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Former racer Andy Hampton, age 87 of Louisville, KY, passed away peacefully on Friday, April 1. Hampton was diagnosed and treated for cancer 20 years ago, but the disease had returned recently.
Hampton was one of the Louisville area’s most successful dealers of pre-owned automobiles, having several locations in the area for several decades.
He won five consecutive track championships at Louisville’s Fairgrounds Motor Speedway, no driver has accomplished that feat at any area speedway’s since. He won the Figure Eight track championships in 1961, 1962 and 1963. He won the speedway’s New & Late Model track championships in 1964 and 1965 driving Pontiacs prepared by the late Harry Hyde. In fact, he amassed the most total points in both racing divisions combined in a single season and won the speedway’s official pace car, a 1964 Mustang convertible.
A winner of major events, he co-drove with the late Jack Purcell and won the speedway’s 1961 “Kentucky Stock Car Derby”, a 500-lap race event. In 1967, he co-drove with Bill Kimmel of Clarksville and together they won the ARCA sanctioned “International 500”.
In 1968, he won the “ARCA 300” in a 1967 Dodge Charger at Daytona International Speedway and one of his best friends, another top FMS star… Jesse Baird (also in a Dodge) finished in second place, both outdistancing upstart Benny Parsons in a Ford. The following week, after changing engines, NASCAR allowed Hampton to start the “Daytona 500” in 50th place and he finished in the top ten against the best stock car drivers in the world.
He won another “ARCA 300” in 1972 at Daytona International Speedway, this time driving a 1969 Ford Talladega for car owner, Jack Bowsher. To this day, no other driver from the Louisville area has ever won the ARCA event at Daytona although the distance has been reduced to 200-laps. He still ranks near the top ten in all-time race victories on the ARCA series circuit.
Although he never officially retired as a race driver, one of his final events was the 1974 “International 500” at Fairgrounds Motor Speedway driving a Chevelle owned by Jim Atherton, built by Jack Brown Engineering. He was leading the late LaMarr Marshall near the midway point of the event when the rear axle assembly seized.
Hampton was one of the Louisville area’s most successful dealers of pre-owned automobiles, having several locations in the area for several decades.
He won five consecutive track championships at Louisville’s Fairgrounds Motor Speedway, no driver has accomplished that feat at any area speedway’s since. He won the Figure Eight track championships in 1961, 1962 and 1963. He won the speedway’s New & Late Model track championships in 1964 and 1965 driving Pontiacs prepared by the late Harry Hyde. In fact, he amassed the most total points in both racing divisions combined in a single season and won the speedway’s official pace car, a 1964 Mustang convertible.
A winner of major events, he co-drove with the late Jack Purcell and won the speedway’s 1961 “Kentucky Stock Car Derby”, a 500-lap race event. In 1967, he co-drove with Bill Kimmel of Clarksville and together they won the ARCA sanctioned “International 500”.
In 1968, he won the “ARCA 300” in a 1967 Dodge Charger at Daytona International Speedway and one of his best friends, another top FMS star… Jesse Baird (also in a Dodge) finished in second place, both outdistancing upstart Benny Parsons in a Ford. The following week, after changing engines, NASCAR allowed Hampton to start the “Daytona 500” in 50th place and he finished in the top ten against the best stock car drivers in the world.
He won another “ARCA 300” in 1972 at Daytona International Speedway, this time driving a 1969 Ford Talladega for car owner, Jack Bowsher. To this day, no other driver from the Louisville area has ever won the ARCA event at Daytona although the distance has been reduced to 200-laps. He still ranks near the top ten in all-time race victories on the ARCA series circuit.
Although he never officially retired as a race driver, one of his final events was the 1974 “International 500” at Fairgrounds Motor Speedway driving a Chevelle owned by Jim Atherton, built by Jack Brown Engineering. He was leading the late LaMarr Marshall near the midway point of the event when the rear axle assembly seized.
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