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Pete Hamilton

{{Short description|American racing driver}}

{{About|the American racing driver|other people|Peter Hamilton (disambiguation){{!}}Peter Hamilton}}

{{Infobox NASCAR driver

| birth_name = Peter Goodwill Hamilton

| image = Pete Hamilton with his Petty Enterprises 1970 Plymouth Superbird..jpg

| caption = Hamilton and his 1970 Plymouth race car

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1942|07|20}}

| birth_place = Dedham, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|2017|03|21|1942|07|20}}

| death_place = Johns Creek, Georgia, U.S.

| achievements = 1967 NASCAR Sportsman Division Champion
1970 Daytona 500 Winner
1974, 1975 World Series of Asphalt Super Late Model Champion
1974 Snowball Derby Winner
1975 Rattler 250 Winner

| awards = 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series Rookie of the Year
New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame (1998)

| Total_Cup_Races = 64

| Years_In_Cup = 6

| Best_Cup_Pos = 21st (1970)

| First_Cup_Race = 1968 Fireball 300 (Weaverville)

| Last_Cup_Race = 1973 Atlanta 500 (Atlanta)

| First_Cup_Win = 1970 Daytona 500 (Daytona)

| Last_Cup_Win = 1971 Daytona 500 Qualifier #1 (Daytona)

| Cup_Wins = 4

| Cup_Top_Tens = 33

| Cup_Poles = 3

| updated = October 29, 2013

}}

Peter Goodwill Hamilton (July 20, 1942 – March 21, 2017) was an American professional stock car racing driver. He competed in NASCAR for six years, where he won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving for Petty Enterprises.

Racing career

File:Pete Hamilton Plymouth Roadruner.jpg, with which he won the 1970 Daytona 500.]]

Hamilton began racing in the street division in 1962 at Norwood Arena Speedway in Massachusetts, where he quickly earned the nickname "The Dedham Flash".[http://www.near1.com/HALL-OF-FAME/1998/Hamilton_Pete.htm Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007063001/http://www.near1.com/HALL-OF-FAME/1998/Hamilton_Pete.htm |date=2007-10-07 }} at the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame, Retrieved October 3, 2007 In 1965, he was the Thompson World Series Twin 50s champion. He won the 1967 NASCAR national Sportsman division championship.

After that season he moved south to race in NASCAR. He started racing in the NASCAR Grand National division in 1968, and was the series Rookie of the Year. In 1969, he competed in NASCAR's Grand American division, a division of smaller pony cars. He won 12 of 26 races that year.

He had 3 wins in 1970 for Petty Enterprises in the No. 40 Plymouth Superbird with Maurice Petty as his crew-chief. He won the 1970 Daytona 500 and both races at Talladega Superspeedway. Hamilton won his Twin 125 mile qualifying race for the 1971 Daytona 500 driving Cotton Owens' No. 6 Plymouth, finishing the season with one pole and 11 top five finishes. He retired from full-time NASCAR racing after 1973 because of complications from a neck injury in a 1969 Grand American race.

Hamilton continued to compete in short track races, and won the 1974 Snowball Derby in his late model racecar.

Car builder

Pete helped Chrysler's Larry RathgebLawrence James Rathgeb, b. ca. 1930, d. 22 March 2020 https://www.wymt.com/content/sports/NASCARs-Larry-Rathgeb-569056421.html develop their "Kit-Car", a weld-it-yourself Volare or Aspen late model stock car that any racer could order from Plymouth and Dodge dealers.Stock Car Racing magazine cover story He moved to Norcross, Georgia, and worked as a car builder and mentor to many drivers on the 1980s southern dirt tracks, launching successful racing careers for Marvin Oliver and James Shepherd.

Career award

He was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 1998 in its inaugural class.

Pete was named to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2012.{{Cite web|url=http://the-dispatch.com/sports/20170327/late-pete-hamilton-was-one-of-nascars-nice-guys|title=The late Pete Hamilton was one of NASCAR's nice guys}}

Personal life

Hamilton was born outside Boston in Dedham, and raised in nearby Newton, Massachusetts. He was the son of Roger S. Hamilton, once the Dean of Northeastern University. He graduated from Newton High School in 1960. He married his wife, Susan

Huckstorf in 1970. After racing, he owned a warehouse in Atlanta. He spent his time between Duluth, Georgia and Acton, Maine.

