A childhood love of Dollywood and racing brings Quinn Davis to Bristol with a little help from the Smokies.
PIGEON FORGE, Tenn. (Smokies.LIVE NextGen Center) — For Quinn Davis, the road to Bristol Motor Speedway began long before she ever climbed behind the wheel of an ARCA Menards Series race car.
It started when she was a little girl traveling the country with her family, towing her quarter-midget race car behind their RV.
Every summer, the family made a stop in Pigeon Forge — and Dollywood became one of their favorite destinations.
Now, years later, Davis is returning to Tennessee with her childhood passion for Dollywood riding alongside another lifelong dream: racing.
Davis will drive the No. 85 City Garage Motorsports Ford in Thursday’s Bush’s Best 200 at Bristol Motor Speedway, with Dollywood prominently featured on the car.
For Davis, the sponsorship is about much more than putting a logo on a race car.
“I still get emotional thinking about Dollywood coming on board,” Davis said. “I’ve gotten thousands of no’s and a handful of maybe’s, but Dollywood said yes — and that means more to me than I can put into words.”
The Tucson, Arizona, native said her love for Dollywood played a role in her decision to pursue the partnership.
Those childhood summer visits became memories that stayed with her as she chased her racing dreams.
This week, those two worlds came together.
Davis and the City Garage Motorsports team joined Dollywood officials for the unveiling of her Bristol race car and a special Dollywood-inspired firesuit. After the race, Davis plans to auction the firesuit, with proceeds benefiting Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library.
The car features the Dollywood logo on its rear quarter panels and a special tribute to Dolly Parton.
Davis also spent time at Dollywood during the week, riding the new NightFlight Expedition attraction in Wildwood Grove, enjoying lunch at Wilderness Pass Restaurant and meeting fans during an autograph session at Hi-Octane.
For a young racer who once visited the park during family summer vacations, the moment represents something bigger than a race weekend.
It is a chance to see what can happen when a childhood dream keeps moving forward.
“I want to make the entire Dollywood family proud,” Davis said. “But I’d be lying if I said a huge part of my heart isn’t hoping to make Dolly proud, too.”
Davis enters the season finale fifth in the ARCA Menards Series East standings after earning a fifth-place finish at Michigan’s Flat Rock Speedway — making her just the sixth female competitor to finish an ARCA East Series race in the top five.
Now she gets to finish the season in Tennessee, surrounded by a place that has been part of her story since childhood.
For Davis, the butterfly on her race car serves as more than a Dollywood symbol.
It represents a dream taking flight.
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