He’s been around the block with all manner of racecars and recently decided to try on the promoter hat with the wingless mini sprints, ladies and gentlemen…Wayne Davis!

For those of our readers not familiar with your racing background, how did you get started and where have you raced? I’ve been going to races since I can remember, back in the old Jacksonville Speedway Park days. I was even there when Wendall Scott won his NASCAR race in ’64. My dad raced off and on there and I started racing Skeeters (Southern Modifieds) in the early 70′s at Lake City Speedway (NFS) and North Valdosta Speedway (Thunderbowl) thru ’86. I then sold everything to go Taxi Cab (late model) racing and that lasted about two years. In ’88 my best friend Benjie Mills was down in Tampa racing sprints at the Fairgrounds on Friday and East Bay Saturday nights, so I bought a sprint car from Robert Smith in Tampa and went racing. Along came George Echols and formed the AWOL (now the USCS). I ran that and the TBARA (when they ran dirt) all over the south for six years and Glen Beache’s new Bailey mini sprint with the newly formed FMSA. Then in ’95 I went to Indiana and fell in love with non wing racing. I started my son Darrin in karts at age 5 and he races my car now at 25, so I have been around it, hell I guess since I was born in ’58.

As a race car driver, what would you say is the one win you are most proud of? The first race I won with a car I built under the carport in the ’80′s. I had gone down to Buzzie Reutimann’s and got some measurements off a new car he was building that Winter. Came home with just square tubing, clamps, framing square and tape measure, and I built my version of it. I went to the track and the first night I was 2 1/2 sec faster than any car at the track. After seven wins in a row, someone wanted the car more than I did. My biggest regret in all of my racing was selling that car at that time, I would have like to have seen just how many features I would have won with it that year.

You’ve started the Southern States Lightning Sprints for wingless mini sprint racing. How has your first year gone? I would have to give it a B-. It’s been better than expected, but not as good as I would like. The biggest challenge has been to convince racers to take the wing off. The ones that have, know that it is all about driver/brake/throttle control. The racing is way closer without the wings because you don’t have the car locked down with a wing and it becomes a horsepower or $$ game. You can take an older car and be competitive in my series without the need of spending 15 to 20 thousand dollars especially with my rules package. I don’t want you to go out and buy a $1,000 motor and spend $3,000 on a fuel system or $2,000 to $4,000 on shocks or send off your ECM to reprogram it for $600.

Do you think your move to Friday nights due to the “big track” changing nights will ultimately get you more cars? The Friday night move is just for a select few races and was not because of Bubba Raceway Park. I wanted to give the Lightning/Mini Sprint community a two night show. Actually a three race weekend, when you consider the fact that we will race wing and non wing the same night. They scheduled races at Bubba Speedway Park, so I changed my dates so we could do this. Out in Texas/Oklahoma/Indiana/NY/PA, every week, all with the same car, they race wing…take’em off and race non wing…very little to do to the cars for this transition.

Looking ahead to 2012, do you see adding more tracks here in Florida to your schedule? My biggest thing next year is to get more Lightning Sprint Cars in the area. These are the true upright, scaled down sprint cars with 13 inch tires and wheels, stronger 1 1/4 inch tubing, longer wheel base, basically these cars are midget chassis with motorcycle chain driven engines, not the sidewinder micro cars that you see now around the state. Those cars to me are just unsafe to run on a big race track. The drivers compartment is from front to back with your legs right up against the motor and sticking out front like a go kart and when something bad happens it will be bad. A friend of mine out in California just crashed a few weeks ago in a lightning sprint and cut the frame in half at the motor plate (see below) and this was on a ¼ mile track. What if that was a micro on a ½ mile…bad scene. But to answer your question, we do have some irons in the fire.

Long term, is the SSLS something you’re going to roll out throughout the southeastern United States, or just stay in Florida? As a vision, that is why the name is Southern States Sprints Series. Not Florida/Georgia or Sunshine. Also as you can see it is Sprints Series, Lightning is a division. Not just for Lightning (750/1000/1200) but a 600 class along with a Junior Sprint for age group 9 to 13, even a full size non wing series down the road.

You’ve been wandering around the country following the USAC trail somewhat this year, are you just a hardcore fan or are you helping out a driver? Not really helping anyone, just have good friends there and love the racing. Jon (Stanbrough) and Kent (Christian) are a couple, along with Slipper or Lil Shu (Casey Shuman). Again Benjie (Mills) has wrenched (retired) for a lot of non wing guys, got Stanbrough his first win. We go up together to Indiana for Indiana Sprint Week and a few other shows a year..wish I was up there this week for Indiana Midget Week. I guess you could say non wing sprint car racing is my passion.

You have also worked with Mark Ruel Jr. on his winged sprint car this year. How did that come about? JR, what a cool kid. To me, he’s probably the third best dirt sprint car racer in the state. Mills and I were over at Albany last year for a FSCA race helping a friend, and Mark and his dad were there without a 4 wheeler, open trailer, and a not so good piece of a car. They parked right beside us and needed a little help because they were struggling. Mills told them a few things to do and without question they did them. Now if you have somebody there to help, or wrench the car, that is what they are supposed to do. Do not go get three or four others opinion, so our focus kind of got shifted his way. He listened, learned, and did what was said. If he had not banged the fence and wadded up the Jacobs Ladder, instead of 3rd he would have handed Tommy Denton his first defeat last year. So I’ve been trying to help him as much as I can. He runs my lil car when Darrin (my son) does not. I wish I had the money to take him to Indiana next year.

What do you like to do in your spare time? Well, seeing how I was forced to retire early from an injury, I mess around the house with the three boys Roscoe (bloodhound) Luke (golden retriever) and Hooch (English mastiff) and work on the cars. Trying to teach this ole dog (myself) a few things on this computer.

Where is your favorite place to hang out, eat some buffalo wings and do some bench racing? I guess here at the house, with my two best friends Kari (my wife), she cooks the best wings, and my son Darrin. He comes over at least once a day to check on me or help on the car or stuff around the house. Bench racing…before and after the races..especially in February, there is always a new story to hear for Speed Weeks from guys and gals that come down every year.