Jeff Davis

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.

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 three 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. He won the Formula Mazda championship the following year.

In 1991, Davis 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. 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, Davis 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. Other sports car starts included racing in the Trans-Am Series, winning a race at Portland International Raceway. 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.

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). In the first round of qualifying, he recorded a speed of (60th), which he improved upon in the second round at (57th), but he ultimately failed to make the race; the other West drivers were also unable to qualify on speed, with points leader Mike Chase being guaranteed a position on a provisional. 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. 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.

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. Motegi's Coca-Cola 500 featured ten entrants from the West Series including Davis, who also fielded a car for Japanese driver Hideo Fukuyama. Davis and Fukuyama finished fourteenth and seventeenth, respectively.

Davis competed in the West Series until 2005, with his final start being a twentieth-place finish at Stockton 99 Raceway. In 56 career races, he has seventeen top-tens.

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. 1993 81 DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL

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ATL

93rd 37 1994 81W DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR BRI NWS MAR TAL

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GLN MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR

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NA 1997 Melling Racing 9 Ford DAY CAR RCH ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR

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

Zali Racing 92 Ford DAY CAR

ATL DAR TEX BRI MAR TAL CAL RCH CLT DOV MCH POC SON DAY NHA POC

44

1993

MMR SGS

TUS SHA EVG POR CBS SSS CAJ TCR MMR

27th 430

Chevy

Ford

81

TUS AMP SON TUS MMR

EVG POR PPR AMP

1998

10th 1745 2000 76 Ford PHO MMR LVS CAL LAG IRW POR EVG IRW RMR MMR

69th 91

Sellers Racing 1 Chevy PHO LVS

KAN

Christina Adair 3 Pontiac

S99 RMR

Pontiac

Chevy

Sellers Racing 15 Chevy

KC Racing 1 Pontiac

MMR CAL S99 EVG

S99 RMR DCS PHO CNS MMR IRW 2005 PHO MMR PHO S99

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33rd 233 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 Pts Ref 1993 Jeff Davis Racing 81W Ford DAY FIF TWS23 TAL KIL CMS FRS TOL POC MCH FRS POC KIL ISF DSF TOL SLM WIN 106th - 81 ATL21

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 MIL10 DET11 POR10 CLE10 MEA9 TOR9 DEN7 MDO9 NAZ6 LAG11 10th 39

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 Tom Milner Racing Spice Engineering SE89P Chevrolet Mike Brockman Tim McAdam Fred Phillips 448 24 6