Hamner Overcomes Tough Weekend Luck at Mobile

Josh Jumps Hurdles to Get a Strong Showing with KBM Team

So much was on Josh Hamner’s side going into the opening weekend of the Gulf Coast Championship Series.  Hamner was starting his 2010 season at Five Flags Speedway in Pensacola, Florida and Mobile International Speedway in Alabama on March 9th and 10th, two tracks that the young Alabaman was quite familiar with and had tasted victory at over the years.  Plus, Hamner was going to both tracks with the Kyle Busch Motorsports team, arguably the strongest Super Late Model organization in the country.

But for all that was on his side, luck, however, wasn’t.  Tough tires kept Hamner to a 15th-place finish Friday ngiht at Five Flags and a mechanical problem in qualifying for Saturday’s race at Mobile kept Hamner from perhaps the runs he wanted.  But, Hamner was able to overcome the odds and finish an impressive second on Saturday at Mobile after having to start at the rear.

“We had tire trouble on Thursday night (in testing at Five Flags),” said Hamner.  “We got a bad set of tires and we never got to make that long green flag run.  We just rolled the dice and it bit us. We paid for it come race time.

“Then, we were worried a bit about Mobile after what had happened the night before.  We tried something else, but it didn’t work so we put it back like we tested.  Come qualifying time something broke on the rear end as I went into turn one for my first lap.  It was just freak deal, but knowing my luck it will happen to me.”

Despite the issues earlier in the weekend, Hamner and the KBM team proved at Mobile what they are capable as the remainder of the Gulf Coast Championship weekends go on. 

“We started at the back and worked our way forward,” said Hamner of his race at Mobile.  “We had a great pit stop with 15 laps to go, went from about sixth to second on the track thanks to the pit stop.  I ran really hard at the end to make sure we finished at least second.  I could stay with (winner Jeff) Fultz for a little while, then he would pull away.

“I am really excited about what we have. We’ve got a great team, the pit stop showed that tonight and I think we can keep the momentum going in the series.”

Hamner’s next event will be the second edition of the Show Me the Money series at Montgomery Motorsports Park in Alabama on April 24th in his family-owned #38 machine.