Bristol Brings Back Memories for Davis

Written by Ian Tocher

SUWANEE, GA — Ronnie Davis is heading back to where it all started for him nearly 23 years ago as he prepares for the American Drag Racing League’s (ADRL’s) inaugural visit to Bristol Dragway this weekend. Davis will be competing Apr. 20-21, at the ADRL Spring Drags III in Top Sportsman, added late last year as an official class to the series’ all-eighth-mile show.

“Bristol is where I made my very first IHRA Top Sportsman start in October of 1989, where I redlighted in the final and lost to Ron Miller,” Davis recalled. “Bristol is also the site of the first ever—ever—NHRA Top Sportsman race in July of 2002, which I helped get started.

“I don’t know how many races I’ve won up there since then, but it’s been a lot so I’m looking forward to getting up there again and going for my first ADRL win.”

Last month at the ADRL season opener in Baytown, Texas, Davis qualified second in his Tommy Mauney-built ’63 Corvette and said he was encouraged by the performance of his nitrous oxide-injected, 822-cubic-inch engine from Roush Yates Performance Engine Group.

“I can’t say enough about those Roush Yates engines. They stay together and never give me any trouble and they produce just a ton of horsepower,” he stated. “Unfortunately, our third qualifying round (on Friday night) got cancelled and that’s when I usually try to go fast. After that I just turned it back to one stage (of nitrous, instead of four for qualifying), and got ready to go racing.”      

Unfortunately, Davis fell to the dreaded redlight start in the opening round of eliminations.

“That shouldn’t have happened; I really don’t know how it happened because I had taken precautions for it not to,” said Davis, who is a five-time IHRA Top Sportsman world champion with a pair of NHRA Division 2 championships to his credit, too. “But it did and you can’t argue about it after the fact so you just forget about it and move on.”

Plus, the trip to Texas wasn’t a total loss as Davis’ daughters, Bridget and Michelle, who grew up racing and traveling with their dad, came out to cheer him on, along with grandchildren Lillie, 10, her four-year-old brother Samuel, and sons in law Omar Medina and Mark Seger.

“Any time I get to see my girls and my grandkids is a good time. It was nice to be able to spend some good family time with them at the track again,” Davis said.

In addition to his ADRL racing, Davis continues to compete on the quarter mile at NHRA Div. 2 events, where he uses a second Mauney-built car, but driven by a nitrous-boosted Roush Yates 738 c.i. motor. With a pair of number-one starts and one runner-up finish to his credit after the first three NHRA Division 2 events this year, Davis was just one point out of first place in the divisional Top Sportsman standings.

At home in Suwanee, Georgia, Davis also is kept busy with his golf cart sales and service company, aided greatly by a recently revamped and improved Web site at www.DavisGolfCarts.com.

“We’ve spent a lot of time on that and the work still isn’t quite done,” said Davis, who provides carts to many NHRA, IHRA and ADRL teams. “It looks a lot nicer and is easier to navigate now, though, so I think it’s all been worth it.”

Ronnie Davis Racing greatly appreciates the sponsorship and support of Roush Yates Performance Engine Group, Rock Batteries, J.H. Global Star Golf Carts, Hickory Enclosed Trailers & Race Performance Motor Coach, TracStar Satellite Systems, Goodyear, CSR, VP Racing Fuels, TCI, Moroso, Magnaflow, Hedman Hedders, Auto Meter, Torque Converter Services, Braswell Carburetors, MSD, Penske Shocks, Chapman Auto Body, and Tommy Mauney Race Cars.