Dirt-track racer Will Davis was a perennial front-runner in the AMA Grand National Championship with 31 career victories. The good-natured Davis was a fan favorite on the Grand National circuit, and he was also a five-time champion of the Motorcycle Asphalt Racing Series (MARS).
Davis was born Nov. 14, 1964 in Goldsboro, N.C. He began racing as a youth around the age of 9. He earned his first AMA national win in 1989 on the half-mile track at Lima, Ohio.
Davis was runner-up for the Grand National Championship title in 1997 and 2000, and was a top contender in the 2001 series with three wins, including his third career victory at the Daytona Beach, Fla., short track. By 2001 he was ranked seventh on the AMA Grand National all-time win list.
Davis was also recognized for his off-track efforts. In 2000 he was honored with the AMA Professional Sportsman of the Year Award for his work with terminally ill children.
Davis died on Aug. 25, 2001, after a multi-rider accident on the first lap of the AMA Grand National Championship race at Sedalia, Mo.