Jeff Davis (racing driver)

Jeff Davis (born January 29, 1959) is an American entrepreneur and former professional stock car racing driver. He primarily competed in the NASCAR West Series during the 1990s and early 2000s, but also ran in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series, open-wheel racing series like Indy Lights, and sports car racing as part of the Sports Car Club of America.

Jeff Davis
Nationality American
Born (1959-01-29) January 29, 1959
Orange, California
NASCAR West Series
Years active1992–1994, 1997–1998, 2000, 2002–2005
TeamsJeff Davis Racing
Starts56
Wins0
Poles0
Best finish4th in 1994
Previous series
1996
1996
1993
1991
1991		NASCAR Northwest Series
NASCAR Southwest Series
ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series
Indy Lights
International Motor Sports Association
Championship titles
1990SCCA Formula Mazda
NASCAR Cup Series career
3 races run over 3 years
Best finish66th (1997)
First race1992 Pyroil 500K (Phoenix)
Last race1997 Save Mart Supermarkets 300 (Sears Point)
Wins Top tens Poles
0 0 0

Racing career

Growing up after being born in Indianapolis, Davis began racing go karts before moving to California to buy the Van-K Wheels company, the premiere kart racing wheels manufacturer and one of only 3 companies in the United States to make wheels for kart racing. In 1985 and 1986, he competed in Formula Ford, followed by Formula Super Vee in 1988. At the end of 1989, he purchased a Formula Mazda car and prepared to run for the series' championship in 1990. He did that, while also winning Rookie of the Year.[1] He won the Formula Mazda championship the following year.[2]

In 1991, he contested the full Indy Lights schedule running on a tight budget that had him basically running an old worn out car with a proven team as a field filler entry since the series wanted more cars in the races. He finished tenth in points after taking the checkered flag in every race except for the season openers at Long Beach & Phoenix that he'd missed by starting after they'd already been run.[1] Although all Indy Lights drivers drove spec Buicks, Davis had little financial support, receiving it from "people who were stretching their budgets just to be there."[1][3] Davis could never get the Indy Lights car to handle since it had a really loose, worn-out tub and suspension tuning failed to make much difference.

During the 1991 racing season, he also participated in sports car racing. In February, he ran the 24 Hours of Daytona, driving a Spice Engineering Chevrolet for Tom Milner Racing in place of Paul Newman who had paid to run that race but couldn't show up in time for practice, something that was required by IMSA. The team retired with engine problems after 448 laps and finished 14th overall, sixth in the GTP class.[4][5] Other sports car starts included racing in the Trans-Am Series, winning a race at Portland International Raceway.[1]

Stock car racing

In 1992, Davis made his NASCAR Winston West Series debut at El Cajon Speedway, finishing ninth.[6] Later in the year, he competed in the Pyroil 500K at Phoenix International Raceway in a NASCAR Winston Cup Series/Winston West companion race, driving a Ford from Roush Racing.[1] He qualified 39th in the 42-car grid, with various Winston West cars being sent home after qualifying too slowly. Davis, who had no experience with races that featured multiple pit stops and restarts, finished 26th; he was the second-placed West Series driver in the race behind John Krebs (23rd).[7][8]

The following season, in what he called his "first really disappointing year in auto racing", he attempted to run five Cup races, but the series' competitiveness made "a quantum leap from one year to the next" and he only qualified once (Sears Point Raceway, where he finished 42nd).[1] During the year, he also ran two ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series races at Texas World Speedway and Atlanta Motor Speedway; he finished 23rd and 21st after suspension failure and a crash, respectively.[9]

Davis ran the full 1994 Winston West schedule, recording nine top tens and a best finish of fourth at Tri-City Raceway as he finished fourth in the standings.[10] In August, he and 13 other West drivers attempted to qualify for the Cup Series' inaugural Brickyard 400, a race that saw a NASCAR-record 86-driver entry list.[11][12] In the first round of qualifying, he recorded a speed of 161.955 miles per hour (260.641 km/h) (60th), which he improved upon in the second round at 165.329 mph (266.071 km/h) (57th), but he ultimately failed to make the race;[13][14] the other West drivers were also unable to qualify on speed, with points leader Mike Chase being guaranteed a position on a provisional.[11]

In 1997, Davis returned to the Cup Series at Sears Point, driving the No. 9 Ford for Melling Racing. Although he competed under Melling's banner, Davis owned the car and equipment used in the race; the team, plagued by sponsorship issues, had skipped the race to save money, and all points earned by Davis went to Melling in the owner's championship.[15] He finished 37th after being involved in a wreck with John Andretti on lap 64. Two years later, he joined Zali Racing's No. 92 for the 1999 Las Vegas 400; after being the 50th-fastest driver in the first round of qualifying, he was replaced by Morgan Shepherd for the second round.[16][17] A similar driver change occurred later in the year at the Brickyard 400, when Davis qualified the No. 62 of Fenley-Moore Motorsports in round one (54th) before Lance Hooper took over the car.[18][19][20]

