Bill Davis Racing

Bill Davis Racing was a racing team that participated in all three of NASCAR's top divisions until 2009.

Bill Davis Racing
Owner(s)Bill and Gail Davis
BaseHigh Point, North Carolina
SeriesSprint Cup Series, Nationwide Series, Craftsman Truck Series
Race driversDave Blaney, Johnny Benson Jr., Ward Burton, Scott Wimmer, Michael Waltrip, Bobby Labonte, Jeff Gordon, Sterling Marlin, Mark Martin, Mike Skinner, Jacques Villeneuve, Bill Lester, Jeremy Mayfield, Kenny Wallace
SponsorsAT&T, Catepillar, Siemens, Maxwell House, MBNA, Amoco, Baby Ruth, 360 OTC
ManufacturerDodge
Ford
Pontiac
Toyota
Opened1989
Closed2008
Career
Debut1993 Daytona 500 (Daytona)
Latest race2008 Ford 400 (Homestead)
Drivers' Championships1 (Craftsman Truck Series)
Race victoriesSprint Cup: 5
Xfinity: 11
Craftsman Truck Series: 24

The team had run Toyota-branded stock cars and trucks in the Camping World Truck Series (Toyota Tundra) since 2004 and Sprint Cup Series (Toyota Camry) since 2007. Dodge, Pontiac and Ford previously backed the team. The team was notable for running the No. 22 since its inception and its long relationship with Caterpillar, Inc.. BDR was competitive throughout the 1990s and early 2000s with Ward Burton before fading due to an increase in competition and a fallout with manufacturer Dodge.[1] The team was sold to Triad Racing Technologies in late 2008, which shut down the team's racing entries and now produces engines and chassis for various Toyota NASCAR teams.

Beginnings

BDR was formed by then-truck rental owner Bill Davis, who himself was a former motocross racer. Davis helped his friend and business partner Julian Martin develop his son Mark's ASA racing program. When Martin signed with J. D. Stacy, Davis took a break from racing, but returned to hire Martin to drive his Busch Series car for 15 races with sponsorship from Carolina Ford Dealers. In 1990, Davis moved the team to High Point, North Carolina, while his wife Gail stayed in Arkansas to oversee the trucking operation.

Sprint Cup Series

Car No. 22 history

Bobby Labonte (1993–1994)

Upon arriving in Carolina, Davis was asked by Ford to hire up-and-coming Midwest driver Jeff Gordon, who won the NASCAR Busch Series Rookie of the Year in 1991 and won eleven pole positions the next year. Davis was hoping to move him and crew chief Ray Evernham to the Winston Cup Series, but they were lured away by Rick Hendrick. Davis still moved up to the Cup Series full-time in 1993 however, with 1991 Busch Series champion Bobby Labonte, who finished 2nd to Gordon for Winston Cup Rookie of the Year driving the No. 22 Maxwell House-sponsored Ford. The team switched to Pontiac the following season. After 1994, Labonte left to drive for Joe Gibbs Racing. MBNA replaced Maxwell House as the sponsor.

Randy LaJoie (1995)

Originally, Davis went with another rookie — Busch Series standout Randy LaJoie — to drive the car. Midway through the year, LaJoie was fired from the team and replaced by a series of rotating drivers including Wally Dallenbach Jr., who finished second at Watkins Glen. Finally, Ward Burton was hired to finish out the year. He scored the team's first win at North Carolina Motor Speedway in late 1995.

Ward Burton (1995–2003)

With Burton driving, the No. 22 team slowly began to improve, despite not winning any races. In 1998, the No. 22 team cracked the top ten in the final Winston Cup points standings and matched those results in 1999 (by which time Caterpillar, Inc. was their sponsor) and in 2000, when the team finally returned to victory lane at the spring Darlington race. Burton's second career win was team's last victory in a Pontiac as they joined several teams in switching to Dodge Intrepids for the following season.

Burton returned to victory lane the following season, winning the 2001 Southern 500. This would become Dodge's second win since returning to NASCAR, but the team's streak of consecutive top ten points finishes was broken at three, as the No. 22 finished fourteenth. Burton added 2 more wins in 2002, scoring a victory in the Daytona 500 (Dodge's first Daytona 500 win in twenty-eight years) and later in the year at the New England 300 at New Hampshire, but a series of inconsistent finishes dropped the team to twenty-fifth place in the points standings. Burton's win at New Hampshire, in addition to being his last win in the Cup series, was also BDR's last in Cup racing (although they won races in other series before folding).

