Iowa State Fair Speedway
Des Moines, Iowa
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August 14, 2004
For Immediate Release
Maynard Davis III Dies in Racing Accident
by David Wilkinson
(Des Moines, Iowa) (August 14, 2004) For those who follow racing, the words sent a shiver down the spine Saturday afternoon at the Iowa State Fair Speedway. After a serious accident at the very beginning of the State Fair Championship feature for modifieds, it was announced that the race was cancelled and all were urged to leave the track.
Maynard Davis III of Runnells died after an accident that occurred in front of the large crowd in the grandstands. All heats and features for stock cars and hobby stocks had been completed and this was the last race of the day.
Davis started in the middle of the pack of the race. As the race begun at 12:30 in the afternoon, the cars roared down the front stretch in one bunch. Davis, started in the middle of the pack, turned sideways on the track with the car facing the infield. David Groenhoff, Jr. of Des Moines who started near the back on the inside row, hit Davis’s 43d car directly on the driver’s side. Both cars rolled and came to rest in front of the old concrete stage in the infield. Groenhoff was able to get out of his up-side-down car. The safety crew and track officials attended to Davis immediately after the accident. Within a fairly short period of time, it was announced that the races were cancelled
Davis, 36 years of age, had been racing for over 15 years and was the Iowa Fair Speedway street stock champion in 1995. In recent years, he raced IMCA stock cars and had 10 victories at the track since 1999, including one on July 23rd of this year. He was currently fifth in points for stock cars at the track and was leading the points race for stock cars at Stuart Speedway. In late June, he brought his modified to the track and started running both classes; however he was only racing in modifieds on Saturday. His wife, two children and other family members survive Davis.
Race results for the Iowa State Fair Championships for stock cars and hobby stocks are reported in another story.