TULSA, Okla. — “Hank Davis isn’t a fluke.”
That’s the statement the 21-year-old driver wanted to make when he arrived at the SageNet Center to contest the 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals.
Last year, Davis shocked the midget racing world when he won his preliminary feature during the prestigious indoor midget race. Carrying the underdog label, Davis battled from third to first in the 30-lapper.
A late-race wreck that took out race leader Buddy Kofoid helped pave the way for Davis to collect the checkered flag, but nonetheless, the Oklahoma native prevailed.
Following his exemplary performance, perhaps the most-asked question among the Chili Bowl fanbase was: “Who’s Hank Davis?”
Well, Davis describes himself as a “super chill person, laid back, easygoing — just go with the flow with everything.”
While he typically pilots 360 sprint cars during the year, he seems to have found his calling behind the wheel of a midget at the Chili Bowl. Davis plans to compete on the USAC national midget trail in 2024.
But that will come later, and Chili Bowl is now. One of Davis’ primary concerns this week is to correct the mistakes that interrupted his breakout performance in 2023.
After starting second in his first career A main appearance, Davis spun midway through the 55-lap race and ended up 20th.
“I told everyone that I didn’t care if I got lapped, but man, as soon as I crashed it felt like the end of the world,” Davis recalled. “So I just really want to get back there, but I don’t want to do it again. I really want to redeem myself.”
Following Tuesday’s Warren CAT Qualifying Night at the Chili Bowl, it appears the Matt Seymour Racing driver is on his way to redemption.
Davis finished runner-up in every race he ran on Tuesday, from the heat race to qualifier to the 30-lap prelim feature. At one point in the feature, the No. 29s driver was reeling in eventual race winner Kofoid — especially when the pair worked lapped traffic.
While the win wasn’t in the cards, Davis has locked into Saturday’s $20,000-to-win A main for a second consecutive year.
“Not letting Buddy (Kofoid) drive away, it’s nice. It gives you confidence,” Davis said. “As long as everything goes good, maybe we can get through the pole shuffle and get a couple extra rows or something. If we can get that, I don’t know why we don’t have a shot.”
Though his last trip to Saturday’s A main didn’t have an ideal ending, Davis believes it taught him a lot — including how important it is to stay out of trouble.
But this time around, Davis isn’t content with just making the 24-car A main, no matter how impressive the feat is. He wants more, and it starts with taking home a Golden Driller like his childhood heroes have done before him.
“I live 15 minutes from here, so I’ve grown up around (Chili Bowl),” Davis said. “I just came here with my dad and we watched Sammy and Kevin (Swindell) just dominate this place. Never did I think that I’d get to stand on the same stage.”