CONCORD, N.C.: Returning to the NASCAR scene after more than a year away, James Davison returned with Joe Gibbs Racing in Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250 at Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway ROVAL with huge results.
Showcasing speed throughout the one-day show, Davison’s No. 18 Rich Mar Florist Toyota Supra was in contention for his first series’ win in two attempts at NASCAR overtime before matching a career-best fourth-place finish in the final road course race of the 2022 Xfinity Series season.
Davison’s efforts on Saturday also propelled his Huntersville, N.C. team forward in their bid to win the owners’ championship title with four races remaining this season.
Over the final 15 laps of the race, Davison was able to take advantage of his top-10 space and entered the top five when the race extended into a second green-white-flag finish.
Despite trying to track down leaders AJ Allmendinger, Ty Gibbs and Noah Gragson on the restart, without the benefit of the caution, the Australian ran out of laps to earn his first podium finish at the 2.280-mile ROVAL.
His sixth career Xfinity Series start delivered his second top-five and third top-10 finish overall since 2016.
“Joe Gibbs Racing, they’re the best organization that I’ve been privileged to be a part of, and I needed to make the most of today,” Davison told reporters after the race.
“It was my first day back in a stock car in a year. I was rusty, to be honest. I was learning a lot. It probably took me at least half to two-thirds of the race to get where I needed to be.
“The team obviously gave me a good car. We made the most of the restarts, made a couple of mistakes here and that’s to be expected. Just got to thank our sponsors Rich Mar, everyone that made this possible.”
Prior to Saturday’s Drive for the Cure 250, Davison, 35, hadn’t sat in an Xfinity Series car since the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Road Course. His last NASCAR venture came on the 2.66-mile Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway for the Cup Series Playoff race.
But since then, the lack of funding has kept Davison out of the seat and away from the race scene, but as he expressed following the race, since his departure the strength and intensity of the Xfinity Series has peaked to new levels – something he wasn’t expecting during the 72-lap race.
“The talent in the Xfinity field I think is the best that there’s ever been,” Davison sounded. “The guys that are finishing ahead of me are all going to be Cup drivers next year.
“Obviously, Ty’s (Gibbs) proving to be the Max Verstappen of NASCAR and Allmendinger’s the new Jeff Gordon. I needed to be realistic as much as you want to believe in yourself.
“These guys are the best in the sport and so to just finish behind them was about all that we could have hoped for. I’m just really over the moon for everyone and again grateful to Joe Gibbs Racing.”
Davison’s best finish since finishing fourth in the 2017 Xfinity Series race at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course bumped his JGR teammate Brandon Jones’ team from having the opportunity to compete in the Round of 8 Playoff owners run.
Jones’ strong seventh-place performance, however, was enough to move him forward in the race for the Xfinity Series title with Ryan Sieg, reigning Xfinity Series champion Daniel Hemric, Riley Herbst and Daytona winner Jeremy Clements eliminated from the Playoffs in the cutoff Round of 12.
Team owner Joe Gibbs didn’t seem to mind the division between the two Xfinity Series teams, however. The NASCAR Hall of Famer congratulated Davison post-race.
“When I got out of the car, Joe (Gibbs) said to me, ‘let’s go do this again,’” Davison explained.
“Obviously that’s what you want to hear, and funding is always the challenge for everyone. We’ll just see what happens.”
Follow Chris Knight on Twitter @Knighter01.
