CONCORD, N.C. – Matthew Davey, a former Bandolero Outlaw division champion at the Bojangles’ Summer Shootout, will make his return to Charlotte Motor Speedway on Tuesday night during the fourth round of the 10-race summer series.
Davey, who has been racing predominantly with the Allison Legacy Touring Series over the past two years, will strap back into his familiar black-and-pink No. 10 machine to compete in the same division where he took home the championship belt in 2016.
“I love the Summer Shootout so much that it’s hard to stay away,” said Davey, a four-time Outlaw winner in Shootout competition who sits tied for 12th on the class win list.
“A lot of fans that I’ve talked to over the past two weeks have been asking if I was going to come back and I kept telling them that I hoped it would be round four,” he added. “I’m at the track and supporting a lot of my fellow racers as often as I can be, but when you’re there and not behind the wheel, it makes it that much harder not to get out there and race in it. I’m excited and hope we can bring home another trophy.”
If it’s so difficult to sit on the sidelines, why did Davey wait three weeks before returning?
He’s got specific motivation to win the fourth round, as he celebrates his 19th birthday on Tuesday.
“That was really the main reason why I wanted my comeback to specifically be on that night,” noted Davey. “Round four falling on my birthday this year is something really cool and I’m really excited to get back on track and chase another victory. There’s a lot of tough competition in the Outlaws class right now, but I think we can be right up there with them.”
Davey collected top honors in the Shootout two summers ago on the strength of three wins and nine podium finishes in 10 races. His worst finish of that magical 2016 season was a sixth-place run in round eight.
It’s a summer stretch that remains imprinted in his memory, as well as motivates him to perform each time he returns.
“After we won the championship, Charlotte took on even more of a meaning for me and for my family,” Davey said. “Two years ago, we had a run that I could have only dreamed of … but it became a reality.
“We were underdogs when we started here, but I think we come back as one of the favorites now,” he continued. “There’s always pressure when you strap in to the race car, but we just have to put that out of our minds and go out and do what we know we can do. If we do that, I think we’ll have a shot to put it in victory lane again.”
