Roger Hamby

Roger Hamby (born July 2, 1943, in Ferguson, North Carolina) is an American former NASCAR Winston Cup Series driver and NASCAR team owner whose career spanned from 1977 to 1981. He was one of the runners-up for the 1978 NASCAR Rookie of the Year award and has employed fellow NASCAR drivers Mark Martin, Lake Speed, and Sterling Marlin as a NASCAR team owner during the late 1980s. Now owns “Hambys Muffler” in Wilkesboro.

Career Hamby drove 19199.8 miles in his NASCAR Winston Cup Series career. His average start was 24th place, and his average finish was 21st. He formally competed in 18,446 laps of NASCAR racing, earning a lifetime total of $118,823. Hamby's top-ten finishes came at the 1978 Volunteer 400 at Bristol and the 1978 Capital City 400 at Richmond.

Hamby was most successful at the Ontario Motor Speedway, with an average finish of twelfth place, and least successful at the Pocono Raceway, where he averaged thirtieth. He performed best on short tracks. On tri-oval intermediate tracks he averaged 25th place. Before racing in the Winston Cup Series, Hamby competed in the NASCAR Dash Series. His final Dash Series race took place on February 15, 1980.

Most of Hamby's career was spent as a driver-owner in the No. 17 Chevrolet sponsored by King's Inn Daytona. One of his vehicles was involved in a major crash in the 1979 Gabriel 400 when Steve Pfeiffer (replacing Hamby during the race in the No. 17 Chevrolet Impala) injured some spectators after a routine green flag pit stop went awry. As Hamby started the vehicle and made the substitution during the middle of the race, he got credit for the finish, not Pfeiffer.

Motorsports career results

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

Winston Cup Series NASCAR Winston Cup Series results Year Team No. Make 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Pts Ref 1977 Hamby Motorsports 17 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL NWS DAR BRI MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT NA 0 1978 RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL DAR NWS MAR TAL DOV CLT NSV RSD NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL ONT 21st 2617 Olds BRI MCH DAY 1979 0 RSD DAY 31st 1231 17 Chevy CAR RCH ATL NWS TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DOV MAR CLT NWS CAR ATL ONT Olds BRI DAR MAR DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH 1980 Chevy RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI DAR NWS MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV NWS MAR CLT CAR ATL ONT 20th 2606 1981 RSD DAY RCH CAR ATL BRI NWS DAR MAR TAL NSV DOV CLT TWS RSD MCH DAY NSV POC TAL MCH BRI DAR RCH DOV MAR NWS CLT CAR ATL RSD 90th 82 † – Qualified but replaced by Don Whittington

Daytona 500 Year Team Manufacturer Start Finish 1978 Hamby Motorsports Chevrolet 30 15 1979 Oldsmobile DNQ 1980 Chevrolet QL†† - Qualified but replaced by Don Whittington