Scott Wimmer (2003–2005)

The team's struggles continued in the 2003 season, and with four races left in the season Burton, who had already signed on to drive the No. 0 for Haas CNC Racing the following season, departed for that team and was replaced with Davis's Busch driver Scott Wimmer, who raced full-time in 2004 and finished third in the first race of his rookie season. In late-2005, BDR announced it would part ways with Wimmer at the end of the year.

The No. 22 Caterpillar car in 2008
Dave Blaney (2006–2008)

Dave Blaney, who previously drove the No. 93 for BDR, was hired to drive the No. 22 beginning with the 2006 season. He had two top tens and finished twenty-sixth in the points standings. In 2007, the team switched to Toyota. Blaney won the pole for the 2007 Lenox Industrial Tools 300 at New Hampshire, making this the first pole for Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series.[2] Blaney scored his first top ten with Toyota at Indianapolis Motor Speedway on July 29 and later that season, he finished third at Talladega, the best finish of any Toyota in 2007. Additionally, Blaney was the only Toyota driver in the top thirty-five in owner points after the 2007 season. The team had a rough start to the 2008 season, as they missed the Aaron's 499 which was a hard hit for the team. They returned the next week at Richmond to finish in eighteenth. The following week at Darlington, they finished ninth, scoring their best of the year. In June of that year, Caterpillar announced that it would leave the No. 22 Bill Davis Racing Toyota to sponsor the Richard Childress Racing's No. 31 car, starting in 2009. On December 22, 2008, it was announced that Bill Davis sold majority ownership of his NASCAR teams to Mike Held, a California businessman, and Marty Gaunt, an executive with BDR. That same day, Gaunt and Held announced that they would also be buying into Triad Racing Technologies. Blaney would leave TRT to drive for Prism Motorsports, and Penske Racing would buy the owners points of the No. 22 and transfer them to the No. 77 of Sam Hornish Jr.. The addition of Davis would change the team name to Penske Championship Racing.

