At 6 feet 9, Tom Hammonds still isn’t one of the big guys in the National Hot Rod Association - at least not yet.
While others have better funding - and all the technology and speed that comes with it - Hammonds will bring little more than a sincere passion and a fast Chevrolet to this weekend’s AC Delco Gatornationals at the Gainesville Speedway.
“Racing has always been in my blood,” he said. “My dad was a bit of a racer and some of that rubbed off on me. I love racing. This is what I really love to do. Basketball was a means for me to chase that dream - and I’m still chasing it.”
Hammonds will try to qualify his Chevrolet into the Round of 16 eliminations at the Gatornationals. There are two rounds of qualifying today and two more on Saturday. The runoffs start at 11 a.m. on Sunday.
After spending two days testing in Valdosta, Ga., this week, Hammonds believes his team is on the verge of breaking through. He’s gotten as far as the finals three times in his career, but he’s still looking for his first victory.
“We’re still looking for a sponsor, so the lack of funding is the only thing slowing us down,” he said. “We have the right product on the race track, so I don’t feel like we’re that big of a disadvantage. I don’t go into any race thinking I can’t win. I never played against Michael [Jordan] thinking we were going to lose; I don’t go to races thinking I can’t win.
“I honestly believe I’m going to win a race this year.”
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