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IRL: Hamilton moves to TeamXtreme Racing

2 March 2000

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel
ROCKWALL, Texas- The Indy Racing Leagues TeamXtreme Racing announced today that Indy Racing veteran Davey Hamilton, the only driver to race in every Indy Racing League event, has signed a contract to drive the #16 Lycos G Force for the balance of the 2000 season.

"We are extremely proud to announce that a driver of Davey Hamiltons caliber is joining our racing family," said John Lopes, TeamXtreme general manager. "When you look at his accomplishments and his talent, its hard not to get excited about what he might do with this team.

"He finished second in points in both 1997 and 1998. While finishing fourth last year, he had the opportunity to win the championship heading into the season finale. He has 22 top 10s and 13 top fives. Davey is poised to win his first race and compete for the championship, something we believe that we and Lycos can be a part of with him."

When asked for his reasons for joining TeamXtreme, Hamilton said: "The deciding factor for me was (manager/chief mechanic) John King. John showed me that TeamXtreme was a first-class operation interested in winning races and championships. King and I had successes together in the past, and Im excited to be working with him again."

In clarifying the teams structure, Lopes said: "Due to the unexpected loss of two associate sponsors, which made up half of the teams overall budget, we regret that we must park the #42 car driven by John Hollansworth until alternate funding can be secured. We will continue to honor Johns salary under his contract, and we hope to have him back in a TeamXtreme ride as soon as possible.

"We believe that Johns availability creates an opportunity for teams looking for a quality driver."

TeamXtreme moves forward with a strong lineup of drivers in Hamilton and rookie Airton Dare, who pilots the #88 TeamXtreme entry. Blue-chip corporate support from Lycos (now in year two of a total four-year sponsor package) keeps TeamXtreme among the contenders to watch during the 2000 Northern Light Indy Racing Series season.

Text provided by IMS

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