Car No. 22 results

Year Driver No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 Owners Pts
1993 Bobby Labonte 22 Ford DAY
20
CAR
33
RCH
29
ATL
18
DAR
18
BRI
24
NWS
25
MAR
12
TAL
35
SON
16
CLT
8
DOV
19
POC
20
MCH
36
DAY
41
NHA
10
POC
15
TAL
15
GLN
7
MCH
8
BRI
15
DAR
14
RCH
13
DOV
7
MAR
32
NWS
12
CLT
28
CAR
22
PHO
8
ATL
14
19th 3221
1994 Pontiac DAY
16
CAR
19
RCH
24
ATL
15
DAR
39
BRI
6
NWS
26
MAR
19
TAL
22
SON
17
CLT
40
DOV
20
POC
25
MCH
15
DAY
22
NHA
13
POC
13
TAL
12
IND
16
GLN
18
MCH
5
BRI
31
DAR
36
RCH
24
DOV
17
MAR
31
NWS
15
CLT
42
CAR
28
PHO
16
ATL
37
21st 3038
1995 Randy LaJoie DAY
29
CAR
25
RCH
27
ATL
39
DAR
16
BRI
12
NWS
23
MAR
DNQ
TAL
13
SON
32
CLT
23
DOV
23
POC
40
MCH
41
30th 2448
Jimmy Hensley DAY
30
NHA
41
POC
32
TAL
DNQ
IND
32
MCH
22
Wally Dallenbach Jr. GLN
2
Ward Burton BRI
34
DAR
4
RCH
11
DOV
21
MAR
21
NWS
DNQ
CLT
7
CAR
1
PHO
42
ATL
5
1996 DAY
26
CAR
41
RCH
13
ATL
15
DAR
38
BRI
33
NWS
DNQ
MAR
DNQ
TAL
27
SON
10
CLT
11
DOV
16
POC
35
MCH
35
DAY
41
NHA
25
POC
22
TAL
33
IND
36
GLN
32
MCH
35
BRI
8
DAR
40
RCH
37
DOV
7
MAR
DNQ
NWS
DNQ
CLT
7
CAR
17
PHO
22
ATL
12
33rd 2411
1997 DAY
8
CAR
23
RCH
24
ATL
12
DAR
18
TEX
7
BRI
18
MAR
18
SON
10
TAL
42
CLT
36
DOV
34
POC
38*
MCH
35
CAL
28
DAY
26
NHA
36
POC
15
IND
19
GLN
41
MCH
28
BRI
17
DAR
27
RCH
7
NHA
23
DOV
22
MAR
7
CLT
8
TAL
DNQ
CAR
26
PHO
42
ATL
9
24th 2987
1998 DAY
25
CAR
11
LVS
18
ATL
24
DAR
11
BRI
17
TEX
15
MAR
28
TAL
8
CAL
12
CLT
34
DOV
29
RCH
19
MCH
8
POC
24
SON
40
NHA
23
POC
34
IND
34
GLN
21
MCH
37
BRI
37
NHA
31
DAR
12
RCH
28
DOV
33
MAR
11
CLT
2
TAL
30
DAY
7
PHO
14
CAR
7
ATL
14
16th 3352
1999 DAY
24
CAR
28
LVS
2
ATL
8
DAR
8
TEX
16
BRI
9
MAR
27
TAL
32
CAL
6
RCH
9
CLT
8
DOV
22
MCH
4
POC
29
SON
35
DAY
7
NHA
15
POC
40
IND
6
GLN
43
MCH
43
BRI
9
DAR
2
RCH
34
NHA
8
DOV
11
MAR
13
CLT
5
TAL
4
CAR
2
PHO
13
HOM
14
ATL
11
9th 4062
2000 DAY
8
CAR
3
LVS
23
ATL
8
DAR
1*
BRI
3
TEX
14
MAR
11
TAL
10
CAL
6
RCH
6
CLT
13
DOV
8
MCH
6
POC
27
SON
21
DAY
7
NHA
18
POC
28
IND
28
GLN
22
MCH
9
BRI
11
DAR
6
RCH
8
NHA
30
DOV
40
MAR
43
CLT
10
TAL
22
CAR
8
PHO
12
HOM
39
ATL
3
10th 4152
2001 Dodge DAY
35*
CAR
16
LVS
21
ATL
11
DAR
12
BRI
5
TEX
21
MAR
22
TAL
33
CAL
42
RCH
21
CLT
9
DOV
14
MCH
38
POC
40
SON
6
DAY
4
CHI
20
NHA
20
POC
38
IND
6
GLN
41
MCH
33
BRI
12
DAR
1
RCH
12
DOV
33
KAN
41
CLT
3
MAR
3
TAL
21
PHO
13
CAR
6
HOM
13
ATL
5
NHA
42
14th 3846
2002 DAY
1
CAR
13
LVS
21
ATL
7
DAR
31
BRI
25
TEX
43
MAR
14
TAL
15
CAL
18
RCH
30*
CLT
42
DOV
37
POC
33
MCH
42
SON
40
DAY
9
CHI
41
NHA
1
POC
14
IND
30
GLN
20
MCH
29
BRI
37
DAR
6
RCH
8
NHA
38
DOV
43
KAN
43
TAL
10
CLT
33
MAR
5*
ATL
16
CAR
40
PHO
19
HOM
12
25th 3362
2003 DAY
38
CAR
18
LVS
25
ATL
18
DAR
29
BRI
33
TEX
12
TAL
7
MAR
25
CAL
21
RCH
11
CLT
10
DOV
37
POC
8
MCH
30
SON
16
DAY
30
CHI
19
NHA
25
POC
19
IND
26
GLN
6
MCH
14
BRI
13
DAR
19
RCH
15
NHA
39
DOV
29
TAL
14
KAN
21
CLT
28
MAR
18
21st 3550
Scott Wimmer ATL
32
PHO
9
CAR
26
HOM
12
2004 DAY
3
CAR
15
LVS
39
ATL
27
DAR
16
BRI
13
TEX
33
MAR
29
TAL
18
CAL
30
RCH
30
CLT
28
DOV
9
POC
35
MCH
14
SON
25
DAY
32
CHI
23
NHA
18
POC
11
IND
32
GLN
19
MCH
18
BRI
36
CAL
21
RCH
38
NHA
36
DOV
23
TAL
31
KAN
36
CLT
26
MAR
20
ATL
DNQ
PHO
26
DAR
22
HOM
13
27th 3198
2005 DAY
33
CAL
16
LVS
27
ATL
20
BRI
27
MAR
31
TEX
42
PHO
32
TAL
38
DAR
25
RCH
20
CLT
23
DOV
31
POC
36
MCH
16
SON
25
DAY
32
CHI
17
NHA
35
POC
25
IND
26
GLN
21
MCH
23
BRI
14
CAL
31
RCH
24
NHA
26
DOV
36
TAL
17
KAN
27
CLT
20
MAR
25
ATL
27
TEX
27
PHO
21
HOM
11
32nd 3122
2006 Dave Blaney DAY
22
CAL
30
LVS
31
ATL
32
BRI
23
MAR
17
TEX
29
PHO
27
TAL
24
RCH
20
DAR
27
CLT
32
DOV
30
POC
27
MCH
30
SON
39
DAY
27
CHI
17
NHA
13
POC
16
IND
29
GLN
40
MCH
24
BRI
14
CAL
28
RCH
4
NHA
9
DOV
12
KAN
21
TAL
28
CLT
26
MAR
33
ATL
18
TEX
32
PHO
23
HOM
26
27th 3255
2007 Toyota DAY
34
CAL
39
LVS
42
ATL
27
BRI
23
MAR
37
TEX
21
PHO
39
TAL
DNQ
RCH
11
DAR
32
CLT
18
DOV
DNQ
POC
43
MCH
18
SON
41
NHA
29
DAY
23
CHI
40
IND
9
POC
20
GLN
35
MCH
6
BRI
31
CAL
38
RCH
34
NHA
35
DOV
DNQ
KAN
15
TAL
3
CLT
6
MAR
36
ATL
38
TEX
21
PHO
31
HOM
12
31st 2781
2008 DAY
28
CAL
30
LVS
26
ATL
34
BRI
34
MAR
43
TEX
21
PHO
30
TAL
DNQ
RCH
18
DAR
9
CLT
17
DOV
9
POC
22
MCH
39
SON
20
NHA
33
DAY
19
CHI
23
IND
35
POC
31
GLN
41
MCH
41
BRI
38
CAL
29
RCH
22
NHA
33
DOV
12
KAN
31
TAL
22
CLT
27
MAR
22
ATL
41
TEX
29
PHO
20
HOM
22
30th 2851

