It’s been a whirlwind couple of years for 25-year-old Davey Hamilton Jr.
After being out of the cockpit of a race car for all of 2020 and half of 2021, Hamilton Jr. finds himself with a full plate of races on his calendar.
The second-generation driver is slated to compete in 63 races across several disciplines, including USAC Silver Crown pavement, pavement midget races, non-winged sprint car races, winged sprint car races and the full season in Robby Gordon’s Stadium Super Trucks Series.
“To be honest, I did not think I’d ever race again, at all” Hamilton Jr. said. “For years I hoped, but you have that part of you that’s like ‘Oh yeah, I’m hopeful that I’m going to come across like some very awesome partner or sponsor that’s going to just believe in me,’ but you’re also thinking ‘that’s not going to happen.’”
The now Tampa, Fla., native was very candid about his murky past and how he wants to use his platform to make a difference, specifically with mental health.
“My number-one problem was that I didn’t seek help or really listen to people or friends or family, or advice from anybody” Hamilton Jr. said. “I was very stubborn at that age.”
The biggest piece that Hamilton Jr. learned through his trials, is not bottling up and closing others out in times of need.
“It’s OK to be honest with people and go get help from a psychiatrist and seek what can help your mental state” Hamilton Jr. said. “There’s not going to be a clear image of how to fix or help your mental state, it’s really yourself that you kind of got to figure out and you can only use the tools that others can help you with.”
Looking forward, Hamilton Jr. is focusing on the person that he is now and the path that he knows is best for himself.
“That part of me is always going to be there,” Hamilton Jr. said. “It’s part of my story obviously, but that doesn’t justify who I am as a person.”
Since he relocated to Tampa, Fla., Hamilton Jr. has found a new outlet of enjoyment with business, where he currently is an owner of his own asphalt company, along with being a partner of an energy drink.
“I have a vision of being really successful in the business area outside of racing,” Hamilton Jr. said. “I quickly learned that how fast something can go wrong and completely change your life.”
Though business is one of his top priorities, his passion still lies behind the wheel.
Hamilton Jr., who competed in Stadium Super Trucks for a handful of races in 2017, was able to get re-introduced to the nuances of the truck during a test several weeks ago.
“You forget, it’s been so long,” Hamilton Jr. said. “How they turn and how they rotate, how everything works, (and) how the hand brake works. I got the hang of it pretty quickly, but I think the number one thing is, everybody’s gotten better.”
The driver of the No. 14 Thin Energy Complete truck understands the challenge and is ready to see how he stacks up against the field.
“My whole thing is just seeing what it’s going to be like around other competitors,” Hamilton Jr. said. “With Robby Gordon, that’s the best there is. You want to be competitive with those guys right off the bat, but you know they have so many more years of experience that you just hope to be running close to them, or close to the same lap times, or close to picking up a podium.”
Beyond this season, Hamilton Jr. also hopes to get another opportunity to work his way up through the Road To Indy program, to one day compete in the Greatest Spectacle In Racing, the Indianapolis 500.
The Hamilton name has been synonymous at Indy since the early 90’s, with his father Davey Hamilton competing at the hallowed grounds of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway for 11 years.
For Hamilton Jr., he holds Indianapolis close to his heart, a place he wants to continue a family legacy.
“My family name may not be Andretti or Luyendyk,” Hamilton Jr. said. “But the Hamilton name at Indy is still pretty well-known. I don’t want that name to end at my dad. I do not want that to be the last Hamilton in our family to run at Indy.”
Just about an hour outside Indianapolis, sits Anderson Speedway, the site of the annual Little 500 that takes place the night before the Indy 500.
A former polesitter of the historic event, Hamilton Jr. will have the opportunity to conquer the quarter-mile asphalt oval this Memorial Day weekend in a non-wing sprint car.
“That race is so special because it’s the wildest, craziest race in the world” Hamilton Jr. said. “People that don’t know anything about the Little 500 need to go and see it. Thirty-three cars around that track, with the tight, pit area that they have, and push trucks going on while you’re on the track, it’s insane. It’s complete insanity. Obviously, I want to win that race one year, and we’ve been fast for the past couple years there. We just ran a non-winged race not too long ago, and we know we’re going to be quick.”
Hamilton Jr. believes he’s found his true purpose, and he’s excited to showcase it both on and off the track this year.
“I’m still able to have that second opportunity. My thing is that now that I have that, I didn’t know my purpose in life. (If) you asked me years ago, ‘what’s your fit in life?’ my thing was ‘oh I’m a race car driver, I’m going to turn left, turn right real fast, and I want to make it to Indy, and that’s my dream.’ But that wasn’t my purpose. My purpose is literally (to) raise awareness to your mental state, and seek help, and understand that it’s okay.”
As he prepares for Long Beach this weekend in Stadium Super Trucks, Hamilton Jr. has high optimism for what’s to come not only this season, but for the years ahead.
“I’m excited to see when the year comes. My goal is to go for the championship in everything that I’m racing. Where, in the past it was, ‘I just want to get to the racetrack, I just want to do this race.’ I wasn’t looking at the bigger picture. Now that I have the proper people behind me. We can go after the bigger picture and try to do bigger and better things long-term.”