You know the name and you’ve probably seen his face at the tracks of NASCAR throughout the 2009 season but if there’s a guy that eats, breathes and lives racing, Kevin Hamlin’s name ranks at the top of my list.
Hamlin, the Snohomish, Washington native has made his fair share of NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts, a few NASCAR Camping World Truck Series (NCWTS) runs and recently this year attempted to make his NASCAR Sprint Cup Series debut at Kansas Speedway but came up a little short. Still, Hamlin continues to dig and waits on the right opportunity to rocket to victory lane and maybe even a championship.
Sooner or later – that time is going to come and Hamlin will be on the racetrack battling the other Hamlin, Denny.
Hamlin’s driving career starting in the Pacific Northwest at the age of 3, racing dirt ovals on a 50cc 3-wheeler. By the age of six, he had moved up to Quarter midgets where he won eight regional events and one national championship. At age 14, his family purchased a late model to pursue his career. In 1996, Hamlin began racing at the Super Stock division at Evergreen Speedway, becoming the youngest winner in the division caption three feature victories in 1997.
In 1998 Hamlin moved up to the NASCAR Northwest Series, where in 103 career starts he captured 11 wins, 41 top-fives and 62 top-10 finishes. He was also crowned the 2001 and 2002 Northwest Series Champion and also was named the 2001 and 2003 Most Popular Driver. He owns the Northwest Series records for the youngest ever race winner at 19 years 11 months, youngest ever champion at 21 years 6 months and most consecutive laps led at 275 spanning over three races. – Impressive in by books.
I first became familiar with Kevin Hamlin when he competed in two ARCA RE/MAX Series events in 2005 driving for the notorious Ken Schrader. Driving the No. 99 Dodge Charger, he made two starts at Kentucky Speedway and Michigan International Speedway respectively and didn’t disappoint. Hamlin qualifed in the top-six in both events and battled to two top-10 finishes including a career best fifth in his debut at Kentucky Speedway.
From then, Hamlin took his career to the next level in the second tier, Nationwide Series.
Without a doubt his success and monstrous impression in ARCA poised an opportunity to make 14 starts in 2005 driving the No. 4 GEICO Dodge for Biagi Bros. Racing under the Ganassi driver development banner. The now 30-year old was solid pulling together a top-10 qualifying run in his second start at Gateway and recorded a best finish of 14th at Memphis Motorsports Park.
The 2006 year started off on a heel of a different series for Hamlin. In an entry fielded by former NASCAR Camping World Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton, Hamlin qualified the No. 04 Dodge Motorsports Dodge Ram 29th but brilliantly drafted to a well-earned 11th place finish. Without hesitation, the effort by one of the most likeable drivers in the garage kept him on the target screen – but unfortunately not on the track.
He would race just one more time in 2006 reuniting with Biagi Bros. Racing for the annual July tradition race but only be able to post a 27th place finish. Hamlin’s run at Daytona came through Auggie Vidovich’s misfortune of not being cleared to run the 2.5-mile superspeedway of Daytona.
Despite on the sidelines, Hamlin would never relinquish his goal or dream of competing full-time in NASCAR and utilize time at the track of practicing and qualifying the No. 41 entry for Reed Sorenson to keep his name in the limelight.
The patience would seem to payoff as in 2007 Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates announced that Juan Pablo Montoya and Hamlin would split the driving duties of the No. 42 Texaco-Havoline Dodge Charger. Hamlin would compete in seven races during the year and post his first top-10 effort at Gateway International Raceway where he racked up a seventh place finish. The effort was more commendable after being spun late in the race by Carl Edwards. The very next week, Hamlin proved the performance was no fluke by guiding his machine to an eighth place run at the ever-tricky O’Reilly Raceway Park.
When it appeared that things were looking up for the CGR protégé, the team announced it would cease operations of its NASCAR Nationwide Series operation leaving Hamlin again out of the seat. If there was a positive point for the young-gun, his driver development contract had been resigned for 2008.
While never getting the shot to end up in a Ganassi ride, Hamlin did run three NASCAR Nationwide Series races driving the No. 81 for Pat MacDonald and MacDonald Motorsports. In those three races, he maneuvered a season best 21st place finish for the underfunded operation.
This year, Hamlin remains under contract with Earnhardt Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates as a development and test driver but has remained in underfunded cars thriving to get the joy of feeling the need for speed. Without hesitation, Hamlin has brought underfunded teams up a level by giving no less than his all behind the wheel – and qualifying for events in the “go or go homers” group.
Thus far, he has raced 11 times this year driving for Pat MacDonald (MacDonald Motorsports), Jimmy Means (Jimmy Means Racing), Jay Robinson (Jay Robinson Racing), Eddie Smith (Smith Racing) and Rick Ware (Rick Ware Racing). His best start of the season came at Gateway with his best finish occurring at Darlington.
So you’re probably wondering what the North Carolina native is doing when he’s not behind the wheel – he’s up in the spotting tower being the eyes and ears in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Sundays. No doubt his driving abilities is an asset on the spotting tower making him one of the best on the roof.
But here’s my issue; Hamlin deserves a shot and hasn’t gotten it yet. Sure it’s great to be a spotter, guide a driver to a good clean run. And it’s even more powerful to take an underfunded team to a higher level and give them entry into the race or even a finish that they consider a win. But if EGR could find the perfect opportunity for this all-around good guy to land a full-time seat whether it be the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series or NASCAR Nationwide Series – than there’s no doubt in my mind that he will get his break and triumph much like Timothy Peters did in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race at Martinsville Speedway Saturday and celebrate all the hard work.
Oh, Hamlin’s wife and biggest supporter Mandi is expecting the couple’s second child next year and with it being a boy – I foresee another Hamlin-generation driver definitely in the mix some 10-15 years down the road.
Keep digging Kevin, sooner or later – all the hard work not to mention the ups and downs will pay off like a giant jackpot in Las Vegas.
For everything Kevin Hamlin, please visit KevinHamlin.com.
