Mooresville, N.C. (July 18, 2005) - Biagi Bros. Racing is proud to announce that two-time NASCAR Northwest Series Champion Kevin Hamlin will pilot the No. 4 Biagi Bros. Dodge on Saturday in the ITT Industries, Systems Division and Goulds Pumps Salute to the Troops 250 presented by Dodge at Pikes Peak International Raceway.
Hamlin joins Biagi Bros. Racing in collaboration with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates and its driver development program. “I met Lorin Ranier with Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates about a year ago,” explained Hamlin. “He said that if the opportunity ever arose for me to do something with him and the team that he would give me a call.”
That call came last week when Biagi Bros. Racing released driver, Ryan Hemphill.
“Lorin called the other day and said that there was a possibility that we might be able to do something. He called a couple hours later and said that they were going to do it,” Hamlin described with a smile. “With Ganassi’s affiliation with Biagi Bros. Racing, we’re going to run at Pikes Peak and see how that goes and see what happens from there.”
The 26-year-old from Snohomish, Wash., won his first late model race at 17 before quickly moving up to the NASCAR Northwest Series, becoming the youngest winner in Series history by winning at 19. Hamlin went on to win Series’ championships in 2001 and 2002. “The Busch Series is completely different than the NASCAR Northwest Series. The tracks are quite a bit different and the cars are different but everything I did in the Northwest Series was a stepping stone up to be able to get this opportunity to race at Pikes Peak.”
Hamlin spent the day at Biagi Bros. Racing’s headquarters in Mooresville, N.C., getting to know the crew, fitting his seat, and driving the pit practice car. “The guys are all out in the shop working hard. I did pit practice with them this morning and drove the pit practice car. They just look like a bunch of guys who are working hard and having fun. All the guys are giving each other a hard time, teasing each other, and laughing but at the same time they are working hard and getting their work done. That’s very encouraging to me. That makes me really excited to go to Pikes Peak.”
Hamlin is excited about racing the Biagi Bros. Dodge in Colorado. “It’s just pretty cool to be able to do this,” he said. “This has been my goal since I was 5 years old. I’ve got good people helping me out and great sponsors in GEICO and PetBrands. It’s going to be fun. I’m really excited. It’s going to be a long wait until we get to Pikes Peak and get out on the race track.
“I think we’re going to have a good finish. We’re really going to concentrate on race trim to make sure that we have a good race. We’re hoping for a top fifteen or a top twenty finish for GEICO and PetBrands.”
Hamlin is a favorite amongst fans, scoring the 2001 Racefans.net Driver of the Year Award and the Most Popular Driver award in the NASCAR Northwest Series in 2001 and 2002. Hamlin and his wife Mandi currently reside in Concord, N.C. with their dog Tucker. For more information on Hamlin, please visit www.kevinhamlin.com.
