LAS VEGAS — If Davey Hamilton Jr. gets his way the biggest prize in winged asphalt sprint car racing history will be paid Dec. 1-2 at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Hamilton plans to promote Davey Hamilton Jr.’s Open Wheel Showdown at the three-eighths-mile paved track located adjacent to Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Hamilton hopes to award $50,000 from a $200,000 purse to the winner of the winged sprint car race. His plans include a $10,000-to-win midget race on the same two-day program.
The 26-year-old third-generation racer is no stranger to winged asphalt sprint car competition. He is a former King of the Wing and Southern Sprint Car Shootout Series champion. He tied for the most pavement sprint car wins in the nation last season with eight victories.
The younger Hamilton is the son of former IndyCar Series competitor Davey Hamilton and grandson of 2023 National Sprint Car Hall of Fame inductee Ken Hamilton.
“I have been working on this event, believe it or not, for years,” explained Hamilton Jr. “I know there is a few sprint car races that have their own crown jewel in their own right, but I grew up watching Turkey Night and hearing about the Copper World Classic. I just always wanted to see a modern era, all open-wheel racing event happen. It is finally happening. I have put so much into making this event possible and I cannot thank everyone enough for helping make this happen.
There are a lot of people behind the scenes, but most importantly, I must give thanks to my team Kirk Morgan Racing. They believed in my vision to be able to get to this point,” concluded Hamilton Jr.
The format for the event hasn’t been finalized, but the Saturday night finale will pay $50,000 to win and $2,500 to start. The event will be open to 360 or 410 restricted engine race cars.
In addition to winged sprint cars and national midgets, Hamilton hopes to announce other open-wheel divisions at a later date.
For more information, visit the Open Wheel Showdown on Facebook.