William Hamilton

6/11/1921 - 23/11/1986

Record updated 06-Nov-09

Mainly known as a Midget driver, Red tried to qualify Clyde R. Dillon's Kurtis Offenhauser 4000 for the Indy 500 in 1953 but failed his Rookie test.

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William "Red" Hamilton was born in Decatour, Illinois, USA.

In 1948 he won the Saint Louis Auto Racing Association Championship driving for John Morrison and continued to race Midgets in AAA and USAC competitions throughout the 1950s.

In 1952 he also raced a Hudson Hornet in NASCAR. In early July he finished second behind Marshall Teague in the 100 mile race at Toledo Ohio. Teague was also driving a Hudson Hornet. A couple of weeks later he came 6th in the Milwaukee 150 and at the end of the month he finished 4th in the race at Dayton, Ohio. He posted a second behind Jack McGrath at Williams Grove in August. He was second again at Milwaukee on August 22nd having put the Hudson on pole. It was a 1-2-3-4 for Hudson with Frank Luptown taking the win and Jack McGrath and Marshall Teague finihsing in 3rd and 4th.

He drove a few AAA Big Car races in 1925 for Clyde R. Dillon. After failing to qualify in the Jeanie Lee/Glessner Stevens Offy at DuQuoin early in September, he switched to drive for Dillon in his Kurtis 4000 Offy at Denver on the 28th of the month. He qualified a respectable 5th but dropped back to finish 16th. He failed to make the grid in San Jose on November the 2nd and went out with gearbox trouble at Phoenix on November 11th.

In 1953 he attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 but failed to pass his Rookie Test. He then returned to the ranks of Midget racers.



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