NHRA Pre-Race: Hammonds hopes for another notable weekend at
Route 66 Raceway
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Contact: Jon G. Knapp
TMG Sports Marketing
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HAMMONDS HOPES FOR ANOTHER NOTABLE WEEKEND AT ROUTE 66 RACEWAY
Former NBA star continues to tune and drive his
Winnebago/GM Vehicle Care Cavalier
Crestview, Fla., September 24, 2002 - Even though Tom Hammonds is in the
early stages of his career as a NHRA Pro Stock competitor, Route 66 Raceway
in Joliet, Ill. has already provided him with a wealth of memorable moments.
Ironically, one of his first experiences was not an enjoyable one, as in June
2001 he suffered a dramatic accident in qualifying, where his race car
tumbled down the track, rolling over several times. Although the vehicle was
a write off, Hammonds emerged unscathed.
Since that time, however, the memories are much more pleasant for the pilot
of the Winnebago/GM Vehicle Care Cavalier. It was at the fall race in Joliet
one year ago that Hammonds formally announced his retirement from the NBA to
pursue his dream of winning an NHRA POWERade championship on a full-time
basis after which he promptly qualified for the first time ever at the
Chicagoland speedplant.
The Crestview, Fla., native had an equally eventful weekend at Route 66
Raceway three months ago. After parting company with his crew chief on
Friday morning, Hammonds assumed the tuning responsibilities and responded by
qualifying second, matching his career-best, and powering to the final round.
Therefore, it is easy to see why the entire Hammonds team is eagerly
anticipating this weekend's Craftsman 75th anniversary NHRA Nationals.
"I'm looking forward to getting back to Route 66 Raceway," stated Hammonds.
"It boosts a team's confidence when you return to a racetrack where you've
performed well in the past. I believe our runner-up finish in June showed
that we have a good baseline set-up, so our plan for this weekend is pretty
straight forward. We'll plug that combination in our Winnebago/GM Vehicle
Care Cavalier, make a few adjustments for the current weather conditions, and
hopefully be fast right out of the box. We're looking to go one step further
than we did last time."
This weekend's race will mark the eleventh national event this season where
Hammonds has acted as his own crew chief. As he returns to the site of his
greatest achievement in that role, Hammonds took time to evaluate his
performance as the tuner of his Pro Stock Cavalier, and to describe the
benefits he has seen from handling these two aspects of his racing operation.
"Considering the circumstances, as far as taking over in the middle of the
season and going to tracks where I had not worked in the capacity of crew
chief before, I think I've done a pretty good job," opined Hammonds. "I've
certainly made my share of mistakes in getting the car and motor to work
together, but that's all part of the learning process. However, I believe
the experience will help me, not only as a tuner, but also as a driver, for
the rest of this season and in the future.
"One benefit that I have seen already from the driver's perspective is that I
know exactly how the race car has been prepared, which gives me a better idea
of how it should react. I know some people are skeptical about people
handling both the driving and tuning responsibilities, but it seems to me
that Warren Johnson has done it for the last thirty years, and his record
speaks for itself.
"Certainly I'm going to make some mistakes, but I'll learn from them, and
even if our program gets to the point where I once again hire a crew chief,
the knowledge and experience I will have gained will make our team even
stronger. In the big scheme of things, I see this as the best position for
me to be in to give this Winnebago/GM Vehicle Care Cavalier team the greatest
opportunity to win."
Hammonds Highlights: Tom is looking to qualify for the third time at Route 66
Raceway… Tom hopes to duplicate his performance from this year's June race in
Joliet, where he qualified 2nd and advanced to the final round… One year ago,
Tom qualified 16th in Joliet, but fell to No. 1 qualifier Kurt Johnson in the
first round …Tom is currently 16th in the NHRA POWERade Points standings with
532 points.
Fast Facts
WHAT: 2nd annual Craftsman 75th Anniversary NHRA Nationals, the twentieth
race on the 23-race 2002 NHRA POWERade Drag Racing Series Schedule.
WHEN: September 27-29, 2002
WHERE: Route 66 Raceway, Joliet, Illinois
SCHEDULE: Professional qualifying begins with two sessions on Friday,
September 27 at 3:30 and 6:30 p.m., and concludes with two final sessions on
Saturday, September 28 at 12:00 noon and 3:30 p.m. Final eliminations will
start at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, September 29.
TV: ESPN2 will provide coverage from Route 66 Raceway, starting with ninety
minutes of qualifying highlights from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, September
28. Final eliminations coverage will be broadcast on Sunday, September 29,
with two and a half hours from 8:00 - 10:30 p.m. The NHRA's weekly magazine
show, NHRA2Day will on Sunday, September 29 from 11:00-11:30 a.m. (Times
given are Eastern. As always, please check your local listings.)
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