Davis Ready for ADRL Top Sportsman Start in Virginia

Written by Ian Tocher

SUWANEE, GA — Ronnie Davis is on the verge of becoming the first driver ever to compete in a third American Drag Racing League (ADRL) class. The Suwanee, Georgia-based golf cart dealer has previously raced in the ADRL’s Pro Nitrous and Extreme 10.5 categories, but as a Top Sportsman pioneer with both the IHRA and NHRA series, he’s excited about entering his specialty at the ADRL Speedtech U.S. Drags IV Aug. 12-13, at Virginia Motorsports Park, near Richmond.

After staging two exhibition experiments, ADRL made Top Sportsman its first official full-size, bracket-racing class at its most recent event last month in Martin, Michigan.

“I’m very, very happy to see ADRL add Top Sportsman to their show,” says Davis, who will be driving his Tommy Mauney-built ’63 Corvette equipped with a new, nitrous-boosted Roush Yates 822-cubic-inch engine. “I think it’s a good deal for the ADRL and it’s good for Top Sportsman racers to have another high-quality organization to race with on good, safe tracks.”

All ADRL races are held over eighth-mile distances and in Top Sportsman, drivers are required to predict their elapsed times and then run as close as possible to their predictions without going under. With five IHRA Top Sportsman world championships, two NHRA divisional titles (including last year’s NHRA Div. 2 crown), and nearly 100 individual event wins in the class, Davis is no stranger to the format.

“In NHRA you run only the quarter-mile, but I’ve done a lot of eighth-mile at IHRA division races in the past. The biggest difference in the eighth-mile is you have a lot less time to overcome any mistakes; it’s over pretty darn quick,” he explains. “But I feel with the Roush Yates Corvette running such consistent times that we won’t have any problems.”

Davis expects to be making laps “in the 4.20s all day long” at Richmond.      

“I’ve raced at Virginia Motorsports Park several times before and it’s a good race track, a nice facility, and I’m looking forward to going back there,” Davis says. “I’m looking forward to the ADRL experience there and hopefully we’ll be able to leave with a win.”

Beyond the Speedtech U.S. Drags IV, Davis plans to attend the ADRL’s next two events in September at Rockingham, North Carolina, and Norwalk, Ohio, and depending on his results, may even make the long tow west to Dallas, Texas, for the season ender in October.

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.