[Task Force]

Hamilton looking to end season on high note at Columbus
By Zach Tasker
Danville, Indiana driver Kyle Hamilton is looking to finish strong this Saturday night as the USAC Honda National Pavement Midget Championship ends their season at Columbus Motor Speedway in Ohio this Saturday night. Hamilton is currently 5th in series points coming off of a feature victory on night two of the border battle at Grundy County Speedway in Morris, Illinois.
Even though Hamilton has five straight top ten finishes in USAC competition this season heading into this weekend, it was a last minute deal that allowed him to even race. Earlier this week the crew found a problem in the engine in his primary car, but after scrambling for a ride, and some help from a racing friend, Kyle will be piloting the #33 Pit Stop BBQ & Grill/Curtis Motor Sales Beast/Mopar in the “Battle in the Buckeye State” . “I was at a point where I thought I was going to have to miss the final race of the season but to have a guy like Eric Cottongim come in and save the day is just a testament to how strong the racing community really is.”
Hamilton is striving to make the most of this opportunity as this is statistically one of his best tracks “Columbus has been a strong track for me in the past. I've won a regional midget race there and I also won the USAC Ignite national championship race there in 2009. It's a very technical track because you are in a turning motion more than most tracks on the national circuit so corner speed will be the key to putting down fast consistent laps. We've had some ups and downs this year with a devastating last lap rocker break while leading at Pikes Peak to our 2nd national win at Grundy.”
With the success Hamilton and crew have had recently, they are bound to be a championship contender in 2014 “My dad, mechanic Charles Holland, Brad Fulbright and all of the guys at Spike Chassis have stuck with me through it all and I couldn't be more blessed to work with the people that I do. It would be great to finish off the year with a solid finish to cap off the 2013 racing season. It is always nice to have a strong last race also because potential sponsors and teams will be looking into their 2014 plans and you want the last thing they see is for you to be running up front.”
Action gets underway Saturday with practice at 5pm, qualifying at 6pm, and racing at 7pm. Grandstand gates open at 4pm.