Car Nos. 23 and 27 history

Bill Davis fielded a part-time team for R&D purposes on numerous occasions. This car switched numerous times between No. 23 and No. 27. At various times this R&D team was either BDR's second or third car.

The No. 23 car made its debut at the season finale NAPA 500 in 2000 with Scott Wimmer driving the No. 23 AT&T sponsored Pontiac.

Hut Stricklin (2002)

The car returned for the 2002 season and Hut Stricklin, who had just joined the team at the end of the 2001 season from Donlavey Racing, became the driver and was sponsored by Hills Brothers Coffee, which followed him from Donlavey's No. 90 Ford. However, Stricklin missed the season-opening Daytona 500, and failed to record any top ten finishes. He was released following the night race at Bristol, and Hills Brothers announced it would leave the team. Needing a sponsor in addition to a driver, Davis found both with Kenny Wallace. At the time, Wallace was without a full Cup ride and had been racing for his Busch Series team, Innovative Motorsports, in an abbreviated Cup schedule in the #98 Stacker 2 Chevrolet after Steve Park, for whom Wallace had been a long-term injury substitute in the #1 Pennzoil Chevrolet for Dale Earnhardt, Inc., returned to competition.

Kenny Wallace (2003)

Wallace and Stacker 2 joined BDR with Wallace immediately moving into the #23 car for the Southern 500. Hills Brothers would stay on to sponsor the #23 for the remaining twelve races, of which Wallace ran ten. He missed the Old Dominion 500 at Martinsville due to conflicts with the Busch race weekend at Memphis Motorsports Park, and he had already agreed to run the EA Sports 500 at Talladega Superspeedway for Andy Petree in conjunction with a promotion by AT&T. In those ten starts, Wallace's best finish was eleventh at Phoenix. Scott Wimmer and Geoffrey Bodine ran the #23 in the other two events, with Wimmer recording a 17th-place finish at Talladega.

Wallace ran all 36 races in 2003 with one top ten finish, which he recorded at Bristol. After the season, BDR moved Wallace and Stacker 2 to the Busch Series full-time to replace Wimmer, who was promoted to Cup racing.

