Davey Hamilton Jr. Bio
Davey Jay Hamilton Jr., born on March 15, 1997, is an American racing driver from Idaho who competes in Indy NXT, the primary development series for the NTT IndyCar Series. He drives for Cusick Motorsports and HMD Motorsports. Hamilton is a third-generation racer and the son of former Indianapolis 500 competitor Davey Hamilton, whose own career shaped much of his son’s introduction to motorsports. Across his career, Hamilton has built a reputation in midgets, sprint cars, and the Stadium Super Trucks before returning to the open-wheel ladder of American racing.
Early Life and Background
Hamilton was born in Idaho and raised near the small community of Star, where he grew up surrounded by racing. He is the grandson of Ken Hamilton, making him a third-generation driver with deep family ties to the sport. From an early age, Hamilton spent time at local tracks, learning the craft of oval racing in the same grassroots environment where his father and grandfather had competed.
He began his competitive career in karting at his local kart track near Star, Idaho, racing against other young drivers in the region. The experience gave him a foundation in race craft, car control, and the discipline required to move up through the American open-wheel ladder. By his early teens, Hamilton had progressed beyond karts and was ready to test himself in larger, faster equipment.
Path to NASCAR
Although Hamilton is best known for his open-wheel and sprint car work, he did sample stock car racing late in 2017, when he entered one NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event. That brief appearance connected him to the NASCAR development pipeline, but his career has remained focused primarily on ovals in the open-wheel and dirt-pavement world. His NASCAR exposure served as a useful contrast to his usual equipment rather than a long-term path.
Davey Hamilton Jr. Career
Early Career (2011–2015)
Hamilton made his initial mark in the USAC Midgets, debuting in the Ford Focus Midwestern Pavement division. In 2011 he finished eleventh in the standings, then improved to sixth place in 2012 as he gained experience against established pavement midget competitors. These early USAC seasons allowed him to refine his oval skills and build a reputation as a young driver with promise.
In 2015, Hamilton won the King of the Wing’s Western Sprintcar Series, signaling his arrival as a serious sprint car talent. That same year he began testing an Indy Lights car with McCormack Racing, taking his first steps toward the Road to Indy ladder system. The combination of a sprint car title and open-wheel testing set the stage for his Indy Lights debut the following season.
Indy Lights Breakthrough (2016–2018)
Hamilton was initially announced for the full 2016 Indy Lights season with McCormack Racing, but the program did not come together until the season finale at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca, where he finally made his series debut. Despite the limited schedule, he also won the King of the Wing championship that year, reinforcing his versatility across pavement and short ovals.
In 2017, Hamilton joined the Stadium Super Trucks series, racing the No. 75 for Always Evolving at the Grand Prix of St. Petersburg. At the round held inside Beijing National Stadium, he crossed the line first but was later disqualified for not taking the required joker lane. Later in the year, he drove a NASCAR K&N Pro Series West event, adding stock car experience to his résumé.
On April 30, 2018, after completing a rookie test at Kentucky Speedway, Team Pelfrey announced that Hamilton would compete in that year’s Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The team indicated that additional appearances in 2018 and 2019 were being discussed, putting him back on the Indy Lights path.
Hiatus and Return (2019–2022)
Hamilton’s career was placed on hold from 2019 through much of 2021 following a February 2019 arrest in Florida, an incident linked to ongoing concussion issues from prior race crashes. He was sentenced to five years of probation and used the time away from the track to start several businesses and serve as an ambassador for the Brian Hamilton Foundation, which supports entrepreneurs with criminal records.
He returned to racing in October 2021 in the USAC Silver Crown Series, winning in his second sprint car race with Kirk Morgan’s Morgan Motorsports team. The strong comeback performance earned him a full season with the team in 2022. That year, Hamilton won six races and captured the Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series championship, marking him as the winningest pavement sprint car driver of 2022.
