Davey Hamilton Jr. won his first career USAC Silver Crown race at World Wide Technology Raceway. He held off a late charge from Bobby Santos who finished in second place. Justin Grant rounded out the top three on the podium.
Click here for race action – Photos by Don Figler
Father-son Hamilton duo are happy with their race cars
Pre Race story on the Hamilton Father and Son combo…Courtesy of World Wide Technology Communications:
Of all the drivers testing today, Davey Hamilton has seen the most action. The native of Nampa, Idaho, is a veteran of 56 Indy Car starts, including 14 Indianapolis 500s.
“It started off good,” said Hamilton. “You got to remember it’s been a while. It’s been 20 years since I’ve been here (WWTR) in a Silver Crown car. We struggled a little bit early, but then it got better. We’re headed in the right direction. I kept trying to catch up to my kid and he’s still a little quicker. He’s a haIf-second quicker than everybody else. I feel good that we came, and I feel we have a really good chance come race time.”
For Hamilton Sr., WWTR’s OUTFRONT 100 will be his first race of 2023.
“I follow the NTT INDYCAR SERIES, that’s my primary deal. I drive the two-seater. I do the Fastest Seat in Sports, so I’ll be pacing the field. Then I’m on the radio broadcast. Sunday’s gonna be busy, because I’m doing this – practicing – in the morning, then I’ve gotta race this, then I’ve got to go to the two-seater, then run up to the radio booth. It’s going to be a busy day.”
Hamilton Jr. did not turn many laps, but they were quick ones to be sure.
“It was short, but it was good, said Hamilton Jr. “We struggled with some oil leaking, and we didn’t want to push the car too aggressively today so that we could come back on race day and be 100 percent. I traced here last year and had a chance to win it. Led quite a few laps and we ended up finishing second. We were close.”
Hamilton Jr. also is trying his hand at race promotion, on December 1-2, in Las Vegas.
“It’s a $50,000-to-win winged Sprint Car race. It’s actually the largest pavement Sprint Car race that’s ever been done. Growing up years ago and hearing about the Copper World Classic (Phoenix) and Turkey Night at Irwindale (California), it doesn’t exist anymore. I’m trying to make sure all the right personnel are involved. It should be one of the best events of the year, for sure.”
For those unfamiliar with USAC Silver Crown Series cars, they are pure, simple – and fast – racing machines. The right rear tire is a whopping 18 inches wide. The engine sports mechanical fuel injection and burns alcohol. There are no aerodynamics to speak of. At WWTR, the cars hit 180 miles per hour at the end of the straightaways.