Death

Hamilton died on March 21, 2017, at the age of 74 due to complications of a stroke.{{cite web|last=Pockrass|first=Bob|title=Pete Hamilton, who won four NASCAR Cup races, dies at 74|work=ESPN.com|date=March 22, 2017|url=http://www.espn.com/racing/nascar/story/_/id/18977461/pete-hamilton-winner-four-nascar-cup-races-dies-74|access-date=March 22, 2017}} He was buried at Peachtree Memorial Park in Norcross, Georgia. He was survived by his wife of forty-seven years and a daughter.{{Clear}}

Motorsports career results

=NASCAR=

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

==Grand National Series==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"

!colspan=69| NASCAR Grand National Series results

Year

! Team

! No.

! Make

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! 17

! 18

! 19

! 20

! 21

! 22

! 23

! 24

! 25

! 26

! 27

! 28

! 29

! 30

! 31

! 32

! 33

! 34

! 35

! 36

! 37

! 38

! 39

! 40

! 41

! 42

! 43

! 44

! 45

! 46

! 47

! 48

! 49

! 50

! 51

! 52

! 53

! 54

! {{Abbr|NGNC|NASCAR Grand National classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

rowspan=2| 1968

! Rocky Hinton

! 5

! Ford

| MGR

| MGY

| RSD

| DAY

| BRI

| RCH

| ATL

| HCY

| GPS

| CLB

| NWS

| MAR

| AUG

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| AWS
12

| DAR

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BLV
19

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| LGY
5

| CLT

| ASH

| MGR

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| SMR
2

| BIR

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAR
25

| GPS

| DAY

| ISP

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| OXF
7

| FDA

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TRN
5

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| BRI
21

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| SMR
23

| NSV

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ATL
28

| CLB

| BGS

| colspan=19|

! rowspan=2| 32nd

! rowspan=2| 919

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/hamilpe01/1968/W|title=Pete Hamilton – 1968 NASCAR Grand National Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=November 4, 2024}}

rowspan=2| King Enterprises

! rowspan=2| 1

! rowspan=2| Dodge

| colspan=35|

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| AWS
10

| SBO

| LGY

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR
32

| HCY

| RCH

| BLV

| HBO

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MAR
34

| style="background:#DFFFDF;"| NWS
12

| AUG

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| CLT
7

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAR
34

| JFC

| colspan=5|

rowspan=2| 1969

| MGR

| MGY

| RSD

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| DAY
8

| DAY

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY
44

| CAR

| AUG

| BRI

| colspan=45|

! rowspan=2| NA

! rowspan=2| -

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/hamilpe01/1969/W|title=Pete Hamilton – 1969 NASCAR Grand National Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=November 4, 2024}}

Banjo Matthews

! 27

! Ford

| colspan=9|

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ATL
5

| CLB

| HCY

| GPS

| RCH

| NWS

| MAR

| AWS

| DAR

| BLV

| LGY

| CLT

| MGR

| SMR

| MCH

| KPT

| GPS

| NCF

| DAY

| DOV

| TPN

| TRN

| BLV

| BRI

| NSV

| SMR

| ATL

| MCH

| SBO

| BGS

| AWS

| DAR

| HCY

| RCH

| TAL

| CLB

| MAR

| NWS

| CLT

| SVH

| AUG

| CAR

| JFC

| MGR

| TWS

rowspan=2| 1970

! Petty Enterprises

! 40

! Plymouth

| RSD

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| DAY
5

| DAY

| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| DAY
1

| RCH

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| CAR
5

| SVH

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ATL
3

| BRI

| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| TAL
1

| NWS

| CLB

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR
19

| BLV

| LGY

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| CLT
8

| SMR

| MAR

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| MCH
2

| RSD

| HCY

| KPT

| GPS

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY
30

| AST

| TPN

| TRN

| BRI

| SMR

| NSV

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| ATL
6

| CLB

| ONA

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| MCH
5

| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| TAL
1*

| BGS

| SBO

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| DAR
3

| HCY

| RCH

| DOV

| NCF

| NWS

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CLT
24*

| MAR

| MGR

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAR
15

| colspan=7|

! rowspan=2| 21st

! rowspan=2| 1819

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/hamilpe01/1970/W|title=Pete Hamilton – 1970 NASCAR Grand National Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=November 4, 2024}}

