Bill Davis Racing - The Rise and Fall
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- Опубликовано: 27 сен 2024
- Bill Davis Racing was well known in the 1990's and 2000's, primarily for running the Caterpillar car, but hear the complete story of their rise and fall in this video.
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From a missed opportunity with Jeff Gordon to winning the 2002 Daytona 500 to closing down following 2008, Bill Davis Racing offered NASCAR a lot of history for the sport over the years.
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Learn more about Bill Davis Trucking: www.billdavist...
This an opinion piece backed up with facts as well, and all photos and videos are used ONLY for educational purposes and under FAIR USE LAWS
The 2002 500 win was a great moment for that team and Ward as a driver. Watching Bill Davis Racing burn out is painful to this day.
I was fortunate to be invited to visit the shop in Thomasville NC with a Caterpillar group, got to meet Ward had a pic taken , was in 2000 I think, very nice shop won't forget it.
Here's another interesting Davis-Gordon-Ward Burton-Hendrick connection. When Hendrick was first starting the 24 team, he tried to sign Ward Burton to drive that car. I remember reading this in Winston Cup Scene. At that time, Burton was driving the Hardee's car in the Busch Series for AJ Dillard racing. Dillard was planning to take his team to cup the next year, and Ward was a loyal guy, so he turned down Hendrick to stay with Dillard. So Hendrick signed Gordon instead. The Dillard team eventually did go to cup with Hardee's & Ward Burton (with #31 on the car), running Hoosier tires, and struggled badly their first year, though I remember they did get a second place, I think at Pocono. But they missed a bunch of races, including the Daytona 500. The next year, Burton was still with them, but they struggled again, missed races, and Burton was released around the time of the Brickyard 400. I remember going to that race, and looking for the Hardee's trailer to buy a t-shirt, because I always liked Ward, but they didn't even have a souvenir trailer. It was a couple of weeks after that, for the Michigan race, that Burton signed with Davis, and he got a real good finish in his first race. 5th or 6th, and a few weeks after that, won the race in Rockingham.
So the way it worked out, Burton was loyal, but Gordon was smart. Gordon won championships and is a Hall of Famer. Burton had a good career, but he stuck with the wrong team at the beginning of his career. Wonder how he would have done in the 24.
Gordon and Burton are my 2 All Time Favorite Drivers and I'm interested in this What Could Have Been Situation
@@oscarjimenezsr.716
Most likely, Hendrick would have hired Gordon also, and maybe they would have been teammates. At that time, Hendrick changed his driver roster because Ricky Rudd & Darrell Waltrip left to start their own teams, so he brought in Terry Labonte & Ken Schrader and later Ricky Craven. So maybe he would have just hired one of Labonte or Schrader, and had Gordon in the other car (Gordon in the Budweiser car!) A line up of Labonte-Burton-Gordon. All speculation now. It would have also been interesting trying to break in two rookies (Gordon & Burton) at the same time. Who knows, but the "What might have beens" are fascinating.
@@RRaquello Jeff and Ward would've both Gave Dale a Run for His Money
Ward with Hendricks would have been a big threat at any track. Ward was often at the front battling the elite teams with a lowly single car team with limited equipment. But he chose loyalty over quality. Gotta respect that
It's been so long since I heard Bill Davis Racing that I honestly forgot about them. Doesn't help they were also in the back of the field which made it easier to forget about them during and after their downfall. Man, we need a Bill Davis Racing again. A revival would be nice, but let's be real, it's not gonna happen.
Yeah especially with how much more expensive racing is now and the difficulty to obtain sponsors
I am surprised that you did not mention Johnny Benson’s 2008 craftsman truck series title.
Ward Burton was the first NASCAR driver I ever rooted for during his stint in the #22. Mike Skinner was the first Truck Series driver I ever rooted for during his stint in the #5. When I found out later that Jeff Gordon ran full-time for Davis in the Busch Series, it strengthened the fondness I had towards the team. I have a lot of sentimental attachment to Bill Davis Racing and it hurts that things ended up going south like they did.
I hated Skinner because he wrecked Harry Gant in a truck race and cost Gant the victory. Gant came back and raced some in the trucks after retiring from cup, and came close to winning a couple. I think NASCAR talked him into it, when the truck series first started, to draw fans and give the series credibility. In one, late in the race, Harry was leading and Skinner knocked him into the wall. There are some guys you don't wreck, and Gant was one. I'll also admit, he's my all time favorite NASCAR driver.
