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Kyle Davis stood in his garage with his wife, Cheyene and daughter, Callie.

Almost every day after work, Kyle Davis can be found in a sheet metal garage off Davidson Road north of Siloam Springs’ city limits.
His grandfather built the garage as a truck shop in the 1960s. Now, it houses Davis’ Grand National race car.
Kyle Davis held second place overall in the NASCAR Whelen Division 3 standings going into this weekend’s races, despite competing in two fewer races than the first- and third-place racers. Davis, who had eight starts before Saturday, has won seven. In the one race he did not win, he placed third.
Racing runs through Davis’ blood. He was introduced to racing by his cousin Jeff Metcalf, also of Siloam Springs. His grandfather built his motors until he was no longer strong enough. His name now graces Davis’ rear spoiler.
Davis’ path to his spot atop the standings at the Salina Highbanks racetrack in Oklahoma began in 1996 when his cousin got involved in racing. Davis spent time at the track with his cousin, uncle and grandpa.
Eight years later, Davis got behind the wheel for the first time for a driver he said he had been helping for the last few years.
“Since then, I’ve been driving,” he said.
His cousin and uncle both raced at the track in West Siloam Springs, Okla., before it closed. Most of the drivers from West Siloam Springs now race in Salina, which is now the only NASCAR sanctioned track in the area.
Davis won nine feature races in a row last year en route to taking the championship in West Siloam Springs. Davis said a typical race season contains 24 races, though this season has already seen its share of rainouts.
Both Davis and his cousin do the lion’s share of the work to make their machines race-ready. Davis said he does 95 percent of the work on his vehicle. Both he and his cousin get their motors from an outside source.
Davis built his first car in 2013. He bought the chassis, then tore it apart and rebuilt it from the ground up.
“Its a lot of man-hours,” Davis said, “but that’s what wins races.”
Most of the drivers in the area don’t have a significant funding source outside of what they can bring in on race days or secure in sponsorship, so they work in small teams to maintain their
cars themselves. Davis estimated he spends 40 hours a week on his car, crammed in around his full-time job servicing trucks at Thermo King.
“If you don’t do it, somebody else is going to do it, and they’re going to beat you,” Davis said. “The races are won here in the shop, the way I look at it.”
That work has certainly produced results. In addition to his impressive points percentage, Davis has had to create those results from the back of the pack. Racers in Davis’ division are given positions on the starting grid from lowest point percentage to highest.
“I’ve only had one start at pole all year,” Davis said, laughing.
If he is able to keep his success consistent, Davis hopes to move to bigger tracks with better cash prizes. Larger tracks, like the one in Batesville, Ark., can soon be in striking distance for Davis.
“It’s a great sport to get involved in,” he said. “Its been something I’ve always wanted to do, but I’ve been fortunate and blessed to be able to do it.”
If Davis can finish the season on top of the standings, he gets the chance to go to the NASCAR awards banquet in Charlotte, N.C.

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