Part-time (2004–2007)

Dave Blaney made several starts for the team in 2004, including the Daytona 500. In 2004 and 2005 the car ran mostly unsponsored, with a couple of drivers running selected events. Shane Hmiel, Tony Raines, and Blaney ran the car in 2004. Mike Skinner ran six events in 2005.

In 2006, the No. 23 ran as a third team for Davis. Mike Skinner failed to qualify for the 2006 Daytona 500, but Bill Lester became the first African-American since Willy T. Ribbs to compete in a Cup race at the Golden Corral 500. He started nineteenth and finished thirty-ninth. Lester attempted two more races that season, finishing thirty-second at Michigan International Speedway, but failing to qualify at California Speedway.

The No. 23 car attempted the Daytona 500 in 2007 with Mike Skinner, but did not qualify. Veteran road racing specialist Butch Leitzinger ran the No. 23 car with special CAT sponsorship at Infineon Raceway. In the later stages of 2007, the renumbered No. 27 made the UAW-Ford 500 and the Checker Auto Parts 500 with Jacques Villeneuve driving.

Jacques Villeneuve (2008)

The car was then scheduled to go full-time for Jacques Villeneuve in 2008, but the deal fell through after sponsorship could not be found. Benson and Skinner were hired to take over in the interim, before the team folded four races into the season after continued financial difficulties.

Car Nos. 36 and 93 history

Dave Blaney (2000–2001)

The second full-time team made its debut in Winston Cup as the No. 93 with an Amoco sponsorship in 2000, with Dave Blaney driving. Despite failing to qualify at the spring Rockingham race, Blaney finished 3rd in the Rookie of the year standings. The team flirted with victory lane a few times in 2001, but Amoco decided not to renew its contract, and Blaney left for Jasper Motorsports. The second full-time team became a part of the No. 23/27 R&D teams in 2002 and 2003, and is covered in that section. BDR did not run a second full-time team in 2004 and 2005.

Michael Waltrip (2006)

In the fall of 2005, it was announced that the team would return to full-time competition as the No. 55 car in 2006 with Michael Waltrip driving and NAPA sponsoring. Plans changed, however, in January 2006, when it was announced that Jasper Motorsports owner Doug Bawel would sell the owner's points of his No. 77 team to Waltrip and Davis to form Waltrip-Jasper Racing.[3] Although this helped the No. 55 get into the first five races of 2006, it did not help the team, as BDR's expansion was painful and occurred without Dodge support; with Waltrip failing to qualify several times and failing to finish in the top 35 in points. With Waltrip starting his own Toyota team in 2007, and BDR also switching to Toyota, Waltrip took the points with him to MWR. The Waltrip-Jasper name was later dropped mid-season, as Bawel was never truly involved with the racing operations.

Jeremy Mayfield (2007)

Jeremy Mayfield was hired drive the car full-time in 2007, with the car renumbered No. 36 for a new sponsorship from 360 OTC. Due to Waltrip taking the team's points, Mayfield needed to qualify on time for the first five races of 2007. After four consecutive failed qualifying attempts, the No. 36 car made its first start of 2007 in the Food City 500 at Bristol. Mayfield drove the car at every track except for Infineon Raceway, when the team did not enter but the R&D team used the No. 36 points. In October, Mayfield departed to Haas CNC Racing, and was replaced by Skinner and Benson for the balance of the season.[4]

Busch Series

Mark Martin (1988–1990)

BDR began fielding cars in the Busch Series in 1988, when Mark Martin drove thirteen races in the No. 06 Carolina Ford Dealers Ford, posting two top-tens and one win. The team switched to No. 1 the following season with Martin continuing to drive winning the spring race at Bristol. Geoff Bodine ran one race at Martinsville in the fall. Martin won one race at Mytrle Beach in 1990 running twelve races.

Jeff Gordon (1991–1992)

In 1991, the team went full-time with a young Jeff Gordon. Although he did not win, and even failed to qualify for the Goody's 300, he had five top fives, taking Rookie of the Year honors and an 11th place points position. Martin ran in a second car at Hickory in the spring. Baby Ruth became the main sponsor in 1992 with Gordon winning three races including the spring race at Atlanta where Rick Hendrick took notice of Gordon's talents. Gordon and the team were going to move up to the Winston Cup in 1993 but Gordon signed with Hendrick.

