After helping Sam Schmidt and his driver Simon Pagenaud charge to a top-5 finish in last year's IZOD IndyCar Series championship, Davey Hamilton will be back at Schmidt Peterson Motorsports to help field Pagenaud's No. 77 Honda, which will once again feature backing from HP.
With the addition of Ric Peterson to the ownership side of the team — which has expanded to a two-car outfit with Pagenaud and incoming rookie Tristan Vautier — some wondered if Hamilton would find another squad in the paddock to help. Indeed, the former racer had been mulling over such a possibility recently.
But Hamilton has decided to continue his work with Schmidt into the upcoming campaign.
“I’m happy that Sam and I are going to continue our partnership with Simon driving the #77 car,” said Hamilton in a team release. “We had a great season last year and Ric Peterson joining Sam should make the entire team even stronger. Without Ric, there would have been no way to sign Tristan and provide Simon with a teammate.”
Pagenaud enters 2013 after claiming Rookie of the Year honors and finishing fifth in the standings in 2012 (three podiums, five top-5s, nine top-10s), while Vautier is moving up to the big leagues following a run to the Firestone Indy Lights title.