I personally always thought BDR was a mediocre cup team that was greatly elevated by Ward Burton. If ward could've got the opportunities his brother Jeff got I feel Ward could've matched his stats
Agreed, just look at all the other guys who drove the #22 car. Randy LaJoie, Bobby Labonte, Scott Wimmer and Dave Blaney. None of those guys are bad drivers, but they couldn’t do anything in the #22. Ward got in that car and won several races, even finishing Top 10 in points for 1999 and 2000.
@@DavidJameson89 All five of BDR's Cup wins came with Ward.
The loss of Jeff Gordon to Hendrick was the biggest blow for that team, they never fully recovered...
Good thing Rick Hendrick has deep pockets and a slick sales pitch.
By far in 2007 this was the best Toyota team even though Dave Blaney didn't win a race he was probably the main reason that gives program and all the other Toyota programs really took off cuz he performed when all the other Toyotas were struggling that year
I remember the 22 with Ward Burton. I love ole Ward. Love his accent!!! They asked Jeff (his brother) one time on the John Boy and Billy Big Show why they sounded so different and Jeff said it was because they were raised on different sides of the house Lol!!! Ward was on the Southern most side, Jeff said.
My father used to crew chief and build the goodies dash John boy and billy/Pabst car lol, have a ton of old collectibles from them
As a jeff Gordon fan I am forever grateful to BILL DAVIS for bringing him into the world of Nascar.
My father was with them when they won Daytona, easily one of the happiest days of his life. He passed away a little over a year ago and I still have a bunch of stuff (or what I could grab given the circumstances). When they lost that team it was all downhill. RIP dad 😢
Sorry to hear about the passing of your father. Thanks for sharing the great memories.
@@DannyBTalks thank you. Have a ton of old pics, his Daytona ring, and several other items but wish I could have gotten a lot more
Honestly, I only remember a lot about their Busch and Truck entries more than their cup.
I still drove by old Bill Davis Racing facility in High Point, NC off Old Thomasville Rd and Market Center Dr.
I miss ward burton , even though you couldn't understand half what he said !
Love to see a heated debate between Ward Burton and Sterling Marlin,. That would be comic relief.
That's one Virginian to another
That 22 was always one of the cars pushing dale jr at the plate tracks. Ward was always up front at superspeedways
Oh hey one of my reviews made it in here
1997 #22 MBNA Pontiac Grand Prix
Do BK Racing : The Fall and Fall
Made A Lot Of Sense That I Didn't Know About The Team, Great Video By The Way.
Screwed Dodge and ended up screwing himself.
Not many owners have to shut down right after they won a championship, so it takes special talent as a team owner to pull that off.
Next do tommy baldwin racing
I really enjoy your rise and fall series I haven't seen any new ones i hope you will get back to making them and also Forgotten Nascar drivers those are great also.
Greatest Memory was Ward and the #22 winning the Southern 500 and Daytona 500 back to back just imagine if the Chase was around then how far they could have gone in the playoffs.
My worse memory is the fact that Bill Davis couldnt stay loyal to a manfacter to save his life. Just think he sold his Cup team out just to be a factory Toyota team
Next on could be Robert Yates Racing
HamlinFanatic11 yes
Ward Burton was one of My Favorite Nascar Drivers of All Time and Dropping Him was a Terrible Decision to Begin With Switching from Dodge to Toyota made Things Worse
@@jamesbraun9842 and Blaney fell to 29th in The End
@@jamesbraun9842 He took 3rd at Talladega and Charlotte the week later a 6th Improving Toyota in their first Cup Season
Ward was one of my favorites growing up
Dave Blaney Actually First Drove For BDR From 2000-2001 In Their #93 Car With Amaco As The Sponsor
*Ward Burton* was a *great* driver! He *made* Bill Davis Racing 🏁🏁🏁🏁🏁 Can you imagine if he was on one of the super teams in NASCAR?
