Bill Davis has fond memories of 'The Rock.'

The 1.017-mile strip of asphalt known now as the North Carolina Speedway (but more fondly remembered as Rockingham) holds a special place in the hearts of many NASCAR drivers and team bosses and none more so than Bill Davis.

The October 1995 AC Delco 400 marked the first NASCAR Winston Cup victory for both Bill Davis Racing and its driver Ward Burton as Burton drove what was then the #22 MBNA Pontiac to a much needed victory at the 1.017-mile track.

"Rockingham will always have special meaning to us at Bill Davis Racing," stated the team boss. "We had so many disappointing events that led up to that win that it made it even sweeter."

As a third year Winston Cup team owner Davis' team was at a crossroads following the defection of its first driver, Bobby Labonte, to Joe Gibbs Racing. Stints with Busch Series stalwart Randy LaJoie, veteran Jimmy Hensley and road course specialist Wally Dallenbach had yielded little in terms of results and with two thirds of the 1995 season over, BDR had but a single top ten finish.

Burton came onto the driver market in August 1995, midway through his sophomore Winston Cup campaign, when Dillard Racing shut its doors, and was quickly picked up by Davis for the final nine races of the year.

In just his seventh start for the outfit Burton drove to victory lane at 'The Rock', leading no less than 130 laps in the process and so began a driver/team partnership that continues to this day.

"We still have that car in its original condition and the trophy on display in our old cup shop, which now houses Scott Wimmer's Busch team," added Davis whose team currently has five Winston Cup victories including the 2002 Daytona 500. "I'd like to make some new memories at Rockingham and I can't think of any better time than now."