Snohomish native Kevin Hamlin is a developmental driver for the Chip Ganassi with Felix Sabates racing team. Hamlin, a former Northwest Tour champion and rookie of the year at Evergreen Speedway in Monroe, has raced in the Craftsman Truck and Nationwide (formerly Busch) Series as well as the ARCA series.
For 2008, in addition to driving an as-yet undetermined number of races, Hamlin will support the transition to NASCAR of CGFSR’s newest driver, former IndyCar champion Dario Franchitti.
That’s a familiar role for Hamlin, as he helped former Formula One star Juan Pablo Montoya move into NASCAR with CGFSR in 2007.
Hamlin and his wife, Mandi, recently welcomed their first child, daughter Grace. The Hamlins reside in the heart of NASCAR country in North Carolina.
Kevin Hamlin recently took some time out to answer some questions for The Herald.
1. What are your racing plans for the 2008 season?
KH: I’ll be running a limited Nationwide Series schedule, as I did in 2007. We’re in the process of finding sponsorship for the (car number) 41 Nationwide team, so when it happens I’ll have a better understanding of what races I’ll be running. I’m still doing most of our Car of Tomorrow (CoT) tests as well.
2. You became a new father at the end of last year, has that changed your racing goals or plans?
KH: Becoming a father obviously changes your life. What’s been different so far is leaving for a few days, it’s really tough. Before I could head out for three days and it wouldn’t be a big deal, but now I hate to leave the house. Mandi texts me pictures of Grace while I’m gone, so that helps hold me over.
3. What did you do during the (short) off-season?
KH: We bought a house at the end of the season, which was great. We had Grace, had family and friends fly out to stay at the new house and we came home after New Years. We kept busy, but I also got a little stir crazy. When you travel as much as I do and then all of a sudden it comes to a halt at the end of the year, you’re not really sure what to do with your time.
4. How is Dario Franchitti fitting in at Ganassi?
KH: Dario is fitting in really well. He’s a great guy and is really pleasant to work with. He called after Grace was born to see how she and Mandi were doing which was really cool. I spotted for him last week at the Vegas test, and we had some fun radio banter in between runs. He’s obviously still getting used to these types of cars on all the different tracks we run, but he’ll do a good job for the team.
5. Who are your picks for champions in the top three NASCAR series?
KH: My picks for champions? Wow. Well, I obviously hope one of our Cup teams can bring home the gold but I wouldn’t be surprised to see Jeff Gordon get another championship. For Nationwide, I’m going to go with David Reutimann (if he’s running the whole schedule) and my boy Brendan Gaughan in the trucks.
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