SNOHOMISH, Wash. – Newly-crowned as champion of the NASCAR Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series, Kevin Hamlin is heading south this week. The Snohomish, Wash. native is among the drivers entered in the Albertsons/Osco Drug 125 NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series race at the Phoenix (Ariz.) International Raceway Thursday, October 25.
“We’re really looking forward to this week’s race,” Hamlin said. “The NASCAR Featherlite Southwest Series is a tough circuit. There will be a lot of guys there from all over the country. We want to go there and represent the NASCAR Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series well.”
Hamlin certainly did that in the same race last year. Despite receiving limited practice due to engine troubles, Hamlin posted a fifth-place finish. He started the race 38th.
“That was the first race for us with American Dream Motorsports,” Hamlin remembered. “When I saw the way we bounced back from the engine problem and were able to race from the back to the front, I knew we had something special going on. I knew leaving Phoenix last year that we were going to be able to compete for the championship in the Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series this year.”
Hamlin’s return to Phoenix will be in a new car prepared by American Dream Motorsports. It will carry sponsorship from Raybestos Brakes as well as American Dream, Bowman’s Electro-Plating and Northwest Racing Enterprises. The car is based on a Port City Chassis.
The new car made its debut as a display vehicle Saturday, October 20 at the NASCAR Raybestos Brakes Northwest Series banquet in Olympia, Wash. Following the conclusion of the banquet, the vehicle headed for Arizona.
The Albertsons/Osco Drug 125 begins with technical inspection of the vehicles on Tuesday, October 23. The cars tackle the one-mile Phoenix International Raceway for practice and qualifying Wednesday, October 24. The 125-lap race is Thursday, October 25 at 3:45 p.m. PDT. The event opens a race week at the Phoenix track which includes events for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series, NASCAR Busch Grand National Series and the NASCAR Winston Cup Series.