Ward Burton (1996)

Davis did not field a Busch team again until 1996, when he fielded the No. 22 MBNA Pontiac for Ward Burton part-time.

Dave Blaney (1998–1999)

In 1998, the team returned full-time fielding the No. 93 Amoco Pontiac piloted by sprint car ace Dave Blaney. Running a limited schedule, Blaney finished in 6th place 3 times. Blaney had an even better 1999 season, winning the pole position several times and finished eighth in points. That same year, Davis fielded a second car for Burton, the No. 02 sponsored by Polaris. He finished in the top-ten in every race and won a pole at Darlington.

Mike Borkowski (2000)

In 2000, Davis opened the No. 20 ride sponsored by AT&T. Rookie Mike Borkowski started the year in the ride, but after the Busch 200, he was released. Dave Blaney and Tom Hubert shared the ride for the year before Scott Wimmer took over in the final part of the season. Burton's team changed to the No. 22 and had two top-five finishes, then closed up.

Scott Wimmer (2000–2003)

Wimmer took over the No. 20, renumbered the No. 23, for 2001, posting eight top-tens and finishing eleventh in points in a Jani-King sponsored car. Siemens became a part-time sponsor in 2002, but the team threatened to shut down to a lack of finances. However, it remained open, and Wimmer won four races in the second half of the season, finishing 3rd in points. For 2003, Stacker 2 came on board as sponsor, and he picked up a win at Pikes Peak.

Kenny Wallace (2004)

At the end of the season, Wimmer moved to Cup, and Kenny Wallace took his place, posting ten top-ten finishes and finishing ninth in points. After Wallace and Stacker 2 left for ppc Racing, Davis sold the equipment to Keith Coleman Racing. The team still remained involved in Busch supplying engines to MacDonald Motorsports.

Craftsman Truck Series

Truck No. 5 history

Mike Skinner (2004–2008)
The No. 5 truck.

The No. 5 truck started out in 2004 at Bang! Racing as the No. 42 driven by Mike Skinner. Skinner started the year with two top-fives, but his performance began to decline, and his team was sold to Davis, changing to the No. 5, starting at the Las Vegas 350. He won two poles and had a sixth-place run at the season-ending race at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In 2005, he won seven poles and two races, at Bristol and Richmond respectively, finishing fifth in points. In 2006, he had thirteen top-tens including a win at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, and almost won the 2007 championship before suffering tire failures in the season finale. Skinner was signed to drive for TRT through the 2009 season. However, due to concerns over the economy, the team shut down the entire truck program, with Skinner taking the number 5 with him to Randy Moss Motorsports.

Truck No. 22 history

Bill Lester (2004–2006)

BDR's original foray into the Truck Series, it debuted in 2004 at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250, where Bill Lester drove it to a sixteenth-place run. He posted just one top-ten that year and finished 22nd in points. The next season, he won two poles (back-to-back at Kansas and Kentucky), had a best finish of fifth and moved up to seventeenth in points. Lester failed to finish in the top-ten during the 2006 season and dropped to twentieth in points.

Tyler Walker and Ryan Matthews (2007)

Tyler Walker began the season driving the renumbered No. 36 truck full-time in 2007, with sponsorship from 360 OTC. Six races into the season, rookie Ryan Mathews replaced Walker after it was learned that Walker was suspended for violating NASCAR's substance abuse policy, and the team had lost its sponsor, 360 OTC (which wanted No. 36). Mathews, in his short season, posted two top tens, one top five, and one pole at Kentucky Speedway. Mathews then stepped out of the truck for the debut of 1995 Indianapolis 500 winner and 1997 Formula One Champion Jacques Villeneuve. In preparation for this, the truck was renumbered No. 27, which Villeneuve used in his 1995 CART and Indy 500 championship season, as a tribute to his father Gilles.

Phillip McGilton, Scott Speed and Michael Annett (2008)

The Truck switched back to the No. 22 in 2008 and began the year with Phillip McGilton as the driver, before he was replaced by Scott Speed and Michael Annett. The team had the most successful season 2008, with Speed winning his first NASCAR victory at Dover, and Annett scoring two top-tens in seven races. This team was shut down after the 2008 season due to economic concerns.

