Barrett-Jackson president Steve Davis sees many similarities between NASCAR and collector car auctions. There's the anticipation and buildup to an unknown result, sprinkled with a few surprises along the way. That's why he believes racing fans love watching the company's auctions, because the excitement around both events is unique and far-reaching.

Davis originally had plans on getting into law enforcement, but eventually his love of vintage cars led him to a career in automobile sales, beginning at Valley Oak Auto in Visalia, Calif. His relationship with Barrett-Jackson began as a consigner and eventually resulted in being hired by the company. Under his leadership, the collector car business has grown to new and impressive heights. For example, the three-day auction of more than 400 vehicles at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas recently generated almost $23 million in total sales.

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When you walk down those halls and look at those cars, you realize every one of those cars has a personality attached to it, they have a family, they have relationships.

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-- STEVE DAVIS

Here are some excerpts from a recent interview:

Q: How did you get started with Barrett-Jackson?

Davis: Over the years, I got a reputation for bringing really nice cars and selling them. It evolved to where some of the world records that were set at Barrett-Jackson were my cars. The difference was mine really sold and I built a reputation for integrity and being an honest guy. That was a unique thing back in the old "wild, wild West" of the car business, the stereotype thing.

I worked very closely with Craig's [Jackson] father and mother, and after his father passed away, when Craig inherited the throne, so to speak, he gave me a call and asked if I would be willing to help him. Before my career with Barrett-Jackson, I was their No. 1 consigner. One year, I had over 40 cars at Scottsdale. That's a lot of work, selling them all at no reserve.

I stepped in more as a "hired gun" at that time. I got to do the two toughest things in this world: arbitration and on-site consignment. You don't put this many egos together in one space and not have issues to deal with. What we've evolved to now is quite different than what it was then.

Q: What is it about classic cars that triggers emotions for NASCAR drivers?

Davis: Ron Hornaday, Mike Skinner, Tony Stewart, Rick Hendrick, they've been here. And they do what every kid dreams of doing but unfortunately will never do, and they live vicariously through that. Here at Barrett-Jackson, it's the thrill of the hunt, the excitement of what it represents and the story. It's being able to harness all this energy and expose it in a way that is an adrenaline-type feeling similar to racing.

When you walk down those halls and look at those cars, you realize every one of those cars has a personality attached to it, they have a family, they have relationships. The guys come here and they say, 'You know, this is like the Daytona 500 before they start the engines.' And everybody shares in the moment. When you have this same energy on the auction block, it's the same thing.

There are the same rivalries. Back in the day, there was Richard Petty against David Pearson. I loved the Silver Fox and the No. 21. And you loved to hate the other guy. I think you see the same thing on the auction block. The Ford guys want their cars to bring in more than the Chevy guys. The Mopar guys want to see their cars do well. Now we've created a situation where the custom guys and the semi-custom guys have a spot, too.

We've created a competitive, exciting, convergence of energy that you feed on. And you can only get it at certain arenas.

Q: How has the collector car market evolved as the population has aged?

Davis: It's so important to build a brand and appeal to millions of people rather than a niche market. When you buy one of these cars, you buy it because it represents a memory. Whether it's the first car he rode in, or his grandfather's car or his father's car, these cars embody a passion that transcend what the dollars and cents are.

When Ron's family gets one of his cars, it passes down and everybody then builds their memory. You invest in the memory bank of this car. And that bank grows every time a new owner takes possession. It continues the legacy.

Baby boomers are now able to buy that '67 Corvette or that '65 GT 350 or something they couldn't afford then. But now you open the hood of that Chevy and it's got a 500-cubic inch crate motor, it's got four-wheel disc brakes, it's got a leather interior. It's state-of-the-art. You can drive it every day. It's user friendly. But you've got the old school look.

That's why the manufacturers have gone to designing retro styling of the Mustang, the Challenger and now the Camaro. Even the next generation looks at these cars in total awe and says, 'When I get successful, I'm going to buy the one on the lot. But when I really make it, I'm going to buy the original.'

What's so great about the Muscle Car era is that it's a timeless design. The people who were Baby Boomers, now their children are impacted and their grandchildren are impacted. I know when my little grandson grows up, all he talks about, what he wants, is a Shelby. It's the dream, and that's what drives this amazing thing we do.