DAVID BURNS
THE MAN BEHIND THE
TEAM | DAVID BURNS RACING · No. 42
“From the shop to the track, we give everything we’ve got.” That’s not a slogan. That’s how David Burns has run this team since day one.“
7×
22+
1999
27
DAVID BURNS RACING IN ACTION
Built From The
Ground Up
David Burns, retired after 20 years in the United States Air Force, and started racing in 1999 at Duke City Raceway in Albuquerque, New Mexico — and won Rookie of the Year in his very first season. That’s the kind of standard he’s held himself to ever since.
What began as Hal Burns Racing — named in honor of his father, Hal Burns Jr. — has grown through 27 years into David Burns Racing, one of the most respected independent sprint car operations in the Southwest. The name changed. The commitment didn’t.
DBR isn’t a factory team with a corporate budget. It’s a family operation built on passion, hard work, and the determination to compete against anyone, anywhere. David runs it with the same hands-on mentality he’s had since his first race — he knows every bolt on the car, every mile on the trailer, and every person on the crew.
“Driven by passion, hard work, and determination — from the shop to the track.”— David Burns Racing · Team Philosophy
In 2026 DBR Racing made its debut in High Limit Racing — the premier national 410 sprint car series. That’s not luck. That’s 27 years of building something worth taking to the national stage.
27 Years In The Making
The history of David Burns Racing, After 20 years of military service in the United States Air Force, David Burns started this racing team in 1999, as a first-year rookie at Duke City Raceway.
1999: Where It All Began
David Burns entered his first sprint car race at Duke City Raceway in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He won Rookie of the Year. The same accolade Caleb Saiz would earn when he joined the team 17 years later. That’s not a coincidence — that’s a culture David built from race one.
The team ran under the name Hal Burns Racing, honoring David’s father Hal Burns Jr. — a foundational figure in the Burns family racing story. The team also raced at various times as Darns Racing and Harns Racing through the early years.
Early 2000‘s: Building The Foundation
Through the early years, David built a reputation not just as a driver but as a team operator who cared about doing things right. He competed across New Mexico tracks, learning the car, learning the business, and learning what it takes to run an operation that people want to be part of.
The Burns family connection to motorsports runs deep — through his uncle Hank Arnold, who was a celebrated Arizona racing ambassador and a true representative of what the sport stands for. That family legacy has always been part of what drives David.
2016: Caleb Saiz Joins The Team
David connected with Caleb Saiz through Truman West, and brought him on as the No. 42 driver. Caleb earned NMMRA Rookie of the Year that same season — mirroring David’s own rookie year 17 years prior.
From the beginning, David invested in Caleb’s development — teaching him engine maintenance, car setup, and the professional mindset that defines DBR Racing. As Caleb describes it: “David takes his team seriously. DBR brings more of a professional environment — we still have fun but also treat it as a business.”
2021:The Hank Arnold Tribute
In 2021, David made one of the most meaningful decisions of his career as a team owner — he put Caleb behind the wheel of the Hank Arnold tribute car. Hank Arnold was David’s uncle by marriage, a celebrated Arizona racing ambassador who left a lasting mark on the sport in the Southwest.
Caleb won the POWRi NMMRA championship that year driving the tribute car. It was a championship for the scoreboard, but for David Burns, it was something far more personal — honoring family, honoring legacy, and doing it the right way.
Through the early years, David built a reputation not just as a driver but as a team operator who cared about doing things right. He competed across New Mexico tracks, learning the car, learning the business, and learning what it takes to run an operation that people want to be part of.
The Burns family connection to motorsports runs deep — through his uncle Hank Arnold, who was a celebrated Arizona racing ambassador and a true representative of what the sport stands for. That family legacy has always been part of what drives David.
2026: david burns racing – national stage
In March 2026, David Burns Racing made its debut in High Limit Racing — the premier national 410 sprint car series — at Vado Speedway Park. Twenty-seven years of building a team, developing a driver, and doing things the right way led to this moment.
The team name is now David Burns Racing — DBR — carrying forward the legacy of Hal Burns Racing while stepping into the future with Caleb Saiz behind the wheel. Same values. Bigger stage.
The Hank Arnold Connection
Hank Arnold was more than a racing figure — he was family. Married to David’s mother’s sister, Roberta Arnold Chapman, Hank Arnold was a celebrated Arizona racer and one of the great ambassadors for motorsports in the history of the Southwest.
His legacy lives in how David Burns approaches the sport — with respect for the people, the history, and the community that make racing what it is. When David put Caleb in the Hank Arnold tribute car in 2021, it wasn’t a marketing decision. It was personal.
Caleb won the championship that year. The legacy was honored on the biggest stage the team had seen to that point.
Hal Burns Truck & Equipment Service
Hal Burns Truck & Equipment Service — the founding sponsor of DBR Racing — is named for David’s father, Hal Burns Jr. The business is a cornerstone of the team’s support structure and a reminder that David Burns Racing is built on real family, real work, and real commitment.
When you see the Hal Burns Truck & Equipment Service logo on the No. 42 car, you’re seeing the connection between a family business and a family racing team. That’s not sponsorship as a transaction — that’s sponsorship as legacy.
Hal Burns Jr. is the foundation this team was built on. His name on the car is a tribute that has been there from race one.