Davis Renfrow Chasing First Win At Southern National Motorsports Park

Kenly driver and former speedway employee tied atop championship standings heading into Dogwood 165

LUCAMA – Davis Renfrow is optimistic he can score his first career win at Southern National Motorsports Park as he heads into Saturday night’s Dogwood 165 tied atop the championship standings.

Renfrow, 20, from Kenly, is in his third year of racing in the Chargers presented by KONI at Southern National, and he has been knocking on the door of his first win.  Last year, he won the Most Improved Driver award at the Wilson County track and comes into Saturday’s race with five consecutive top-five finishes including a runner-up in the season opener on March 8.

“This year has really been amazing,” Renfrow said.  “Five top-fives in a row is something I’ve never done in my career.  It’s a testament to Andy Smith.  His knowledge and coaching has been the biggest game changer for my career.  I know the win is coming.  It’s been frustrating at times to come so close to it.  It’s in my mind 24/7 that I haven’t won yet, it’s eating at me to win.  I’m ready.  My team is ready.  They’ve worked so hard and deserve it.  We just have to be patient.  It will come for us.”

Winning a race is no longer Renfrow’s only goal.

His consistency has allowed him to stay in the championship race as he’s tied with Mt. Olive’s Michael O’Brien for the point lead and has a two-point cushion over Jacksonville’s Hunter brown, a two-time winner in 2025.

“Expectations are high this weekend, to go out and contend for the win this weekend,” Renfrow continued.  “We’ve made a few changes and fixed a few things at the shop this week.  We should be strong this weekend along with the rest of the season.  Being tied for the championship is going to work into our favor.  We got hot at the end of last season, and I believe that we are about to come into our own and breakaway from the rest of the pack.”

Andy Smith has been a key part of his success.  Smith also works with Rusty Daniels, who picked up a win in the Charger division at Carteret County Speedway on Saturday – a race which was part of the Six Pack Series between Carteret and Southern National.

While Renfrow sports a last name that longtime Southern National fans are familiar with, he is not related to Randy Renfrow, one of the legends at the Lucama short track, or to former veteran Charger driver Ronald Renfrow.

He went to the racetrack with his parents often as a child, rooting for Rusty Daniels, Deac McCaskill, and Clay Jones, among others.

“My family has been huge race fans, so I grew up watching NASCAR when I was younger,” Renfrow said.  “When Southern National reopened in 2012, my parents took me every weekend.  It really got me interested.  My family wanted to get me in a Bandolero early on ut things never materialized.”

Renfrow never gave up his dream of racing.

He would go on to work at Southern National as a track employee, helping on cleanup, taking some photos, and doing whatever he could to help the Diaz family.  He also worked on the pit crew for Tyler Matthews, a former Southern National Motorsports Park track champion, at Wake County Speedway before finally getting the opportunity to compete himself.

“Fast forward to 2022, I was working with Matthews at Wake County and working with the Diaz family at Southern National and I realized I still had the desire to drive,” Renfrow explained.  “It really opened up my eyes to know I can still do this, so we bought a Charger car in November 2022 to compete full-time in 2023.  It’s just an absolute dream come true for me and my family to be racing.”

The Chargers presented by KONI will be in action for 35 laps on Saturday night, part of a loaded racing program which also features Bandoleros, Legend Cars, Mini Stocks, and Any Cars, as well as the Southern Ground Pounders Vintage Racing Club, the East Coast Flathead Ford Racing Association, and the Virginia Mini Cup Racing Association.

Grandstands open at 5:30pm and racing goes green at 7:00pm.  For those unable to attend, the race will be broadcast live on Ultra Broadcasting, the official broadcast partner of Southern National Motorsports Park and the Ultra Racing Association.