Josh Hamner Returns to His Winning Ways, Visits Salem Victory Lane

Josh Hamner breathed a huge sigh of relief after he pulled into victory lane at Salem Speedway (IN) on Saturday night. The start of the 2009 season had been very sub-par for the 2008 Blizzard Series Super Late Model Champion. His quest for an ASA Late Model Challenge Series Championship has gotten off to a rocky start, but the slate was brushed clean when Hamner took his first win of the season after dominating the competition at Salem Speedway.

“It was a really good feeling when we pulled into victory lane,” said Hamner. “I didn’t want to take the lead as early as we did (lap 67). I was just waiting for someone to catch us, or for something to go wrong with the car. It was a big relief to get the win. Everybody was really happy that we got one and that things are heading in the right direction.”

Hamner had a strong car all weekend. He was by far the fastest competitor in the practice sessions. Hamner has run many different racetracks in his career. His victory on the high banks of Salem was a true test of his driving ability. To be able to run so well the first time out at a tough track like Salem is not easy.

“It’s not your average racetrack,” said Hamner. “You have to get up on the wheel and drive the car. You have to stay focused, because it will bite you in a hurry. I really have to thank Chuck Barnes Jr., because he helped us get tuned in and worked with me on getting my line down. It was a huge asset to have him on our side.”

Normally the Chelsea, Alabama, driver sticks to his racing roots by running the Blizzard Series at Five Flags Speedway (FL) and the Miller Lite Series at Mobile International Speedway (AL). Hamner has enjoyed plenty of success in the past, but he and his team knew they needed to challenge themselves by racing outside the Southeast.

“You hear things like he’s a one-track guy and he can’t do anything out of the South,” said Hamner. “We wanted to prove to people that we can win away from home. Once we got the people in place and everybody got on the same page, then things really came together.”

The 2009 campaign has been filled with close calls and good runs, but something would always happen that kept Hamner out of victory lane.

“We knew all we needed to do was some fine tuning,” said Hamner. “We have had some good runs this year, but we just didn’t have the finishes to go along with that. We just kept working on the car, and we made it better and better and that really showed at Salem.”

Josh Hamner will be back behind the wheel again in the ASA Late Model Challenge Series at the Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Tennessee on August 2nd.

If you would like more information on Josh Hamner and his future racing plans, please contact Mike Twist at (207) 499-2565 and check out JoshHamner.com.