After the 1997 and 1998 Cup seasons, Davis entered the series' exhibition races in Japan at Suzuka Circuit and Twin Ring Motegi, respectively. In the former's NASCAR Thunder Special Suzuka, he was one of nine Winston West drivers to compete as he finished 26th.[21][22] Motegi's Coca-Cola 500 featured ten entrants from the West Series including Davis,[23] who also fielded a car for Japanese driver Hideo Fukuyama. Davis and Fukuyama finished 14th and 17th, respectively.[24]

Davis competed in the West Series until 2005, with his final start being a 20th-place finish at Stockton 99 Raceway. In 56 career races, he has 17 top tens.[25]

Personal life

Davis was born in and grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana and graduated from North Central High School, followed by earning his business management degree at Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis.[2]

Near the end of his high school years, he started a landscaping company that he incorporated and named Lawnicure Inc., which he ran through his college years along with plowing snowy driveways and small parking lots in the winters. After selling Lawnicure in 1984, he saw an opportunity to buy Van-K Engineering in southern California while on a trip to help a friend race in a support race at the Long Beach Grand Prix.[1] Van-K Engineering is a go-kart wheel manufacturing business that was started a few years earlier by Mike VanKralingen. Davis then moved with his wife across the country to start a new life on the west coast. His Van-K business sponsored him throughout his racing career, and he owned the company until he sold it to Circle Wheels in 2000 and he worked for them for a year to help them grow into the country's go-kart racing wheel market. Van-K Wheels is the leading manufacturer in the USA for the racing kart industry and sells thru Dealers & Distributors and to chassis building companies.[26][1]

Motorsports career results

NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

Winston Cup Series
NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 NWCC Pts Ref
1992 Jeff Davis Racing 44 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL CLT DOV SON POC MCH DAY POC TAL GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO
26		 ATL 76th 85 [27]
1993 81 DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON
42		 CLT DOV POC MCH
DNQ		 DAY NHA POC TAL GLN
DNQ		 MCH
DNQ		 BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO
DNQ		 ATL 93rd 37 [28]
1994 81W DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL SON
DNQ		 CLT DOV POC MCH DAY NHA POC TAL IND
DNQ		 GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR PHO
DNQ		 ATL NA - [29]
1997 Melling Racing 9 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR SON
37		 TAL CLT DOV POC MCH CAL DAY NHA POC IND GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO ATL 66th 52 [30]
1999 Zali Racing 92 Ford DAY CAR LVS
DNQ		 ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC NA - [16][19]
Fenley-Moore Motorsports 62 Ford IND
DNQ		 GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH NHA DOV MAR CLT TAL CAR PHO HOM ATL

West Series
NASCAR West Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 NWSC Pts Ref
1992 Sellers Racing 99 Pontiac MMR SGS SON SHA POR EVG SSS CAJ
9		 TWS MMR 23rd 303 [31]
Jeff Davis Racing 44 Ford PHO
26
1993 81 TWS
23		 MMR SGS SON
42		 TUS SHA EVG POR CBS SSS CAJ TCR MMR PHO
DNQ		 27th 430 [32]
1994 Chevy MMR
23		 TUS
6		 CAJ
8		 TCR
4		 LVS
6		 MMR
5		 4th 1958 [10]
Ford SON
DNQ		 SGS
5		 YAK
7		 MMR
12		 POR
5		 IND
DNQ		 PHO
DNQ		 TUS
5
1997 Jeff Davis Racing 81 Ford TUS AMP SON TUS MMR LVS
9		 CAL
17		 EVG POR PPR AMP 16th 683 [33]
4 SON
15		 MMR
16		 LVS
15
1998 TUS
26		 LVS
8		 PHO
20		 CAL
12		 HPT
20		 MMR
9		 AMP
8		 POR
12		 CAL
6		 PPR
8		 EVG
19		 SON
6		 MMR
15		 LVS
22		 10th 1745 [34]
2000 76 Ford PHO MMR LVS CAL LAG IRW POR EVG IRW RMR MMR IRW
24		 69th 91 [35]
2002 Sellers Racing 1 Chevy PHO LVS CAL
19		 KAN DCS
15		 LVS
20		 19th 563 [36]
Christina Adair 3 Pontiac EVG
17		 IRW
13		 S99 RMR
2003 KC Racing 1 Pontiac PHO
22		 CAL
27		 13th 1214 [37]
Chevy LVS
23		 MAD
15		 TCR
18		 EVG
16		 IRW
16		 S99
20		 RMR
14		 DCS
18		 PHO
20
Sellers Racing 15 Chevy MMR
24
2004 KC Racing 1 Pontiac PHO
28		 MMR CAL S99 EVG 43rd 206 [38]
RICH-PAK Racing 4 Pontiac IRW
12		 S99 RMR DCS PHO CNS MMR IRW
2005 PHO MMR PHO S99 IRW
11		 EVG S99
20		 PPR CAL DCS CTS MMR 33rd 233 [39]

ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series results
Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 AHSC Pts Ref
1993 Jeff Davis Racing 81W Ford DAY FIF TWS
23		 TAL KIL CMS FRS TOL POC MCH FRS POC KIL ISF DSF TOL SLM WIN 106th - [9]
81 ATL
21

American open–wheel racing

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Indy Lights
Indy Lights results
Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Rank Points Ref
1991 Leading Edge Motorsports LBH PHX MIL
10		 DET
11		 POR
10		 CLE
10		 MEA
9		 TOR
9		 DEN
7		 MDO
9		 NAZ
6		 LAG
11		 10th 39 [40]

Sports car racing

(key)

24 Hours of Daytona
24 Hours of Daytona results
Year Class No Team Car Co-drivers Laps Position Class Pos. Ref
1991 GTP 5 United States Tom Milner Racing Spice Engineering SE89P Chevrolet United States Mike Brockman
United States Tim McAdam
United States Fred Phillips		 448 24 DNF 6 DNF [4][5]

References
  1. Eubanks, Lon (July 23, 1994). "Davis Heads In Right Direction : Entrepreneur, Driver Sets Goal of Making NASCAR Circuit". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  2. Ambrogi, Mark (August 3, 1994). "Ambitious North Central grad Jeff Davis laying bricks for future with Brickyard 400 qualifying shot". The Indianapolis Star. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com., cont. from page 1
  3. "Indy Lights". Statesman Journal. June 24, 1991. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Daytona 24 Hours Results". The News-Press. February 4, 1991. Retrieved February 22, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. "Daytona 24 Hours". Racing Sports Cars. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  6. "1992 Thrifty Food & Gas / Winston 200". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  7. "1992 Pyroil 500K (Cup)". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  8. "1992 Pyroil 500K (West)". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  9. "Jeff Davis – 1993 ARCA Hooters SuperCar Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  10. "Jeff Davis – 1994 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  11. Associated Press (August 6, 1994). "Will Little Al be at '95 Brickyard?". Rocky Mount Telegram. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. "1994 Brickyard 400". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  13. "Brickyard 400". Courier-Post. August 5, 1994. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. "Brickyard 400, Lineup". The Leaf-Chronicle. August 6, 1994. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. "Melling Racing substitute far behind Sonoma pole-sitter Martin". The Clarion-Ledger. May 3, 1997. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. "Las Vegas 400". The Philadelphia Inquirer. March 7, 1999. Retrieved February 27, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  17. "Las Vegas Saturday Notes". Motorsport.com. March 8, 1999. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
  18. Hembree, Mike (August 5, 1999). "Irvan's record looks to be short-lived". The Greenville News. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  19. Associated Press (August 6, 1999). "Brickyard 400 Qualifying". Republican Herald. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  20. Clare, Angela (August 7, 1999). "Martin wins race, Earnhardt claims IROC title". Journal & Courier. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  21. Pearce, Al (November 22, 1997). "Drivers, fans happy NASCAR is in Japan". Daily Press. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  22. "Suzuka results". Motorsport.com. November 23, 1997. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  23. Poole, David (November 22, 1998). "NASCAR hopes 3-year experiment breeds racing fever". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Knight Ridder. p. 37. Retrieved February 25, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. "[1998 NASCAR THUNDER SPECIAL MOTEGI Coca－Cola 500] DATE:1998-11-22". Twin Ring Motegi (in Japanese). Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  25. "Jeff Davis – NASCAR K&N Pro Series West Results (races)". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  26. "History of Van-K Wheels". Van-K Wheels. 8 September 2015. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
  27. "Jeff Davis – 1992 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  28. "Jeff Davis – 1993 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  29. "Jeff Davis – 1994 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  30. "Jeff Davis – 1997 NASCAR Winston Cup Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  31. "Jeff Davis – 1992 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  32. "Jeff Davis – 1993 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  33. "Jeff Davis – 1997 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  34. "Jeff Davis – 1998 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  35. "Jeff Davis – 2000 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  36. "Jeff Davis – 2002 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  37. "Jeff Davis – 2003 NASCAR Winston West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  38. "Jeff Davis – 2004 NASCAR West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  39. "Jeff Davis – 2005 NASCAR West Series Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
  40. "Jeff Davis – 1991 Firestone / Dayton Indy Lights Results". Racing-Reference. Retrieved February 22, 2019.
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