Columnist Brian Hilderbrand: Ex-NBA player Hammonds once raced cars, now selling them

Thursday, May 13, 2004 | 9:42 a.m.

Brian Hilderbrand covers motor sports for the Las Vegas Sun. His motor sports notebook appears Friday. He can be reached at bh@lasvegassun.com or (702) 259-4089.

Tom Hammonds hasn't slowed down one bit since stepping away from the NHRA Pro Stock category last season.

Hammonds, an all-American at Georgia Tech who went on to play 12 seasons in the NBA with four teams, has spent the past 14 months completing coursework in the GM Minority Dealer Development program and has just opened his first automobile dealership -- Tom Hammonds Chevrolet -- in Darlington, S.C.

"Owning a car dealership is something I've always wanted," Hammonds said. "I thank God for being in a position to be able to take advantage of this opportunity. This is a dream come true -- and to have a Chevrolet franchise, that's just icing on the cake."

Hammonds, 37, drove Chevrolets throughout his eight seasons on the NHRA national circuit. Hammonds competed in Pro Stock on a part-time basis while he was playing basketball and raced full-time for two seasons after he retired from the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2001.

A lack of sponsorship forced him to sell off his two Chevy Cavalier racecars after the third race of the 2003 season.

Hammonds, who was known as a hands-on owner/driver when he competed in Pro Stock, said he intends to run his dealership in much the same manner.

"As far as trying to create a winning, professional program, we'll run the dealership very similar to the way we ran the race team," Hammonds said. "At the dragstrip, we always made every effort to make sure that our equipment was immaculate and our pit area was clean and organized, and now our store looks like that.

"I had a reputation for being a professional at the racetrack as far as my appearance, the way I worked with my sponsors and the way I handled my crew, and it's the same approach we'll take with the dealership. I'm not placing myself on a pedestal just because my name's on the store; if we're in a rush and a car needs to be cleaned, I'll wash it."

Hammonds, who competed in 82 Pro Stock races during his career, said he isn't ruling out a return to the NHRA circuit.

"Drag racing is in my blood and has been since I was very young," Hammonds said. "I have a 1970 Chevy Camaro, and although it's a street car, I do race it on the weekends.

"I'd love to come back and compete in NHRA Pro Stock and I would enjoy the opportunity to come back with a competitive team, but I'm not sure I could return as an owner/driver. Right now, my focus is on Tom Hammonds Chevrolet. After we get this opportunity up and running and I feel comfortable with the progress of this store, we'll start looking at other opportunities."

Bill Muller (Pro), Bill Culver (Street), Kahea Woods (Motorcycle) and Aaron Kimball (Sport Compact) also posted victories. Jon Whittington of Las Vegas won the Las Vegas F-Body Association final.

Mackenzie Phillips of Cedar City, Utah, won the Thunder Division and Jett Dwyer of Palmdale, Calif., claimed the Lightning division in the Short Line Express NHRA Junior Dragster Series.

The Jerry's Nugget Championship Drag Racing Series, Short Line Express NHRA Junior Dragster Series, West Coast Corvette Challenge Series and "Motorcycle Madness" will be at The Strip Saturday. A complete schedule of events can be found at www.lvms.com.