Nice video
Interesting fact: Jeff Gordon drove for Bill Davis Racing in the Busch series, the #1 Carolina Ford dealers and then the #1 Baby Ruth car
Yeah I loved Bill Davis racing
I I still have my Scott Wimmer 22 caterpillar hauler
Team Penske made the 22 better
6:31-6:44 Wait, so does this mean that some of what was left of Bill Davis Racing eventually became Gaunt Bros Racing? (The #96 Cup team)
Essentially.....yes.
One important factor was crew chief Tommy Baldwin. It was him teaming working with Burton that led to the success of the 22. After the 500 win, the team's performance tanked and late in the season Baldwin and many crew members took off for Evernham Racing. Frankie Stoddard was brought in but the team had been gutted and combined with all the Toyota/Dodge lawsuit drama, they never recovered.
Sweet need more of these plz
I remember the bill davis 22 the most from ward burton and dave blaney in 2008
The Rise and Fall of...
1. Robert Yates Racing
2. MB2/MBV/Ginn Racing
3. Junior Johnson & Associates
4. DiGard Motorsports
5. Blue Max Racing
Darrell Waltrip won Championships for the 3rd and 4th Teams
You missed some minor things in the Truck series...
Like Johnny Benson winning the 2008 Truck Series Championship for Bill Davis
After submitting their own engine designs , Toyota was told by NASCAR they would approve the use of the CATERPILLAR block at that time used by DODGE MOTORSPORTS . New TRD (Toyota Racing Development) valve covers were cast for the existing engine concept and global giant TOYOTA was "Off to the Races" . Bill Davis Racing was as Curly Howard frequently stated - "A victim of circumstance" !
Do the rise and fall of the 9 team that bill Elliott drove for
Melling Racing
Can you talk about jeff gordon Motorsports
Wait Jeff Gordon had his own race team??
@@davidhonkstvorisit4811 sure did, ran Busch Series races in the late 90s and 2000. I think he co-owned it with Ray Evernham. Look up his Busch Series Pepsi Car.
Not only that but he is the owner of the 48 car
In cup
@@theyguy958 Gordon barely owned a team and he only co-owned it with Evernham for the first year it existed, 1999, before Evernham left Hendrick and Chevy, Rick Hendrick then bought his stake in the team and made it a Hendrick development car, with the late Ricky Hendrick running numerous races and the team even fielding a second car for Ricky at one point. Rick Hendrick then bought Gordon’s half of the team in 2001.
I actually own a Caterpillar #22 Dodge diecast. I don't know who it is, it was either Scott Whimmer or Ward Burton.
This maybe super obvious but if they got the 1991 Busch series 2nd place rookie it would be David Green. Bobby Labonte won the '91 championship - or am i missing something?
Dagnamit im old as dirt to remember that.
One nitpick, Bobby Labonte didn't finish 2nd to Gordon in Busch Series rookie of the year. He did in 1993 in the Cup series. Bobby won the Busch Series Championship the same year Gordon was ROTY
Do a video of the rise and fall of Bryan France
Don't forget , their chief engine builder passed away at the end of ward Burton's time there
It was actually 1999 and 2000 when he finished top ten in standings. He finished 16 in 1998
Did Bill Davis purchase the 22 team from junior Johnson or was it just that when he signed sponsor Maxwell House, that they wanted to keep the same number.
I know junior fielded the 22, 11 in 1992 and then the 11,27 in 1993
Volksbeetle28 ! Bill Davis DID NOT purchase the 22 team from Junior Johnson. The 22 was simply reassigned to the Bill Davis team. Junior Johnson then took number 27 when he acquired the McDonald’s sponsorship for the 1993 season.
Furniture Row Racing!
Not a big deal, but they didn't finish in the top 10 in points in 1998. Only in 1999 (9th) and 2000 (10th).
So....the #93 Team just never existed? The 93 was NOT a "Part time R&D" Team as you eluded too, it was a full on Full time Entry for Dave Blaney with Full Backing from Amocco/BP Hell they damn near won BOTH Atlanta races. Also, the #23 Hills Bros Coffee entry was also a Full Time entry with Hut Stricklin. It wasn't nearly as successful as the #93 was, but that could be attributed to it being driven by Hut Stricklin.
Fitch93 I did not mean it to sound like it was a part-time team. Those teams did run full-time, but they did not last as long and were used more for researching in my view of them.
