South Bend, IN
Date of Birth: 2-2-55
Marital Status: Married
Spouse: Linda
Children: Kevin II, Drew, Derek
Racing Bio:
Kevin began racing in 2000 in the Baby Grand Stock Car Racing Association. It was a national series that raced all over the United States. Kevin’s racing was limited to the regional level where he competed at tracks such as Indianapolis Raceway Park, Winchester Speedway, and Salem Speedway in Indiana, as well as tracks in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, and Illinois. His rookie season resulted in a 9th place finish in the Midwest region. The 2001 season seemed to be over before it started. A hard meeting with the turn 4 wall at Indy, left him with cracked ribs and a mangled race car. The decision was made to repair the car and sell it, due to the extreme financial and travel demands of racing in this series.
Kevin wasn't through with racing yet, but needed to find a more affordable way to race, so he decided to compete in the Mini-Stock division at the South Bend Motor Speedway. Being a Chevy guy, he decided to build an S-10 truck to race. Being a perfectionist, and the fact that everyone else races Mustangs, the project took much longer than anticipated due to the time it took to figure out the combination of components to build the truck. The S-10 finally hit the track for the 2004 season. It was a tough year, with a lot of mechanical issues. He finished 13th in points. The mechanical problems continued in 2005. More time was spent repairing the truck than racing.
After two frustrating seasons with the S-10, Kevin swallowed his pride, and purchased a 1986 Mustang. The 2006 season was, by far, the most gratifying, highlighted by 2 heat wins. With the mechanical issues behind him, he was able to work on setup and get more seat time. The 12th place finish in points did not reflect the improvements that were made over the previous years, but he finally felt very confident going into the 2007 season.
With the South Bend Motor Speedways future in doubt, the Davis Family Racing team decided to compete at the M40 Speedway in Jones, MI, for the 2007 season. This was the best season to date for the #8 Mustang. Consistent throughout the year, Kevin finished with 1 heat win, and was able to secure 5th place in the final standings. Kevin participated in the “Stock Car Festival” at Plymouth Speedway to finish the year.
Plymouth Speedway was the new racing home for the #8 DFR Mustang in 2008. Hopes were high for the new season, but mechanical and inconsistant handling issues resulted in a final points finish just inside the top 15. The problems with the car in 2008 had to be dealt with before it would race again. Plans were made to clip the car before the 2009 season. Before that took place, Kevin decided to start fresh with a new Victory by Design chassis. Due to the time frame involved with the decision, he was forced to sit out the 2009 season while the car was being built. This did not keep him away from the track because he continued to be the DFR crew chief for his sons. Kevin was able to get into Drew's #81 machine a couple of nights to test out some new setups for the 2010 season, and this only fed the desire to get back on the track full time for 2010.
2010 was a successful year for Kevin. The driver of the #8 machine took multiple checkered flags throughout the season, including his first ever feature win on Season Championship Night at the Plymouth Speedway. When the season was all done Kevin finished 3rd in the final point standings at Plymouth as well.
2011 is here and Kevin looks to build on last season's success as DFR switches to the South Bend Motor Speedway. With the help from his DFR teammates, VBD, S&S Performance, Korhorn Financial Services, and Love & Sons Hardwood Floors Kevin looks to continue his winning ways and make a serious run at the track championship. See you at the track!
Date of Birth: 6-13-80
Marital Status: In a Relationship
Children: Brenden, Ashton
Racing Bio:
Derek began racing in 2004 at South Bend Motor Speedway. His first race car was a 1979 Ford Pinto. His first season was a learning experience, but he was consistent enough to put the #18 in 10th place in the final standings and was named Rookie of the Year in the Ministock division.
The 2005 season proved to be more successful. Derek acquired a 1986 Ford Mustang for his sophomore campaign, and with a 2004 Mustang body in a striking blue and yellow paint scheme, he was dressed for success. Consistency was once the key in his second full season as he went on to win 5 heat races and finish 7th in points.
2006 was a bittersweet year for Derek. He was only able to compete in about 1/3 of the scheduled events that season due to the birth of his second son. Making parental obligations a priority, he helped prepare the other two Davis Family Racing entries while anxiously awaiting the 2007 season.
