One thing that sets a good team apart from a great team is often communication and trust in your team. Jeff Davis of Anaheim Hills, California, has complete trust in his new crew chief's decisions on adjusting the car to make it a car that will be in contention for the win. Davis explains what is happening with the car on the track, and gives suggestions on how to improve the car's handling, but the final word rests with the crew chief.

The interaction between the crew chief and the rest of the Davis Racing Enterprises crew is also a necessity. When all things click and fall into place the results are just around the corner. So keep an eye out for the #4 Davis Racing Enterprises Ford in the Orleans 150 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

RacingWest: What's your favorite part about racing at the Vegas Motor Speedway and why?
Jeff Davis: It is a perfect track for racing. The surface is smooth and wide which allows us to race side-by-side easily.

RW: How do you as a driver feel about the greater speeds involved with the big tracks?
JD: We are all getting used to it. You can see it in the fact that we are starting to race each other a little closer now on the big tracks.

RW: How much input do you as a driver give your crew chief as far as changes that need to be made on the chassis?
JD: I describe what I feel the car doing, but as yet I do not often say what I think we should change. Often though, I will have an opinion and I will see how that compares with his ideas.

RW: How do you feel your shock program will stack up against the other teams?
JD: We are developing a good understanding and we are improving every time out. Each race we have a goal to try to learn something in the shock department.

RW: Is the transition from Bias ply tires used on the short tracks to the radials used on the speedways a difficult one for you?
JD: No. The main problem for teams is the differences we need in our car for the different height tires. The bias tires are so much smaller than radials that it changes a lot.

RW: Which tire (Bias ply or Radial) are you most comfortable racing with and why?
JD: Both are comfortable - Both work good. I do not see the big difference that is so often mentioned. I like the low cost of bias ply tires and I wish that we ran them all the time.

RW: What tire do you plan to use at the Vegas race, Hoosier or Goodyear and why?
JD: Goodyear is our team's choice.

RW: With the chance of ARCA drivers, or drivers from other divisions, will that change your driving style when you are racing with them?
JD: Not really. I can't imagine how we might change.

RW: With Winston Cup and Busch car owners watching the race and possibly scouting, will you change your driving style to "show off" for the car owners?
JD: Not consciously.

Source: RacingWest
Posted: 2/26/99