---

In New Pro Truck, Derby Champion Davis Hopes to Continue Winning Streak at Five Flags

By Chuck Corder

Steven Davis is out to prove that parting doesn’t always have to be such sweet sorrow.

A short-track racing veteran of 15 years, Davis is accustomed to the business side of the sport. But even he had to experience a tinge of regret when the No. 84 Pro Truck he drove to unparalleled success in 2015 was sold by its owner during the offseason.

Instead of wallowing, though, Davis got back to work.

The reigning Snowball Derby Pro Trucks champion, Davis built a brand new truck with the help of good friend Randy Armstrong and is ready to continue his Pensacola two-race winning streak when Five Flags Speedway gets its 2016 underway Friday night.

"We had a pretty good bit of success in the old truck,� said Davis, who owns and operates Davis Suspension Technology in the Mobile area. “I think the worst we finished was second. (Losing the old car) was a bad deal. But either way, it didn't matter to me. I’m glad we built a new truck and have a chance to start over.�

A chance to begin anew. It’s a sentiment that will be shared by drivers across three divisions Friday at the famed half-mile asphalt oval.

The Beef “O� Brady’s Pro Trucks class will have a very Derby feel to it, as the series competes for 50 laps just as they did during Davis’ dominant night last December.

The Dock on Pensacola Beach Sportsmen and Butler U-Pull-It Bombers also share the marquee during Opening Night festivities.

The gates open at 4 p.m. Friday with racing slated for approximately 8. And, much to the delight of Five Flags’ loyal legions, admission is only $5 for ALL fans except for children ages 5 and under, who get in FREE of charge.

Davis will be driving the No. 95 Pro Truck, making it a sister car of sorts to the No. 96 late model he competes in. Pensacola’s high banks have been good to Davis both in past and recent history. He won the 2006 Pro Late Model track championship and is a feature winner many times over.

"It’s a finesse track,� the Mobile driver said. “You can’t be too aggressive on the throttle. You have to keep the car under you at all times. You can't race the competition. You have to race yourself — race your truck at your pace."

At the Night of Champions last September, the 31 year old outdueled short-track king Bubba Pollard to win a 35-lap feature.

The next race was the Derby in which Davis was a tour de force. He set the fast time in qualifying to sit on the pole and led all 50 laps in a wire-to-wire victory.

"It was actually one of the best races I’ve ever run,� Davis said. “I was so excited. I, still to this day, can’t think of the right words to describe it. It was a thrill of a lifetime.�

Made all the more thrilling because Davis got to bask in his Derby victory with wife Jessica, 7-year-old daughter Tinsley, 3-year-old son Carson and Davis’ father Mark.

Mark Davis was one heck of a hotshoe in his day, too. Several years ago, Mark Davis captured the Super Stocks Snowball Derby and pulled a Peyton Manning by making that his final race and riding off into the sunset triumphantly.

"It was truly something special to have him there for that,� the younger Davis said of his Derby win in December. “It was a dream come true.� All this recent success has helped to grow his business where Davis works on racecars, including seven trucks and several more late models that come from as far away as Texas and Georgia.

Davis and his team are heavily involved in all stages of a car’s setup from shocks, to springs, wheel casters and cambers.

“It’s ready to hit the racetrack when it leaves us,� he said. "Winning has been a confidence booster for sure. But it has also helped the business. When you’re winning, everybody is on your side and wanting information.�

He also helps with the cars in short-track legend Mitch Smith’s shop, and has been inundated with business of late as teams got prepared for the upcoming season.

"It can be hell working for yourself,� Davis said. “We’ve been working 16 hours, seven days a week for almost two months now. Everything will kinda slow down once everybody starts racing. Hopefully, it won’t slow down too much, though.�

Just like he hopes there won’t be a dropoff from his old Pro Truck to the new No. 95 that will make its Pensacola debut Friday night.

“I’m confident we’ll have the same success as last year,� Davis said.

Back to News