DON HAMILTON

Don Hamilton during 1967 practice

1967, Mobile, Alabama. The #71 of Donnie Hamilton from Santa Anna, California. I was told that this car was at one time driven by Billy Vukovich Jr. This one burned to the ground after a low speed rear-ender on the main straight in the 300. To say the least, the track was not prepared for a major alcohol fire.
Jim Thurman writes in :"His name is Don Hamilton and he raced out of El Cajon, California, not Santa Ana. The car is one of the famous Peat Brothers "T". This car, with Don Edmunds and then Bob Hogle at the wheel, dominated the San Diego Racing Association Modified Sportsman (their name for caged Sprints/Supers) in 1966 and 1967. Billy Vukovich Jr. did in fact drive the car, at Cajon, I was there that night! (he threw a heck of a tantrum after a heat race incident, standing in the cockpit and pounding his fists on the top of the car as the cars lined up to exit the track)
I had heard the car burned to the ground at an open race in Mobile, Alabama, but hadn't seen a picture. What a great shot it is to see this car on what sadly proved to be it's last day. I had read the Peat Brothers also ran (or were planning on running) a few other events in the South on this trip, one being Pensacola, Florida. Don Hamilton went on to win the 1973 CRA Sprint Car championship.

   I will never forget that California car.  Billy Vukovich III had driven it some at San Jose.  Have movies of that.  That thing had an engine in it that sounded unlike anything I'd ever heard before.  A small block that literally buzzed.  I was there the night it burned.  There was a red flag.  Someone had hit him in the rear and fractured the fuel tank.  It had stopped on the front stretch right in front of where we were sitting.  The alcohol fire was barely visible, with the blue flames wrapping around the tank like fingers.  A wrecker had hooked up to it and was going to tow it to the pits.  As it entered the pits someone saw the fire and yelled at the wrecker driver, who hit the panic button big time. He drug the car, hitting two barrels of alcohol and dropped it.  The thing went up like a fireworkds display,  The fire was HUGE.  The magnesium wheels blew up opne at a time shooting sparks high into the air.  Every fire extinguisher in the pits was use to no avail.  Mobile FD ws called.  It was at the World 300 and all the scorekeepers were sitting on faltbead trailer just behind the wall.  The fire was so intense they all ran for their lives.  By the time the fire truck got there, the car was a charred pile of tubing.  Worst fire I'd ever seen at a track.

Note: From Gerald Hodges

   According to Gene Tapia, Hamilton's car did catch on fire during the World 300. He parked his car at the entrance to pit road, near turn one. The car was blazing and another team had a couple drums of methanol stored right next to where he stopped.

   A fight broke out between the two teams, and it is unclear whether these drums of fuel ignited, or whether the fire was from the car, but since the safety truck didn't have any foam to fight the fire, the car burned completely up.

   There was a photo in the Mobile Register showing the skeleton of the car on Monday after the race.