In the post-race chaos and celebration that followed the conclusion of the 38th annual Chili Bowl Nationals, a Matt Seymour Racing crew member made a proclamation.
“The legend of Hank Davis continues!”
Amid the crowd amassed near Davis’ No. 29s midget, tucked away in the southeast corner of the pit area, the lanky 21-year-old driver was grinning ear-to-ear as he digested his fifth-place finish in the championship feature.
“Man, you can’t be too mad about fifth,” Davis said.
As most racers did after Saturday’s A main, he explained the difficulty of making headway through challenging track conditions.
“The cushion was just so thick and hard. You know, even if you got a run on someone and slid someone, you’re probably gonna jump it. And then it just rubbered up,” Davis said.
Finishing fifth after starting fifth wasn’t quite the spectacular showing the Oklahoma native was hoping for, but he did get his moment in the spotlight earlier in the day.
During the pole shuffle — a one-on-one time trial among the 10 drivers who locked straight into the finale from their preliminary features — Davis electrified the crowd as he eliminated five drivers in a row by setting a torrid pace on the quarter-mile track.
“I think if anyone would’ve done that, they (the crowd) would be excited, but I could see the ‘Rowdies’ going berserk off of (turn) two, even racing that deal,” Davis said following the pole shuffle. “That’s the neat part about it. Everybody’s getting into it.”
Buddy Kofoid, who went on to finish runner-up in the feature, eventually eliminated Davis in the sixth round of the pole shuffle.
Still, in the closing moments of his fifth and most successful trip to the Chili Bowl, Davis was adamant he has nothing to hang his head about. After winning his preliminary feature in 2023, only to crash in the A main and finish 20th, the 21-year-old was simply hoping to prove he wasn’t a “fluke” this year.
When asked if he felt if he accomplished his goal, Davis nodded his head enthusiastically.
“Definitely. I mean, last year I crashed, so I’m happy with a fifth. Everyone’s just saying how we all want so much more. I want so much more for my guys,” Davis said. “We came out here to prove a little something.”
He certainly did, and it will be difficult for the Chili Bowl crowd to forget the underdog driver of the No. 29s midget after all the thrills he’s provided inside the SageNet Center.
Even Davis has been unable to ignore his potential behind the wheel of a midget after his Chili Bowl success, which is the lead reason he’s expanding his schedule in 2024.
“I’m going to run some sprint car stuff, some midget stuff and Silver Crown,” said Davis, who will be on the national USAC trail with Cornell Racing Stables this coming season. “I just want to race. And when we get back here (to the Chili Bowl) next year, I’ll have a lot more seat time under me.”