|
Davis pleased with Truck
debut
Keep on Truckin'
Marc Davis, 18, makes debut in NASCAR's
big leagues, aims for full 2009 schedule
|
| Published Thursday, September 11, 2008 |
by Herbert L. White
Marc Davis' debut in NASCAR's upper-tier series met his expectations.
The 18-year-old finished 16th Sept. 6 at the Camping World 200 at Gateway International Raceway in St. Louis. Davis' goals were simple in the Craftsman
Truck Series race: Drive hard and don't wreck. He accomplished both in a field of 36.
"We hung around the top 10 or 11 all day," Davis said. "We wanted to get the best possible finish we could. I just wanted to stay out of
trouble, stay clean and bring the truck home in one piece."
Davis, driving a Chevrolet prepared by Moss Motorsports, qualified 12th after putting in extra practice time on a track he'd never raced before. It
helped Davis gain an understanding of his new ride and the track's configuration and characteristics.
"I hadn't been to Gateway before," said Davis. "The finish was not reflective of the ride we had," Davis said. "You always want
to finish as high as you can. We had a better truck than 16th and I think everybody knew it."
Davis, a development driver at Joe Gibbs Racing who competes in the Camping World East stock car series, had to acquaint himself with the Truck Series
engine. At 800 horsepower, it is a step up from the lower-tier series where smaller stock car engines produce around 650.
"There's 150 more horsepower in Truck than the Camping World Series," he said. "It reminds me more of the ARCA car."
Davis said he's looking to campaign in "probably four or five more races" in the Truck Series in 2008 while working on moving up to a full-time
ride in 2009. He said he enjoyed the experience at Moss Motorsports, which is owned by New England Patriots receiver Randy Moss.
"Nothing's set in stone, but we're working on it," he said. "It's a great opportunity."
Racing trucks this year is in keeping with Davis' goal of advancing to the Sprint Cup Series, the top rung of NASCAR's divisions. No African
Americans drive full-time in the league's top series - Trucks, the Nationwide Series or Sprint Cup. Davis said he's talking to Gibbs about putting
together a Nationwide program for select races next year.
"It's definitely a stepping stone," Davis said. "I want to do the entire truck schedule next year and run a limited Nationwide
schedule."
"We knew it was going to happen two weeks ago," Davis said. "It ended up working pretty good."