HMD Motorsports Era (2023–2025)
In 2023, Hamilton won his first career USAC Silver Crown race at Gateway in St. Louis, Missouri, with Legacy Autosport. He also promoted the inaugural Open Wheel Showdown at the Bullring at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, a $50,000-to-win winged sprint car event that was the highest-paying race of its kind at the time. He was again recognized as the winningest pavement sprint car driver of the season.
On May 14, 2025, it was announced that Hamilton would return to Indy Lights, now rebranded as Indy NXT, driving for HMD Motorsports at the four oval events of the season. The program pairs HMD with Cusick Motorsports, giving Hamilton a competitive platform to reconnect with the open-wheel ladder. The move marked a major step in his comeback story.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hamilton is at his strongest on oval tracks, where his sprint car background gives him a feel for throttle control and car positioning in traffic. He has shown an ability to adapt across pavement and dirt surfaces, and his work with crew chiefs at Morgan Motorsports, Legacy Autosport, and HMD Motorsports has produced measurable results. His race craft is shaped by years of midget and sprint car racing, where patience and tire management are critical.
Notable Races and Milestones
Hamilton’s signature moments include his 2015 King of the Wing Western Sprintcar Series title, his 2022 Southern Sprintcar Shootout championship, and his 2023 USAC Silver Crown victory at Gateway. He also reached Indy Lights competition at Laguna Seca in 2016 and the Freedom 100 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in 2018, both landmark open-wheel events in his career.
Davey Hamilton Jr. Career Wins
Davey Hamilton Jr. has built a winning résumé primarily in sprint car and open-wheel competition. His verified titles include the 2015 King of the Wing Western Sprintcar Series, the 2016 King of the Wing championship, the 2022 Southern Sprintcar Shootout Series championship, and the 2022 and 2023 winningest pavement sprint car driver honors. He has also recorded race wins in USAC Silver Crown competition and the Stadium Super Trucks.
Indy NXT and USAC Highlights
In the Indy NXT ladder, Hamilton has made selected starts in 2016, 2018, and 2025 rather than full-season campaigns, with his 2025 program covering four oval events. In USAC competition, he captured his first Silver Crown win in 2023 at Gateway and added multiple sprint car victories in 2022 with Morgan Motorsports.
Other Wins and Performances
Outside of USAC, Hamilton has competed in the Stadium Super Trucks and the NASCAR K&N Pro Series West, with a notable international appearance in Beijing. His 2017 Stadium Super Trucks win at Beijing National Stadium was later overturned due to a joker-lane penalty, but it remains one of the more dramatic results of his career.
Davey Hamilton Jr. Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hamilton comes from a multi-generational racing family. His father, Davey Hamilton, is a former Indianapolis 500 competitor, and his grandfather, Ken Hamilton, also raced, making Davey Jr. a third-generation driver. The family’s long involvement in oval racing helped shape his early career path.
Personal Life
Hamilton is based in Idaho and has been open about the concussion issues that affected his racing career. During his time away from competition, he started a series of businesses and worked with the Brian Hamilton Foundation, which helps people with criminal records become entrepreneurs.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season centers on Hamilton’s return to Indy NXT with HMD Motorsports and Cusick Motorsports, announced on May 14, 2025, and focused on the four oval rounds of the calendar. The program gives him a chance to rebuild momentum on the open-wheel ladder after several years focused on sprint car and Stadium Super Trucks competition.
His oval-only schedule is designed to play to his sprint car strengths, particularly at high-banked short ovals and intermediate speedways. Working alongside HMD Motorsports, a team with a strong development track record, Hamilton has a clear opportunity to log competitive results and reestablish himself in the Road to Indy pipeline. The partnership with Cusick Motorsports adds additional engineering and operational support for the limited slate.
Beyond the Indy NXT program, Hamilton continues to be active in sprint car racing and event promotion following his 2023 Open Wheel Showdown success. The 2025 season is positioned as a reintroduction year, with the oval-focused Indy NXT campaign serving as the foundation for potential future expansion across more rounds and additional disciplines.