St. James Davis

Did You Know?

• Davis had an Indian name, Whitecloud, that he wanted to race under, but this was declined by NASCAR.
• His wife LaDonna served as the team's owner, crew chief, and engine builder.
• Moe was seized by the city of West Covina, California, after biting several people, and placed into an animal sanctuary.

Racing career

St. James Davis first appeared in the NASCAR Winston West Series in 1978, piloting the No. 22 Dodge at Craig Road Speedway. An oil leak left him 15th, and he did not complete any of the five other races he entered that season. He also failed to start at Sonoma and missed qualifying for the year-end event at Phoenix International Raceway. The following year, Davis ran just one West Series race, at Ascot Park, where he managed a 15th-place finish despite turning only 11 of 100 laps. In 1980, he attempted three West Series races. His first Cup Series try came in a combination race at Riverside International Raceway, but he did not qualify for that event or the one at Laguna Seca. At Stockton 99 Speedway, he placed 14th. That same year, Davis made his lone USAC Stock Car Series start, at Texas World Speedway, where engine trouble ended his run after ten laps, leaving him 35th. During 1981, he entered three West Series races. Mechanical failures kept him from finishing the first two, and a crash on lap two at Riverside cut his day short; his best result that year was 12th at Laguna Seca. After sitting out 1982, Davis returned for two West races in 1983. An oil pump issue forced him out early at Riverside, and a crash at Phoenix left him 18th. He also attempted the 1983 Winston Western 500 but did not qualify. In 1984, Davis tried nine of eleven races. He failed to qualify for the combination race with the Winston Cup Series at Riverside and did not finish any of the races he started, with a best showing of 14th at Shasta Speedway. The 1985 season saw him run the full West Series schedule. He missed qualifying for both combination races and finished only one event—at Stateline Speedway, where he earned his first top-ten, coming home ninth. Davis attempted all eight races in 1986, again failing to qualify for both combination events and failing to finish every standalone race; his best result was 20th at Race City Speedway. He competed full time once more in 1987, again missing the field for both combination races but finishing all but one race—the season opener, where drive line issues stopped him. In the remaining events, he crossed the finish line, with a season-best 12th at Spokane.

2005 chimpanzee attack and aftermath

On March 3, 2005, St. James Davis and his wife LaDonna went to Animal Haven Ranch, a sanctuary near Bakersfield, California, to mark the 39th birthday of their pet chimpanzee Moe. The couple had adopted Moe in 1967 shortly after he was born in Tanzania, and they raised him like a child. For the party, they brought toys, candy hearts, chocolate milk, and a raspberry-filled sheet cake. LaDonna cut a piece of cake for Moe, but as she reached for a second slice, she saw another chimpanzee had gotten loose. That chimp ran over and bit off her thumb. St. James shoved her under the picnic table to shield her. Two young chimpanzees, Buddy and Ollie, had both escaped. Moe stayed out of the attack. Buddy and Ollie went after St. James at the same time—one went for his face, the other for his foot. Mark Carruthers, the sanctuary owner’s son-in-law, grabbed a .45 caliber revolver and shot Buddy in the head. Ollie then dragged St. James’s body along a walkway, and Carruthers shot him too. The two chimps destroyed most of St. James’s fingers, his left foot, much of his buttocks, both testicles, part of his torso, and sections of his face, including his nose and lips. One paramedic said it looked like a grizzly bear attack. St. James was taken to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he spent six months recovering, part of that time in a coma. He ended up with a prosthetic eye and two slits where his nose had been. The Davises had no health insurance. They first decided not to sue the sanctuary, but later changed their minds and filed a lawsuit by 2009.