For Quinn Davis, Friday’s race at The Bullring at Las Vegas brings both fond memories and an exciting new opportunity

Quinn Davis looks forward to every trip to the West Coast.

Born in Tucson, Arizona, Davis moved to Sparta, Tennessee in 2022 to pursue success in NASCAR. The venture has given the 17-year-old chances to race at historic tracks like Bristol Motor Speedway and Rockingham Speedway, but she doesn’t pass on an opportunity to compete closer to home.

Davis’ third ARCA Menards Series West start in 2026 is shaping up to be one of the best opportunities of her career to date. She is set to drive the No. 41 Ford in Friday’s Kyle Busch Classic presented by Star Nursery and the West Coast Stock Car Motorsports Hall of Fame (6 p.m. PT/9 p.m. ET on FloRacing) for Jan’s Racing Team, which has won twice this season with rookie Cole Denton.

With some experience at The Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway to her name, the anticipation is building as Davis prepares to showcase her talent with one of the West Series’ top programs.

“It’s like a homecoming,” Davis said. “I used to race [at The Bullring] all the time down there in Bandoleros when I was 12 or 13. It’s a great place to come back to, and with Jan [Qualkenbush] being on board with it, I think that’s what makes it special, too.”

Davis was aware of The Bullring’s reputation before she turned any laps. Plenty of talented West Coast drivers had used the complex as a proving ground to jumpstart their NASCAR careers, among them being the late Kyle Busch and his older brother Kurt.

Davis was determined to follow a similar path.

The Bullring is one of many facilities at which Davis competed during her formative years, with some of the others including Havasu 95 Speedway and her home track of Tucson Speedway. Davis’ accolades in a Bandolero include track championships and a state title.

Success brought sacrifice; moving from Tucson was a difficult-but-necessary decision to sustain her racing ambitions. Davis quickly acclimated to racing on the East Coast, as her first season at Veterans Motorplex at The Rim in Tennessee saw her win the track title in the Baby Grands division.

More changes and challenges came Davis’ way after that successful first year on the East Coast. By the end of the 2024 season, she was going up against some of the best competitors the Pro Late Model discipline had to offer in races like Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway’s All American 100, a support event to the prestigious All American 400.

Nashville Fairgrounds also became the site of Davis’ ARCA Menards Series East debut in May of 2025. She has continued to build confidence with every start on the platform, and earlier this year, she earned her first East Series top five at Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway.

The opportunities Davis has received are beyond what she imagined after moving to Tennessee. A connection Davis built with Dollywood Parks & Resorts president Eugene Naughton led to their sponsoring her ride at Bristol as part of an extensive tribute to the late Dolly Parton.

Dollywood is once again supporting Davis in her first start with Jan’s Racing Team. Davis was thrilled to have Qualkenbush reach out about driving one of his cars at The Bullring and wants nothing more than to reward the faith so many have in her.

“I was surprised when I got the call, but I had a huge smile on my face,” Davis said. “I knew I wanted to go out there and make [Jan] proud, too. Having his name and Dollywood’s name on the car is what’s really going to push me to go further this weekend.”

Family is an important piece of the puzzle on Jan’s Racing Team, and Qualkenbush is eager to bring Davis into that environment.

Qualkenbush has wanted a woman to drive for Jan’s Racing Team since he joined the West Series. With Davis now under the program’s banner, Qualkenbush believes another piece to his puzzle has been filled. But Friday is not just about Davis finishing strong alongside the team’s other established drivers in Denton and Robbie Kennealy.

This is about ensuring Davis is set up for future success through what Qualkenbush calls “re-development.”

“A lot of the kids have talent that’s untapped,” Qualkenbush said. “Once you tap that talent, and you have some of these older people that are around these young kids, it all rubs off and it gels. I feel like a mad scientist. I heard a lot about Quinn, so I put her on my radar and scouted her a little bit.

“Quinn and I and the Davis’ talked, and the relationship’s incredible, but I haven’t put expectations on her that are unrealistic.”

The enthusiasm surrounding Davis’ addition to Jan’s Racing Team has been palpable all week from Qualkenbush’s perspective, as everyone wants to make sure her first outing with the program is successful. Denton even confided in Qualkenbush that he’s open to being Davis’ driver coach.

Qualkenbush knows his team has the resources necessary for Davis to excel at The Bullring, as Denton, Kennealy and Kyle Keller have won for him over the past couple years. The quality of Friday’s field will make it tough for Davis to win in her first time out, but Qualkenbush believes she is capable of being competitive.

What happens after The Bullring is to be determined, as Davis’ deal with Jan’s Racing Team is currently just for one race. But Qualkenbush hopes to keep their partnership going. He’s confident Davis can one day win beyond the West Series and would love to see her breakthrough triumph take place while driving for his program.

“It would mean the world for me to have Quinn showcase for her family,” Qualkenbush said. “I really want her family, her friends to see her do well. I want to be the coach, the team owner that helps her get there. Everybody needs a mentor, somebody with a proven track record that knows how to get there.

“We’re that team, and we can get her there.”

Plenty of women have found success in the West Series. Hailie Deegan, a four-time winner in the division, picked up her most recent triumph last week at Madera Speedway. Gracie Trotter became the first female West Series winner under ARCA Menards Series banner in 2020.

Trotter won that race at The Bullring.

Davis wants to add to that specific chapter in West Series history, but she understands there’s much to learn when it comes to driving an ARCA Menards Series chassis at The Bullring. Yet with the resources at her disposal, Davis believes helping Jan’s Racing Team sweep the podium with Denton and Kennealy is a realistic goal.

Davis’ journey to even have a chance with top-tier equipment like Jan’s Racing Team has been equal parts challenging and rewarding. Along the way, she built a connection with Dollywood and showed a desire to figure out every type of car she raced.

Every decision and sacrifice made has led Davis back to The Bullring for what is shaping up to be a memorable weekend. There’s sentimental value surrounding Friday’s race, so Davis wants to put together a performance that makes her supporters proud and reflects The Bullring’s storied culture.

“I would be representing a lot of people and honoring Kyle Busch and Dolly Parton in one race, so [a win] would be really cool,” Davis said. “Winning is obviously always the goal whenever it comes to racing, but what I think of as a win as is as long as everyone is happy with how I did.

“I’m really hoping I can get a win out there for ladies to use for their own motivation to hopefully get in the sport, as well.”

The Bullring once served as a key steppingstone for Davis during the early days of her career. If everything goes her way Friday evening, the track could once again serve as a positive turning point in Davis’ quest to reach the top levels of NASCAR.