@@DannyBTalks Gotcha, being a Blaney fan, I just wanted to make sure he wasn't completely overlooked.
@DannyBTalks - Digard Motorsports, Junior Johnson Racing, Osterlund Racing and the legend Bud Moore Racing for more ideas Danny
BY far the first power team was Junior Johnson as an owner then u had Bud Moore and the 15 team who employed Joe Weatherly and Dale Earnhardt in a Ford. Loved seeing Dale Sr win Talladega in Bud Moore Wrangler 15 ford thunderbird his face was covered in grease hard earned victory
Rip BDR
What’s the team with Johnny Benson and Scott Riggs?
Mb2 motorsports they also had the 36 car back in 2001 and 01 car in 2003
@@masoneveridge6020 yep the original 36 was transferred to the 01 team in 2003 but they brought back the 36 car in 2005 with Boris Said
I remember them being the only top toyota in 06-07
I think Steve Kinser was hired originally in 1995,before Lajoie took over after a few races. Sorry if I butchered the name.
No, Kinser drove the 26 Quaker State car for Kenny Bernstein, the drag racer. As a matter of fact there was an incident with Ward, I think at Bristol, or some short track, where Ward was up with the leaders and Kinser wrecked him, not on purpose, but because Kinser didn't know what he was doing in those cars. Kinser got released right after that. I'm trying to remember who replaced him. It might have been Hut Stricklin.
@@RRaquello,you are correct on both counts. It was Bernsteins #26 car that Kinser drove and yes he was replaced by Hut Stricklin afterwards. Ordinarily I wouldn't of gotten this wrong....but I did this time!
@@aebking in addition Bernstein dropped the NASCAR side of his operations after that season. The only race he ever won as an owner was with Brett Bodine where NASCAR infamously scored it wrongly. Still I loved that paint scheme, had a 1:64 as a kid
What’s the song at 3:13?
If they had just kept Ward in the 22, Blaney in the 93, and moved Wimmer to the 23 from the Busch Series, I think they'd still be around. They spread themselves way too thin and the legal issues just crippled what was left.
Mostly remember Ward Burtons win at Daytona
I’m here bc I bought a NASCAR hat from a local thrift store that has the number 22 on it
Did bill Davis ever pay Daimler Chrysler any of the lawsuit they had sued and won?
man, howd u win 2 races, yet finish 25th in the points......crazy....
Did you know they won the Truck series championship in 2008
Yes I did. This particular video was just more in relation to their Cup Series program.
@@DannyBTalks makes sense. Fun Fact, I am native from were Bill Davis and Mark Martin are from
Personal tragedy also was a large part of Bill's decision to close the doors
Can't feel sorry for someone screwing themselves. What did he honestly think would happen giving Toyota proprietary Dodge info?
Dodge came back on the cheap simply wouldn't spend the money Penske is the absolute only reason they got a championship.
@@neilpuckett359 What did Davis expect to happen? It was a low ball move and he got what he deserved. Dodge was robbed of the 2002 Championship when Marlin broke his neck.
Do you ever wonder how Ward Burton would have done in better equipment?
If Bill would have put Jacques Villeneuve in the 22 car before Ward Burton he would have at least 5 championships by now and they never would have closed.
Everytime i think I've seen the dumbest comment on RUclips, a guy like you comes along and tops the last person.
Hahahahahahahahahahahaha@@bignickdigger7105
NASCAR
CAT SKID STEER LOADER
Yeah
Scott Wimmer was such a bust.
BK racing
Best thing: Ward Burton. Understood everything he said.
Others in the Toyota camp?? Seriously all Toyota had was Gibbs Racing MWR was dreadful and as we speak the only Xfinty/ Cup Team in the Toyota camp with success is Gibbs..
The 2002 Daytona 500 was the first ever NASCAR race I watched always a special race for me
I had a few friends that worked for Bill Davis back in the late 90s and early 2000's. That shop had a family feel when I would visit there. You were able to walk to shop when the guys were working on the car. Bill and Gail Davis were often at the shop and even greeted me a few times when I walked in. I hated when they decided to close down and really hit home that mom and pop race shops were gone.
Same, I used to go there as a kid with my father and loved it! Wish I could do the same with my boys
Good lord that team had a ton of different drivers lol. Underdog team though routed for them and Ward Burton pretty much was there best driver .
