This is the Statt Mann Baby!!  Time to Scatt a little bit.

Davey Hamilton is the mid-May headline at Indy. 

Hamilton was nearly killed in a crash at Texas Motor Speedway six years ago.  Doctors wanted to amputate his legs.  They compromised by fusing his left ankle and limiting motion in his right.

He was left promoting super modifieds in Idaho.  I met him in the pits at Orange Show Speedway nearly three years ago.  He was hustling guys who worked farm dirt and left it under their nails working on cars at night.

Davey stayed attached to Indy Cars driving media guys around and working on the radio broadcasts.  Finally, IndyCar Series founder Tony George, demonized by many in open-wheel racing, started a team – Vision Racing – got some help from actor Patrick Dempsey to keep the door open, and eventually hired Davey to run in this year’s Indy 500.

Sunday morning Hamilton put the car solidly in the field to run again at Indy.

Say what you want about Tony George, but here he’s giving a guy from Idaho another shot at Indy Cars, a guy who promoted farmers and garage mechanics to keep his hand in racing.

That’s what keeps the Indy 500 the Great Spectacle that it is, guys and stories like Davey Hamilton.

Peace.