Ex-NASCAR team owner Bill Davis dies aged 74

Legendary NASCAR team owner Bill Davis has passed away at the age of 74. Between 1988 and 2008, he was a leading NASCAR owner with Bill Davis Racing, a team whose cars competed across the three highest levels of NASCAR racing.

Teams led by Davis were very successful with five NASCAR Cup Series wins, including the 2001 Southern 500 and 2002 Daytona 500, which were won by the driver Ward Burton. During his tenure, the club also captured 11 NASCAR Xfinity Series and 24 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series wins, and in the latter, they also won the championship in the 2008 season with Johnny Benson Jr.

Bill Davis was also critical in the launching of the careers of some of the biggest stars of NASCAR. One of the first breaks that Jeff Gordon received was offered by Bill's team, a Ford Thunderbird in the Xfinity Series in 1992, which helped Gordon become a four-time NASCAR Cup Series champion and Hall of Famer. Also, Davis was used to jump-start the NASCAR Cup Series career of Bobby Labonte by fielding his No. 22 car in the early years of his career before Labonte transferred to Joe Gibbs Racing.

NASCAR honored Davis with a statement on X:

"A championship-winning leader and owner, Bill Davis made a lasting mark on our sport through his passion and unwavering belief in the people around him. His teams celebrated some of NASCAR’s most prestigious victories, including the Daytona 500 and the Southern 500."

It further read:

"Bill was more than a competitor — he was a friend to all in the garage, respected for his kindness, generosity, and genuine love for racing. NASCAR extends its deepest condolences to his wife and business partner Gail, the Davis family, and Bill's many friends during this difficult time."

NASCAR Communications

@NASCAR_Comms

NASCAR Statement on the Passing of Bill Davis: A championship-winning leader and owner, Bill Davis made a lasting mark on our sport through his passion and unwavering belief in the people around him. His teams celebrated some of NASCAR’s most prestigious victories, including the

In addition to being successful on the racetrack, Davis was a successful entrepreneur, the owner of Bill Davis Trucking Inc., a business corporation which he established in 1975. Davis and his wife went back to Arkansas after selling his NASCAR racing team and assets after the 2008 season to run their trucking business.

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Hendrick Motorsports director explains how teams are using AI to benefit and get competitive edge in NASCAR

Hendrick Motorsports has incorporated artificial intelligence (AI) into its race-weekend strategy to gain a competitive edge, particularly in making critical pit stop decisions. According to Technical Director Tom Gray, AI helps crew chiefs decide the optimal times to pit by analyzing when competitors are pitting, aiming to gain track position and clean air, which are crucial for tire management and car balance. This technology-driven approach ensures that the team makes the right calls at the right moments to maximize race performance.

“How do they (crew chiefs) decide when to pit in the moment... like how do they decide based on when everybody else is pitting. When is the time to gain that track position, gain clean air... to be able to optimize their tires,” Gray said [via Kyle Dalton on X][0:26 onwards]

“Those are the types of things that I think we're using AI in that sense. To make the right decision at the right time.”, he added.

In addition to pit strategy, Hendrick Motorsports leverages powerful computing technology, such as HP Z workstations, to handle vast amounts of data generated from telemetry, communications, historical stats, weather, aerodynamics simulations, and more.