2:42 - "In 2002 Burton would open the season with by far Bill Davis Racing's greatest acheivement..."
... in Cup. >;)
True...true.
Ultimate23Dragon they were pretty good in 2000 as well.
Unrelated, how do you feel about the new press your luck coming out? I feel like whenever we talk, we are always arguing. That’s actually a show we were both a fan of
@@mtejada10 I'd call it debating not arguing, but anyway...
From what I've seen so far, it looks like it's gonna be very good. Will it be like the 1980's version? No, but I do hope that it is as good as it looks thus far. There are still a lot of questions to be answered though that I believe we'll get the answers to when the first show airs.
Ultimate23Dragon I think I like what I see too, I think it’ll be presented closer to the 80s version than what I call the Nickelodeon like 2000s version. The end of game bonus round will either be really good or really bad. I’m not sure.
Good thing Bill was smart enough to hire Benson for his Truck team, it brought him a championship right in the nick of time for the team to shut down.
Yates
Red Bull
Hall of fame
Robby Gordon
1: Davey's Death and Ernie's Injury gave Yates a Bunch of Bad Luck DJ winning the 1999 Championship Wasn't Enough for Him
2: Brian Vickers could've been a Contender if it wasn't for his Illness Problems
3: Switching from Chevy in 2007 to Toyota in 2008 to Ford in 2009 Killed the Team as a Whole
4: Robby Gordon is An Arrogant Piece of Shit Glad He Left
So....if we are being technical....Ryan Blaney is the driver for Bill Davis Racing's owner points today?
Steven Wallace was the last guy to use it.
no, Blaney is in Penske's 77 car
the Charter for the 12 car was born as the the 16 Charter
so Blaney is in no way related to Bill Davis
@@jabber1990 it was a joke all I was saying was that he was Penske's 3rd driver
In a sense.... yes! Great call!
Man that decision to go with Toyota really did hurt them a lot! It could have worked out in the long haul if Toyota put a little more R&D into the '07 season. That said Ward Burton will forever be one of my all time favorites, his driving style and voice wins it for me.
They already got in with Dodge when they were entering nascar and were able to win races, it would have been smarter to build on a relationship with them instead of starting from square one again with a new manufacturer.
I mean, dodge may not have had the best track record but BDR was winning with them and they stayed in the sport until 2012, so they could have had more years of strength.
For the Truck Series: Bill Davis Racing was one of the original Toyota Truck teams & had been throughout their entire existance in the Truck Series.
While Bang Racing got Toyota's first Truck win in 2004, Bill Davis Racing had the most success. Bill Lester was the main driver driving the 22 with a bunch of different drivers driving the 23 before settling on Johnny Benson starting at the Michigan race. After Bang Racing folded, they then started a 3rd team, the 5, for Mike Skinner.
Building momentum, BDR came close to winning 3 titles in a row, but Benson lost to Todd Bodine in 2006 despite having the most wins in 2006 (5), Skinner dramatically lost in 2007 to Ron Hornaday _(The ultimate Championship Choke of you ask me; Hi Rusty Walrus)._
But finally BDR (With Bill's wife Gail Davis technically winning the Owners title) did get their championship with Johnny Benson after some late race pit strategy at the final race & overcoming adversity NASCAR tried to cause (After Bristol at the end of August, NASCAR did an Engine Dyno test & made a rule change reducing Toyota's horsepower "to make things even" while in actuality they wanted Hornaday to win the title; You will *NOT* convince me otherwise).
That 2008 title fight is one of the best ever, if not the best ever in Trucks, not because my guy won, but because of other factors: The 2008 finale was also Craftsmans finale as Title sponsor, the race for the win was also a good one between Todd Bodine, Brian Scott, Kevin Harvick, & others, & finally while the records show Johnny winning by 7 points, realistically he won the title by 2 Truck lengths. It was that close! If Hornaday had gotten by Benson, Hornaday would have won by 1 point.
Funny enough Benson had also announced during the Phoenix weekend that he would be leaving BDR after 2008. After it was announced BDR would be shutting down due to sponsorship issues (None of sponsors opted to return, not just in Cup), I've always wondered if Johnny knew that was coming; He's always been one of the smartest guys in NASCAR (If you watched _Inside Winston Cup_ years ago you'd know why).
