Ice hocky player burns up the track

So, you’re Jamie Davis. At 17 years of age, you’re young. You’re athletically-gifted. You just signed a contract with the Winkler Flyers Junior-A hockey team. You have realistic aspirations of playing with a U.S. College team and maybe even head over to Europe and play professionally.
So what are you doing every Saturday night, feeling as if you would be punished by a higher power if you didn’t show up, at the Emo Speedway racing?
“It gets the adrenaline going,” answered Davis. “I don’t think it’s crazy at all. People that hang around the race track don’t think it’s crazy. But people that have never been around a race track think I’m nuts.
“I guess you could say that you’re putting you’re life on the line. I guess you could say that, but it’s safe. And I do it because it’s fun.”
But don’t mistake Davis’ identity. He is a hockey player first; a race car driver second. But as good as a hockey player he is (he’s better than good), he’s also one heck of a driver.
He holds the second place spot in the Modified points standings, only two points behind Vic Larson, who was last year’s champion and the 2002 Canadian WISSOTA Champion.
“I put a lot of pressure on myself to do well, but honestly, I have no idea where I stand with the points. I just like to come here and have a good night and giver her my all every night. I don’t really follow it all that much,” Davis said.
Too bad, because what he’s doing against drivers at least twice his age, is simply astonishing. But his vast amount of modesty is balanced by his fellow competitors’ praise.
Vic Larson: “He’s very competitive and a good driver. He uses his head. He’s smart and fun to race against. He’s not going to run you over and I’ve been rubbing tires against him plenty of times and it don’t bother him any. It takes a special kind of kid to do that.”
Jason Anderson: “He’s an excellent driver and he’s probably the most improved driver we have. It’s hard to find somebody that can handle racing with us because there’s a lot of pressure and there is a lot of money at stake and a lot of emotions. It’s pretty rare to find somebody that can do what he’s doing.”
Glen Strachan: “I think he’s good. He really goes and he does what he’s supposed to do and just gives her. He’s got it figured out.”
Jake Kamm: “He’s very good. He watches and is very courteous to others. He’ll do very well for himself.”
Ken Anderson: “He’s really good kid and drives well and has improved a whole bunch. He’s a smart, competitive guy and has lots of power, but lots of maturity. He’s a respectful young man and that’s probably why he commands some respect from some of us drivers.”
And what does Davis think of his fellow competitors’ praise? Just ask him.
“I think you’re always looking for respect from anyone. I can’t put into words how much it means to have respect from each and every driver, because I give it to them, and in a way, I’d like it back,” he answered.
That respect is well-placed and well-deserved as Davis, who started racing go-karts when he was 12, races with a purpose not as easily seen in other drivers. He drives for the love of the sport and enjoys the “rush,” which is a chemical reaction produced from racing.
He is a courteous driver (sometimes too courteous), is respectful (sometimes too respectful), and is constantly aware of his surroundings while he races.
“You’re not thinking about how fast you’re going. You’re more concerned about what you’ve got to do to make a corner faster, or what that guy’s going to do. And you’ve got to watch ahead of you and watch not only the car in front of you but two or three cars in front,” said Davis.
“Because once you’ve passed that first car, you’ve got to start planning how you’re going to get by that next car.”
Reaching speeds up to 150 km/h (90 mph) on a oval track in his Mod-A car, there’s an excruciating amount of thought involved in racing. It’s a cocktail of instincts, reflexes, respect and adrenaline, shaken and poured into the glass known as the complete race.
That complete race, for Davis, didn’t happen in the second race of last season though. Davis was heading into Turn 3 on the 3/8 mile track, which “was riding really fast that night,” when the right rear of the car hooked into the track. This “left a runt a foot and a half deep,” he noted, and resulted in the front bumper to dig in the track and then . . .
“It just went end over end, over end, over end. I rolled five and half times and it happened so fast, and when I finally realized what was going on, I opened my eyes, saw the grass, and I closed my eyes tight.
“And then I kind of twisted and barrel rolled a couple of times and then it skidded across the grass upside down.”
Davis’ father, Mark, jumped from the water tower where he was standing, which is at least 15 feet high and ran “like crazy” to his son.
“I was worried about a fire because there was fuel coming out as he was going around,” said his dad. “I just ran as fast as I could and wanted to make sure he was okay.”
Though it was a scary moment, Davis is now able to look back on the event, which lasted all of 15 seconds, and laugh about it.
“I like to joke about it now. Honestly, if I had $25,000 to blow every weekend, I’d do it all the time,” said Davis, who raced the week after the accident occurred. “It’s fun looking back at it now, but it was scary then. It was definitely scary, but at the same time, I’ve never felt adrenaline like that before.”
The rush. The adrenaline. That’s all that matters to the hockey player who masquerades as a race car driver during his summers.