Saturday
Davey Hamilton Set To Run In Final Tune-Up This Sunday Before Indy 500 Month of May Activities Begin
Press ReleaseIndianapolis, IN (May 01, 2009) – Davey Hamilton will make one last
stop in his quest to return to Indianapolis before practice begins for
the 93rd running of the Indianapolis 500. Saturday night, he will climb
back into the driver’s seat of his familiar orange Western Speed Racing
entry in his bid for a 10th victory in one of USAC’s most competitive
series.
“I’m back with some old friends, the Gerhardt family, and I’m looking
forward to one last chance to prep for my 9th Indy 500”, said Hamilton.
“I love the short tracks and this will allow me a final tune-up before
we roll out of pit lane on Tuesday.”
The USAC Western Sprint Series will return to the Northern California
oval for the first time in nearly three years and Davey would like to
better his 7th place finish from two weekends ago when he ran at
Roseville following his announcement to return to the Indy 500.
At Long Beach, Davey announced he will drive the No. 44 Honda Dallara
IndyCar for Dreyer & Reinbold / Kingdom Racing. The 46 year old will
pilot the Hewlett Packard livery “Touch the Future Now” during the month
of May.
“When Larry Curry invited me to join the team at DRR, I knew that I
wanted to have the best chance for success in this year’s race. With
the guys at Hewlett Packard returning for a third time, I feel this may
be the best prepared car I have ever had and thanks to HP, Kingdom
Racing and the team that Dennis Reinbold and Robbie Buhl have put
together, I want to take full advantage of every opportunity to be as
competitive as ever.”
Backing Hamilton for the third consecutive year is Hewlett Packard. HP
is a technology company that operates in more than 170 countries around
the world offering consumers a wide range of products and services from
digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home
printing.
Kingdom Racing founder George Del Canto said “Kingdom Racing is about
winning for God’s glory. In partnering with Dreyer Reinbold Racing,
Davey Hamilton and Hewlett Packard for this year’s Indianapolis 500, we
will have a worthy platform to further our mission.”
Along with Davey Hamilton, Dreyer & Reinbold Racing will field three
other entries in the Indianapolis 500 this year with Mike Conway, John
Andretti and Milka Duno. The team will kick-off the month of May with
rookie orientation as Davey will shake down the car for Mike Conway on
Tuesday.
About Davey Hamilton:
This will mark Hamilton’s ninth Indy 500, as he will attempt to qualify
for the May 24th race at the famed Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The
seasoned driver finished 14th in the race last year and ninth in 2007.
His best finish over eight starts in the Indianapolis 500 came in 1998,
when he finished fourth. He also finished sixth in 1997. Until 2001,
Davey was a regular series IndyCar driver, with 50 race starts,
finishing second in the overall Series points in 1996 and 1997. The
Idaho native’s career was nearly ended following a devastating crash at
the Texas Motor Speedway on June 9, 2001. After 23 operations and two
years of rehabilitation, he is now back in racing condition. Hamilton
has competed for a number of IndyCar teams including A.J. Foyt
Enterprises, Nienhouse Motorsports, Galles Racing, TeamXtreme, Sam
Schmidt Motorsports and Vision Racing.
About Dreyer & Reinbold / Kingdom Racing:
Dreyer & Reinbold Racing enters its 10th season of full-time
competition in 2009, making it one of the longest-tenured teams in Indy
Racing League competition. Current co-owners, Dennis Reinbold and
Robbie Buhl, first teamed in full-time competition at the Walt Disney
World Speedway in January of 2000. With Buhl behind the wheel, the two
owners tasted victory in their debut race. The 2009 IndyCar Series
season-opener on the streets of St. Petersburg marked Dreyer & Reinbold
Racing’s 200th series start. In its history, the team has boasted a
championship list of alumni drivers. Besides Buhl, the team has run
Indianapolis 500 winners Al Unser Jr., Buddy Lazier, and Buddy Rice,
along with IndyCar Series race winner Ryan Briscoe. The team has one of
the longest lines of heritage in American open-wheel racing and the
Indianapolis 500 as Dennis Reinbold’s grandfather, “Pop” Dreyer, built
leading roadsters that raced at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway during
the 30s, 40s, and 50s.
Kingdom Racing’s mission is to deliver God’s word through Motorsports.
Their goal is to form a full time IndyCar Series team and, combined with
the help of national Christian ministries, reach one million men for
Jesus Christ. In 2008, Kingdom Racing made history as the first
faith-vision organization to ever compete in the 100 years of the
Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Through their second Indy 500 appearance
this year, the team will capture national attention and attract partners
to execute this mission.
- Dreyer & Reinbold / Kingdom Racing Press Release
Article Tags: Indy Racing League, Press Release