Dick Brooks Racing

! 32

! Plymouth

| colspan=47|

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| LGY
3

| colspan=6|

rowspan=2| 1971

! Cotton Owens

! 6

! Plymouth

| RSD

| style="background:#FFFFBF;"| DAY
1

| DAY

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY
28

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ONT
31

| RCH

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CAR
24

| HCY

| BRI

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| ATL
3

| CLB

| GPS

| SMR

| NWS

| MAR

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR
35

| SBO

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TAL
4

| ASH

| KPT

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| CLT
3

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DOV
26

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| MCH
3

| RSD

| HOU

| GPS

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| DAY
4

| BRI

| colspan=2|

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TRN
5

| NSV

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ATL
24

| BGS

| ONA

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MCH
31

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TAL
3

| CLB

| HCY

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAR
30

| MAR

| style="background:#FFDF9F;"| CLT
7

| DOV

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| CAR
4

| MGR

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| RCH
3

| NWS

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| TWS
4

| colspan=6|

! rowspan=2| 24th

! rowspan=2| 1739

! rowspan=2| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/hamilpe01/1971/W|title=Pete Hamilton – 1971 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=November 4, 2024}}

Junior Fields

! 91

! Chevy

| colspan=28|

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| AST
27

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ISP
23

| colspan=24|

==Winston Cup Series==

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; font-size:75%"
colspan=45| NASCAR Winston Cup Series results
Year

! Team

! No.

! Make

! 1

! 2

! 3

! 4

! 5

! 6

! 7

! 8

! 9

! 10

! 11

! 12

! 13

! 14

! 15

! 16

! 17

! 18

! 19

! 20

! 21

! 22

! 23

! 24

! 25

! 26

! 27

! 28

! 29

! 30

! 31

! {{Tooltip|NWCC|NASCAR Winston Cup classification}}

! Pts

! Ref

1972

! rowspan=2| Housby Racing

! rowspan=2| 9

! rowspan=2| Plymouth

| RSD

| DAY

| RCH

| ONT

| CAR

| ATL

| BRI

| DAR

| NWS

| MAR

| TAL

| CLT

| DOV

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| MCH
22

| RSD

| TWS

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY
33

| BRI

| TRN

| ATL

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| TAL
19

| MCH

| NSV

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| MAR

| NWS

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| CLT
32

| style="background:#DFDFDF;"| CAR
5

| TWS

! 48th

! 1083.25

! {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/hamilpe01/1972/W|title=Pete Hamilton – 1972 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=November 4, 2024}}

rowspan=2| 1973

| RSD

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| DAY
40

| RCH

| CAR

| BRI

| colspan=26|

! rowspan=2| 114th

! rowspan=2| -

! rowspan=3| {{cite web|url=https://www.racing-reference.info/drivdet/hamilpe01/1973/W|title=Pete Hamilton – 1973 NASCAR Winston Cup Series Results|work=Racing-Reference|publisher=NASCAR Digital Media, LLC|access-date=November 4, 2024}}

Crawford Brothers Racing

! 22

! Plymouth

| colspan=5|

| style="background:#EFCFFF;"| ATL
39

| NWS

| DAR

| MAR

| TAL

| NSV

| CLT

| DOV

| TWS

| RSD

| MCH

| DAY

| BRI

| ATL

| TAL

| NSV

| DAR

| RCH

| DOV

| NWS

| MAR

| CLT

| CAR

| colspan=3|

===Daytona 500===

class="wikitable" style="font-size: 90%;"
Year

! Manufacturer

! Start

! Finish

! Team

1969

| Dodge

|align=center| 17

|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 44

| King Enterprises

1970

| Plymouth

|align=center| 9

|align=center style="background:#FFFFBF;"| 1

| Petty Enterprises

1971

| Plymouth

|align=center| 3

|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 28

| Cotton Owens

1973

| Plymouth

|align=center| 2

|align=center style="background:#EFCFFF;"| 40

| Housby Racing

References

{{Reflist}}

External links

  • {{Racing-Reference driver|Pete_Hamilton}}
  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20170324090214/http://www.daytonainternationalspeedway.com/Media/Videos/D500HistoryVideos/pete-hamilton512Kflv.aspx "2 Minutes With..." Interview video]

{{S-start}}

{{s-ach|ach}}

{{succession box

| before= LeeRoy Yarbrough

| title = Daytona 500 Winner

| years = 1970

| after = Richard Petty

}}

{{Succession box

| before= Dickie Davis

| title= Snowball Derby Winner

| years= 1974

| after= Donnie Allison

}}

{{S-end}}

{{Owens Racing}}

{{Petty Enterprises}}

{{Daytona 500 Winners}}

{{NASCARROTY}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hamilton, Pete}}

Category:1942 births

Category:2017 deaths

Category:Sportspeople from Dedham, Massachusetts

Category:Racing drivers from Boston

Category:NASCAR drivers

Category:American Speed Association drivers

Category:Newton North High School alumni

Category:Daytona 500 winners