Derek entered the 2007 season with high expectations. M40 Speedway in Jones, Michigan would be the new racing home for the DFR entry that was now featuring a new body and a solid red paint scheme. The "D" shaped 3/8 mile high banks were a new challenge, but Derek was up to the task. He secured 3 heat wins and several top five feature finishes against drivers with multiple track championships and superior equipment. He finished a very successful season ranked 3rd in the final standings. On the nights when the Ministocks were not running at M40, Derek competed at South Bend Motor Speedway before it closed, at Plymouth Speedway, and also at Angola Speedway.
Overall, 2008 was a great season for Derek at the Plymouth Speedway. He was able to capture his first feature win to go along with several heat wins. He also consistently ran up front, and was second in the championship points with two weeks to go when his season was ended a week early because of a hard crash.
2009 was a roller coaster year for Derek. He was able to capture another feature win and heat wins at multiple tracks, but the season saw the #18 rollover at the Plymouth Speedway. Derek borrowed another car to finish the season, but it ended with a hard crash.
2010 was significantly better than 2009. Derek unveiled a brand new VBD chassis, and things went well all season. Derek was able to capture a number of heat wins at multiple tracks, and he was able to knock out another feature win as well. Derek was able to finish in the top ten in the final point standings at the Plymouth Speedway, even with only running a limited schedule there. The highlight of Derek's season was finishing second to Kevin Sr. For his first ever feature win.
2011 brings a great deal of excitement to DFR. With the team headed back to the South Bend Motor Speedway, Derek is eager to chase the checkered flags and bring home DFR's first track championship!
Date of Birth: 12-17-74
Marital Status: Married
Spouse: Josilyn
Children: Cenika, Bryce
Racing Bio:
2008 was meant to be Kevin II's Rookie season, but it turned out to be bittersweet to say the least. Kevin only made three race nights due to mechanical issues that kept us baffled for the majority of the season. As the motor issues were finally diagnosed and fixed, Kevin II made his first ever start at the South Bend Motor Speedway. Kevin captured his first ever checkered flag as he won his pursuit race, but the celebration was short lived as his race car was totaled in the Feature event.
2011 looks to be a fresh start for Kevin with a new home track and a new car. Kevin II will be driving the #82 DFR machine at the South Bend Motor Speedway with the goal of capturing the "Rookie of the Year" honors once all the dust settles at the end of the season. Make sure you come out to the track to cheer on Kevin and his DFR team mates as they look to capture the first track championship for DFR!
Date of Birth: 5-5-76
Marital Status: Married
Spouse: April
Children: Roam, Summer, Trent
Racing Bio:
Drew began racing in 2006 at South Bend Motor Speedway. His first race car was a bright yellow 1993 Ford Mustang. With this being his Rookie year, it was a learning experience. With a heat win and many top 3 finishes in heat races and multiple top 6 finishes in feature, he was able to secure a 13th in the point standings.
The 2007 season was an exciting one for Drew. Starting with the move to M-40 Speedway in Jones, MI. Also, sporting a new paint job of "John Deere" green and yellow, he was ready for a successful season. With a heat win early in the season and multiple 2nd place finishes, he was able to finish 12th in the point standings.
The 2008 season was, by far, the most successful. With the team moving to the Plymouth speedway full time, it was a fresh start. Sporting a new car and "Black and Yellow" paint scheme, Drew was ready to win. Picking up 3 heat wins and multiple top 5's and top 10's, he was able to finish 9th in the points standings.
The 2009 season was an up and down season for Drew. Starting with a brand new car, sporting a bright red paint scheme, Drew struggled to get the car up to speed. With a grocery list of changes to the setup, Drew pulled off 3 heat wins and multiple runner-up spots. With the end of the season, showing the car had some speed, Drew knocked off almost a half a second from the beginning of the season.
2010 was a solid season for Drew. He was able to capture multiple heat wins at the Plymouth Speedway. Unfortunately, work obligations kept Drew from racing full-time, but even missing a few weeks he was able to finish just outside the top ten in the final point standings.
2011 will be a very limited schedule for the driver of the #81 machine because he will be welcoming a new addition to his family with the birth of his son. Drew will still be working on the rest of the DFR cars at the South Bend Motor Speedway, but family obligations come first. Drew looks forward to the limited races he will run to tune-up for 2012!
Drew@davisfamilyracing.com
