Pete Hamilton

Peter "Pete" Hamilton (July 20, 1942 – March 21, 2017) was an American NASCAR racer. He was born in Dedham, Massachusetts. He won four times in his career (including the 1970 Daytona 500), three times driving for Petty Enterprises.

Hamilton died in Boston, Massachusetts on March 21, 2017, aged 74.

Career
Pete Hamilton began his career in 1968 and won four races in five seasons, including the Daytona 500 in 1970. Hamilton's best performance in the NASCAR Grand National Premier League Championship was a 21st place the same year.

Car builder
Pete helped Chrysler's Larry Rathgeb develop their "Kit-Car", a weld-it-yourself Volare or Aspen late model stock car that any racer could order from Plymouth and Dodge dealers. He moved to Norcross, Georgia, and worked as a car builder and mentor to many drivers on the 1980s southern dirt tracks, launching successful racing careers for Marvin Oliver and James Shepherd.

Career award
He was inducted into the New England Auto Racers Hall of Fame in 1998 in its inaugural class. Pete was named to the Georgia Racing Hall of Fame in 2012.

Personal life
Hamilton was born outside Boston in Dedham, and raised in nearby Newton, Massachusetts. He was the son of Roger S. Hamilton, once the Dean of Northeastern University. He graduated from Newton High School in 1960. He married his wife, Susan Huckstorf in 1970. After racing, he owned a warehouse in Atlanta. He spent his time between Duluth, Georgia and Acton, Maine.

Death
Hamilton died on March 21, 2017 at the age of 74 due to complications of a stroke. He was buried at Peachtree Memorial Park in Norcross, Georgia. He was survived by his wife of forty-seven years and a daughter.

NASCAR
(key) ( Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led. )

Other websites

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