HAMILTON JOINS LEGACY FOR FULL-SEASON USAC SILVER CROWN GO IN 2024
Speedway, Indiana (December 9, 2023)………Nearly all of Davey Hamilton Jr.’s racing exploits throughout his career have come on pavement. Now, the Boise, Idaho native is adding dirt into the mix for 2024 as he takes on the full USAC Silver Crown National Championship schedule for the first time.
The third-generation racer will wheel the Legacy Autosport No. 19 in all 14 events on the upcoming season’s schedule. Last year, Hamilton Jr. collected his first career USAC Silver Crown win at the largest venue on the schedule – the 1.25-mile World Wide Technology Raceway in Madison, Ill.
That race came on pavement, but the dirt is a new world to Hamilton Jr. He comes from a long lineage of terrific pavement racers, being the grandson of National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Ken Hamilton and son of 11-time Indianapolis 500 starter Davey Hamilton.
“I’m going dirt racing now; I never thought I’d say that,” Hamilton stated. “To be going full-time with the USAC Silver Crown series is great. I’ve run quite a bit of races with USAC, but last year, when these guys (at Legacy Autosport) gave me a call and gave me an opportunity, I couldn’t say no. Now I’m going to focus on helping the Legacy guys develop their new program.”
Basically, Hamilton’s dirt experience consists of a brief appearance in Ted Finkenbinder’s midget at the 2017 Chili Bowl Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. as well as a few starts in a micro sprint in his earlier days, which makes this practically an entirely new experience.
“I’m not a dirt guy,” Hamilton admitted. “I went and did Cory Kruseman’s school a couple weeks ago (at California’s Ventura Raceway) and that was an experience of a lifetime. I want to do the best that I can, and I want to be on top. I want to compete with (Logan) Seavey and compete with (Kody) Swanson on a full-time basis. A lot of people don’t have me on their radar when it comes to winning races with USAC, but I’ve proved it on the bigger pavement tracks. The past two years at (WWT Raceway), I’ve been in contention, but I think now that I get to focus fully on and do a full season, once I get in the vibe of things, I think we’ll be in contention for sure. I’m excited about the schedule and I’m excited to see what we can do.”
Hamilton was hired by Legacy Autosport midseason in 2023, which has an interesting origin of its own. The owner of Legacy Autosport, Louis Michael Meyer, is the great grandson of Louis Meyer, the first three-time winner of the Indianapolis 500 and the first to celebrate a 500 win with a swig of milk in victory lane.
As far as Hamilton and Legacy, officially, their first start came at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway in August of 2023 and lasted just three laps before their engine expired. Their ensuing appearance resulted in a victory and came just 10 months after the Legacy’s debut appearance the season before. Hamilton feels there’s a lot of potential this season, feeling that they all fit together and click well while having their priority set on finishing all the races and just being there at the end.
“For them to get a win at this level in their first year, it shows a lot,” Hamilton said in praise of Legacy Autosport. “This team is in the shop everyday just fine tuning on it. The car itself is just a beautiful piece and everything is just proper on it. I think I get to drive the coolest looking car, but I’m a little biased. It’s definitely a beautiful car and they work on these things every day. For the success they’ve shown, they’re dedicated to making this a long-term success with USAC. I’m excited for them and I’m excited for myself to get this opportunity.”
The 2024 USAC Silver Crown campaign begins on April 20 at Ohio’s Toledo Speedway for the running of the Hemelgarn Racing-Super Fitness Rollie Beale Classic on the half-mile paved oval.
