Davey Hamilton
6 G Force/Aurora
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1996-97 Season in Review
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Davey Hamilton ran strong for most of the season before a few DNFs dropped him behind Tony Stewart in the IRL championship race. Hamilton, driving for AJ Foyt Enterprises, still had a chance at the title at the season finale in Las Vegas, qualifying on the front row. But he could only muster a seventh-place finish, falling six points short of Stewart in the end. His third-place finishes at Phoenix, Texas and Pikes Peak were his top finishes of the season. He finished 6th at Indianapolis, just one lap off the pace. In 1998 he moves to Nienhouse Motorsports, which made its IRL debut late in the 1996-97 season.
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Career
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Davey Hamilton is a second-generation championship driver. He started in the
local 6-cylinder class at Firebird Raceway in Boise in 1979, winning Rookie of
the Year, season championship and set track record.
He continued in 6-cylinder ranks and made supermodified debut, 1980. His grabbed
Rookie of the Year in CAMRA supermodified series in 1981 and continued in
supermodified ranks.
By 1992 Hamilton added USAC Silver Crown events at Phoenix, Indianapolis Raceway
Park to his schedule. Won poles for both supermodified and USAC Silver Crown
events at Copper World Classic and took championships in California SMRA and
WSST series.
He passed the final phase of his driver's test at Indianapolis on Day 2 in 1995.
Wheel failure on Day 5 sent him into the Turn 4 wall, breaking his right ankle.
However, with 46 minutes left on final qualifying day, Hamilton had two laps of
226-plus before an undertray broke on the car and he slowed and waved off.
Hamilton made three USAC national midget starts in 1995, with best finish of second after getting the pole at the Copper World Classic in Phoenix. He also made four USAC Western States midget starts with wins Sept. 23 and Oct. 21 at Madera, the former breaking Billy Boat's 11-race winning streak, and three USAC Silver Crown starts with best finish of fifth at Indianapolis Raceway Park.
Courtesy SpeedNet, from the Indianapolis Star/News
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Driver Stats
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Team: Nienhouse Motorsports
Series: Indy Racing League
Car: #6 G Force / Aurora / Goodyear
Sponsor: Nienhouse Motorsports
Car Owner: Bob Nienhouse
Chief Mechanic: Darren Russell
Resides: Las Vegas, Nev.
D.O.B: 6/13/62
Top IRL finish: 3rd (Phoenix, Texas, Pikes Peak, 1997)
IRL points (standing): 1996 - 192 (9th); 1996-97 - 272 (2nd)
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