CONCORD, NC (November 1, 2024) – When Hank Davis found himself knocking on the door of his first American Sprint Car Series National Tour victory night after night in July, TwoC Racing crew chief Wayne Johnson made the following prediction:
“Keep learning and doing what you’re doing, the wins will start coming. And when they do, it’ll be just like Sam [Hafertepe Jr.] or [Seth] Bergman. It won’t be just one, it’s going to be multiple.”
As it turns out, he was on to something.
While you didn’t have to be Nostradamus to expect Davis to find his groove in the second half of the season, the competitiveness of the No. 2C machine as of late has exceeded even Davis’ own goals. His three wins and seven podiums since his maiden victory at Electric City Speedway are more than any other driver in both categories.
That recent hot streak has them sitting atop the National Tour Owners standings with four races remaining in the season, 50 points ahead of the Hill’s Racing Team No. 15H. It could be considered fitting that Hafertepe is the driver Davis finds himself battling for the title, as all three of his wins this year have come with Hafertepe finishing in the runner-up spot.
However, Davis said he doesn’t place any extra emphasis on beating the five-time National Tour champion on a nightly basis, compared to every other car on the track.
“At the end of the day, it’s just another race car,” Davis said. “Yeah, he might be right on my tail in that deal, but at the end of the day it’s just another car I’ve got to pass, and I feel like we’ve shown that we can do it. I try not to let myself get too worried about that because I know that we’ve proven we can beat anyone out there.”
With nearly a full season under his belt as a full-time Sprint Car driver, what’s been his biggest area of improvement since joining TwoC Racing in May?
“Just racecraft,” Davis said. “There’s things that I didn’t do before, and now with Wayne beating down my throat certain things and how you have to race to win. And now I feel like I’m finally getting the hang of it and understanding my own racecraft.”
Davis may have been in contention for wins long before he finally broke through in Montana, finishing fourth at Rush County Speedway and third at Dodge City Raceway Park in his debut weekend in the car, but Johnson agreed that the difference between then and now is night and day.
“At first we tore up some cars, but it’s just a learning process,” Johnson said. “He’s a quick learner, he kind of got that out of his system real quickly. More than anything, just the consistency. I wasn’t sure what we would get with him being a rookie, but it’s pretty impressive to me.
“The first [win] is always the hardest one. After the first one, they come a little easier. Just his confidence level being a young kid, after winning a couple races I think he realized, ‘Hey, I can win these races at this level.”
A potential Owners title would also be key to propelling TwoC Racing into 2025, which will bring a return to full-time World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Car competition with Cole Macedo behind the wheel. And for Johnson, his success in his first season as a full-time crew chief gives him plenty of reasons to be optimistic about taking on The Greatest Show on Dirt in his new role.
“It’s helped my confidence a lot, just because I was always a driver-mechanic, I worked for myself,” Johnson said. “So, I wasn’t really sure I could be a crew chief and make it happen, but it sure has improved my thought process moving into next year being a crew chief at the Outlaw level.”
Of course, Macedo’s arrival means Davis is a free agent for the 2025 season, making each race night all the more important as the 21-year-old looks to impress potential car owners and secure his future as a Sprint Car driver. He’ll get a major opportunity to do that next weekend at The Dirt Track at Charlotte when he makes his World of Outlaws debut at the World of Outlaws World Finals in the No. 17GP for Michael Dutcher Motorsports.
“I really don’t think about it, but I would like to say its motivation,” Davis said regarding the uncertainty of his future plans. “I don’t want to worry about trying to run second, I just want to go try and win the race so that people can’t deny it. You can’t deny it at that point if I win a bunch of races. We haven’t won as many as I would like to, but we’ve definitely been one of the most consistent cars throughout the year, and definitely the most consistent in my life.”
As for his elevator pitch to the Sprint Car world, Davis is happy to let the stat sheet and the highlight reel do the talking.
“I don’t know how you consider yourself as a driver, you kind of have to let what you’ve done speak for that,” Davis said. “We’re going to have a good time if I’m around. I don’t come from a whole lot of money, but we know how to have a good time and enjoy it. Maybe we can get someone to bite on that.”
Davis will wrap up his rookie season on the National Tour at Tulsa Speedway (Thursday, Nov. 14) and Creek County Speedway (Friday and Saturday, Nov. 15-16). Tickets will be available at both tracks on race day, while DIRTVision will stream every lap live for those unable to make it to the track.
Story - ASCS
Photo - Emily Schwanke
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