I'd hate to think that Bill took the Jimmy Smith way out & once he got his Truck title he went home, but I often wonder if that's the case. Either way BDR was instrumental in a lot of the best Truck Moments in the mid-2000's, but like in Cup, sponsorship issues is what derailed them the most...
Nice essay dude 👍
rest in spaghetti bill davis racing
My best memory of bill Davis racing is wimmer flipping at Daytona
I have a bunch sheetmetal off this car!
Damn I could have swore they went to Chevy in like 05 but I guess not. Great vid Danny!
DANNYb. My fellow Tennesseean. Great work on this video. I loved that 22 team. I think everyone loved Ward Burton. "The car ran really really good" in his thick southern VA accent. I loved the MBNA schemes especially the silver scheme. They usually ran a special scheme at Dover (my home track) due to MBNA being home based in Delaware. I enjoyed their run and remember them not displaying the dodge logo but didnt realize it was due to the Toyota involvement. Things could have lasted longer if that didnt happen I bet. Wimmer went on to MB2 motorsports. Replacing Johnny Benson I believe.
I think Davis was always going to be run of the mill. Some teams are just like that. That's why guys like Gordon & Labonte left. Ward was the only one who stuck with them a long time. The other guys just saw the Davis team as a stepping stone. In Labonte's case, it was part of a whole deal. Yates wanted Dale Jarrett to replace Irvan when Irvan got hurt, and Jarrett wanted to go back to Ford, but Joe Gibbs wouldn't let Jarrett go unless he was guaranteed to have Labonte in his car. I think that Chevy or GM paid Davis a lot of money to let Labonte out of his contract so he could sign with Joe Gibbs, and then Gibbs let Jarrett go to the 28 car. That's the pecking order: the big boys with the factory connections, like Gibbs & Yates, get the big time drivers and the little guys like Davis just scramble for who they can get. Davis got lucky with Ward Burton or he never would have won any races.
@@RRaquello that's very true. Very good insight on that. Thanks for the tidbit.
Bill davis racing champship in 2008 in truck
Now, the #22 Bill Davis Racing Caterpillar Car was my favorite car in NASCAR, especially when Ward Burton drove it in 2002, when he won the Daytona 500 that year. In fact, even though the Bill Davis Racing #22 Caterpillar car wasn't all that competitive, it was my favorite car, no matter who drove it.
I have a diecast of the 22 maxwell house car :p
Best choice Jeff Gordon could’ve ever made to not race for BDR in cup. If he stayed there he probably would’ve gone the way of drivers like Ward Burton , Kasey Kahne or Elliott Sadler. Get some top 5s or Win a few races here and there but never be consistent enough to contend for cup titles. I really think Kahne had as much talent as Gordon but starting out in those mediocre Evernham cars wasn’t going to be good long term. Ray was a great crew chief but not so much as a car owner 🥴. He ended up with HMS but at the late end of his career
Great video man. Thanks.
The thing I always remember about BDR was the iconic #22 Caterpillar schemes. Those were an essential part of the first few years I watched NASCAR. Oh yea and Ward Burton haha, as well as Johnny Benson having success with them in the Truck Series. I remember cheering Benson on to his 2008 title.
You realize of course, the Nascar team began struggling when their engine builder passed away, sad but true,
Fun fact Bill Davis sponsors Dave Blaneys sprint car now
A dodge problem!
Ward borton
"Tree-ad Racing Technologies"
None of the original Toyota teams from 2007 exist today
Toyota rushed into the series personally if they would of waited 1 more year some of those teams would still be around
@@MultiTurbospeed also MWR SPINGATE
I miss these rise and fall videos
I’m still making them.
Why didn’t you talk about the Busch series and Truck series programs?
Mainly for time. This was focused mainly on the Cup program.
November 17, 2006, Dodge and Bill Davis Racing (BDR) have “agreed on a settlement in their longstanding lawsuit, and all appeals in the case have been dropped,” according to NASCAR SCENE. The lawsuit was filed after Dodge “found the race team to be building trucks for Toyota” in ’03. A federal jury decided in February that BDR owed Dodge $6.5M in damages for “breach of contract.” Good Riddance!