”

The following day, Daywalt was injured in a 50-lap consolation race at Winchester when his Sumar Special lost a wheel and flipped.  While in the hospital he heard of his slection as “Rookie of the Year.”  He received the trophy on June 11, 1953 at the Honeywell Memorial Community Center.

In 1954, Daywalt’s career took another leap when he became the second man to go faster than 140 miles per hour.  For 10 laps he led the race but lost his lead when his hood came loose.  On the 111h lap he locked wheels with another car and hit the outside wall on the northwest turn.

In 1955, he finshed in nineth place with an average speed of 124.40 miles per hour.  The next year was his last with the Sumar race team.  On th 135th lap, while running at about 160 mph, a front tire blew and he hit the wall on the southeast curve.  Daywalt recieve bad burns and lacerations.

In 1957, he joined the Helse Special racing team.  At the Indy 500 of that year, he spun out on the 53rd lap, finishing 29th.  In 1959, he qualified the Federal Engineering Special at 144.683 mph and finished 14th.  He failed to finishe the 1961 and 1962 races due to mechanical failure.

Daywalt retired from pro racing after failing to qualify for the 1963 Indy 500.  He stateyed in Indianapolis with his wife, Jane, and his two children, James E. and Connie Jayne, until his death.  He continued to drive but as an amatuer in sports cars for Bob Gates, an Indianapolis auto dealer.  He also drove a semi-truck and acted as a business agent for the local Teamster Union.

Daywalt died of cancer in Indianapolis on April 4, 1966.  He was buried at Crown Hill Cemetery.  At his death, he was a member of the U.S. Auto Club, Champion 100-Mile-an-Hour Club, Autolite Pacemakers Club.  He had also been an original member of the Champion Spark Plug Company’s highway safety team.

Click on the Career Link above to explore Jimmy Daywalt’s racing career.