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The story of Dillon Davis’ brief racing career is one of a continuing steady climb.

Davis, who competes in the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division at South Boston Speedway, started competing at the .4-mile oval in 2021. He finished eighth in the season point standings, logging four top-five finishes and finished in the top-10 each race. His best results that season were a trio of fourth-place finishes.

The 2022 season was a season of big improvement for Davis. He finished third in the final season point standings, won two races, scored a pole win, and finished in the top-five in each of his nine starts. Three of his top-five finishes were second-place efforts.

At this early point of the 2023 season, Davis appears to be headed for another solid season. In the season’s first two races, Davis has a second-place finish and a win. Those two finishes have him leading the division point standings for the first time in his career as he and his fellow competitors look ahead to the 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division that will be part of the God’s Pit Crew Night Race event set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night, May 6, at South Boston Speedway.

“I’m real excited about the season because I know I have a car that is capable of winning,” Davis remarked with a smile. “It’s nice to be able to run up front with people that have been racing a long time. A lot of it for me is luck.”

Consistency has been one of the keys to Davis’ success. Overall, Davis has tallied 15 top-five finishes that include three wins (two from 2022) and four second-place finishes in his 19 starts. He has finished in the top-10 each time he has started a race and has led a total of 48 laps.

“We were very fortunate to win as many races as we did last year,” Davis said. “It was a real nice step forward, a lot better than previous years. We were very fortunate to have some good runs last year.

“It helps a lot when you can get consistent,” Davis added. “Consistency wins races. Hopefully I can win some more races if I get consistent enough.”

The success and the consistency Davis achieved last season helps his confidence as he looks at the big picture of the 2023 season.

“It helps a little because I know now that it’s possible to win races and see success,” Davis noted. “If everything goes well, maybe we can pick up another win or two before the season is over.”

The Nathalie resident said it is important to start the season on a good note like he has done thus far this season.

“It’s real important,” he said. “If you have a good start to the season there is a better chance that things will go well, and you end up having a good season. If you start off the season bad, most of the time the season doesn’t go well for you, and you can’t sleep well at night because you’re trying to figure out what is going on with the car and how to fix it to make it better.”

God’s Pit Crew Night set up

The God’s Pit Crew Night Race event set for 7 p.m. on Saturday night, May 6 is the next event on South Boston Speedway’s 2023 season schedule. Six races are set for that event, with twin 75-lap races for the Sentara Healthcare Late Model Stock Car Division competitors headlining the night’s action. A 50-lap race for the Budweiser Limited Sportsman Division, a 25-lap race for the Southside Disposal Pure Stock Division, a 20-lap race for the Virginia State Police HEAT Hornets Division and a 20-lap race for the Mills Family Practice Champ Karts will round out the night’s racing action.

Advance tickets purchased for the rained-out April 22 event will be honored for the May 6 God’s Pit Crew Night Race event.

The tentative race-day schedule for the May 6 God’s Pit Crew Night Race event has registration and pit gates opening at 12:30 p.m. Frontstretch spectator gates will open at 3:20 p.m. and practice starts at 3:30 p.m. Backstretch spectator and tailgate section gates will open at 5:30 P.M. Qualifying starts at 6 p.m. and the first race of the night will get the green flag at 7 p.m.

Advance adult general admission tickets for the May 6 God’s Pit Crew Night Race event are priced at $12 each and may be purchased online on South Boston Speedway’s website, www.southbostonspeedway.com, or by calling the speedway office at 434-572-4947 or toll free at 1-877-440-1540 during regular business hours.

Tickets at the gate on race day will be $15 each. Seniors ages 65 and older, military, healthcare workers, and students (with ID) can purchase tickets for $12 each at the gate on race day.

Earlier that day, God’s Pit Crew will host its first-ever food box distribution in Halifax County, Virginia on Saturday morning, May 6, at South Boston Speedway with the food box distribution being held from 11 a.m. until 2 p.m. or until there are no food boxes left.

The God’s Pit Crew food box distribution is being held in partnership with South Boston Speedway as part of the God’s Pit Crew Night Race.

God’s Pit Crew is preparing to serve over 1,000 families with a food box. One food box will be given per family. No more than two food boxes given per vehicle, and in those cases both families have to be represented.

Each food box will be filled with healthy staple food items. In addition to a food box, families will receive a case of beverage. Persons in need of a food box can come to South Boston Speedway Saturday morning, May 6, and receive one.