Truck No. 23 history

Shelby Howard (2004)
The 23 truck in 2007.

The No. 23 truck began in 2004 when Davis purchased its equipment from Phil Bonifield. The truck was piloted by Shelby Howard. Howard ran eight races before he was released, and Johnny Benson Jr. took over.

Johnny Benson (2004–2008)

Despite running a limited schedule, Benson finished 25th in points. He became the full-time driver in 2005, and had six top-fives en route to a tenth-place points finish. Benson went on to collect five wins during the 2006 season with additional backing from Exide Batteries and finished runner-up to Todd Bodine for the championship. 360 OTC sponsored the 23 for ten races during the 2007 season. Benson won four races and finished third in points. In 2008 Benson was considered a title favorite. Benson and crew chief Trip Bruce won five races that year and held off defending champion Ron Hornaday Jr. to win the 2008 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series championship, the first ever NASCAR championship for BDR. Before winning the championship, it was announced that Benson would not return in 2009. Both Benson and Trip Bruce have since been named to the No. 1 truck of Red Horse Racing. ARCA RE/MAX Series driver Tayler Malsam was intended to drive this truck for Rookie of the Year Honors, but he later moved to Randy Moss Motorsports with Skinner after the abrupt closure of Bill Davis Racing.

Truck No. 24 history

The No. 24 truck entered as a research and development entry for BDR in 2005. Steve Park drove the No. 67 South Padre Island entry in a pair of races towards the end of the year following his release from Orleans Racing. His best finish was 16th at Texas. In 2006, A. J. Allmendinger drove the newly renumbered 24 for three races, posting a fifth-place run at Talladega Superspeedway. ARCA Re/MAX Series driver Phillip McGilton was to make his NASCAR debut in this truck at Homestead-Miami Speedway before going full-time with the No. 22 team in 2008, however plans were changed as Blaney was put in the No. 22 truck sponsored by Caterpillar. This truck has made only one start, which came at the 2008 Ford 200 with Tayler Malsam driving to a 21st-place finish. This team was also shut down after the 2008 season concluded.

Controversy

Fallout with Dodge

In 2003, Dodge parent company DaimlerChrysler filed a lawsuit against Bill Davis Racing after they "found the race team to be building (Truck Series) trucks for Toyota," in preparation for entering the truck series in 2004.[5] In addition, BDR continued to run Pontiacs in the Busch Series through 2002, and Chevrolets in 2003 and 2004 due to Dodge not giving any manufacturer support in the Busch Series. Bill Davis Racing had built a prototype for Toyota's Truck program to present to NASCAR, which Chrysler viewed as a breach of contract. Dodge proceeded to pull manufacturer support from BDR in October 2003.[6] The team continued to run Dodges through 2006; they stopped running Dodge logos on the cars in 2006 after a District Court judge in Detroit ruled in favor of DaimlerChrysler, requiring Davis to pay $6.5 million to the manufacturer in February 2006.[1] Davis switched to Toyota in the Sprint Cup Series in 2007.

Drivers

Sprint Cup Series

DriverRacesWinsPoles
Johnny Benson Jr.300
Dave Blaney18401
Geoff Bodine100
Ward Burton27256
Wally Dallenbach, Jr.100
Jimmy Hensley500
Shane Hmiel500
Tom Hubert100
Bobby Labonte6101
Randy LaJoie1300
Butch Leitzinger100
Bill Lester200
Jeremy Mayfield1300
Tony Raines100
Mike Skinner700
Hut Stricklin2300
Jacques Villeneuve200
Kenny Wallace4600
Michael Waltrip3300
Scott Wimmer8100

Nationwide Series

DriverRacesWinsPoles
Dave Blaney5906
Geoff Bodine100
Mike Borkowski900
Ward Burton1001
Jeff Gordon61312
Tom Hubert1000
Mark Martin4331
Dennis Setzer100
Kenny Wallace3400
Scott Wimmer10450

Craftsman Truck Series

DriverRacesWinsPoles
A. J. Allmendinger300
Michael Annett700
Johnny Benson Jr.113144
Dave Blaney200
Shelby Howard800
Justin Labonte100
Bill Lester7402
Donny Lia100
Tayler Malsam100
Ryan Mathews1201
Phillip McGilton400
Mike Skinner181932
Scott Speed1411
Jacques Villeneuve700
Tyler Walker600

References

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.