NHRA - National Hot Rod Association

This much we already know; Brayden Davis has talent, and quite a bit of it. In just a handful of outings in the Mission Foods NHRA Drag Racing Series, Davis has proven that he can handle a 200-mph Pro Stock Motorcycle with the best of them. The question is, what does the future hold?

Andrew Hines, who is Davis’ crew chief, knows a thing or two about talent and doesn’t hesitate when he says, “Brayden is 90-percent of the Pro Stock Motorcycle rider that [two-time world champ] Gaige Herrera is and that makes him better than most of the riders out here right now.”

High praise, indeed, but not unwarranted.

Following his NHRA debut in Gainesville with the WAR team, Davis joined the Vance & Hines squad as a lease customer for the events in Bristol and Richmond and went to the semi’s at both races. As an added bonus he scored a win in the Mission Foods #2Fast2Tasty Challenge in Richmond and honestly, he could easily have won both events.

“I definitely feel like I had the bike to beat at both of those races,” said Davis. “In Bristol, I had to run Gaige in the semi’s and he gave me a throttle whack and it threw me off for a second and I double-clutched. Then in Richmond, I got to the semi’s again and the bike shifted from third to fifth and so I just shut if off.”

After a brief layoff, where he returned to his roots and rode a variety of other bikes in the Man Cup and XDA series’, posting a handful of wins. Davis is far from rusty as he returns to the NHRA tour at the Cornwell Quality Tools U.S. Nationals, a move made possible by his longtime sponsor Powertrain.

Davis remains one of the leading contenders to win his first NHRA pro event, and in an odd turn of events, he also has a chance to qualify for the Countdown to the Championship, even though he’s previously competed in just three events. Davis comes to Indy in 11th place, just 34 points behind Marc Ingwersen. Since the U.S. Nationals features points-and-a-half, Davis doesn’t need to do much in order to make the Top 10 and qualify for the playoffs. He’s aware of the numbers, but that’s not his priority.

“I’m open to any marketing partner that would love to work with us, but right now, we just don’t have the funding to run in the Countdown,” Davis said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’d love to have a chance to go out and race for a championship but I’m also looking ahead to next year. It would be cool to make the Top 10, but I’m not going to race for the championship.”

A championship run may be off the table this year, but a U.S. Nationals victory is not.

“What I’d really like is to do well here [at Indy] and hopefully that opens a few eyes and we can put a program together for next year. I’m the type of guy who doesn’t mind coming in and ruffling a few feathers. I think we did that in Bristol and Richmond.

“I feel like I had confidence when I ran my first race in Gainesville,” Davis said. “Me, and Gaige and Richard [Gadson] and Chase [Van Sant]  all sort of come from the same place, outlaw racing if you want to call it that. They’ve told me for a long time that I need to be over here racing in Pro Stock Motorcycle and I’m glad I finally had a chance to do it. I just needed to find the right bike and the right team and we’ve done that with Vance & Hines.”

With his 2025 season just about set, Davis has already looked ahead to next year where he is hoping to find the funding to do a full season. He would also remain eligible to be the Rookie of the Year as long as he does not run a fifth event. As a resident of Douglas, Ga., Davis is particularly excited to see his local track, South Georgia Motorsports Park, added to the NHRA calendar.

“SGMP is about an hour from me and I love that place,” Davis said. “I’d love the opportunity to race there [on a Pro Stock Motorcycle]. I love the fans there and it would be great to race in front of them and all my family and friends. I want to be a guy that comes out here and inspires kids to chase their dreams, and that would be a great place to do it.”