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Contributed by Steve Andrews, Managing Editor, Crestview News Bulletin
December 18, 2006

Tom Hammonds

Tom Hammonds lives to compete.

Even as he sat atop a bulldozer Tuesday morning, set to break ground on his new racing headquarters inside the Holt Industrial Park in Crestview Fla., the 6-foot-9 former NBA star was in a competitive mood.

Hammonds aimed the dozer toward the biggest tree he could find and proceeded to go one on one.

"This the culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of prayers just to have a chance to build our own professional race shop here in Holt," said Hammonds as he and his crew began clearing two of the 10 acres he owns, which will house Tom Hammonds Enterprises, LLC. The 11,000-square-foot facility will include an in-house engine program, a machine shop, offices and a showroom for the cars.

"It's a dream come true," the 39-year-old Hammonds added. "God willing, this is how I'm going to spend the next 30 years, hopefully going out there and racing, winning races and having fun."

After a three-year hiatus from professional drag racing, Hammonds plans to return to Pro Stock in 2007 behind the wheel of a Rick Jones-built Chevy Cobalt. He last competed at an Pro Stock event in March 2003 in Gainesville.

"I'm excited about this program, because for the first time, I will be able to put a full 100-percent effort into racing Pro Stock," Hammonds said. "When I raced before, I was still playing in the NBA, and then when I retired from basketball, I was devoted to other business ventures. I couldn't give my full attention to racing, and given the limited amount of time we had on the track, I still think we were pretty successful."

He already has his sights set on the season's first race, the CARQUEST Auto Parts NHRA Winternationals to be held Feb. 8-11 in Pomona, Calif.

"I've always loved racing and I tell you what, Pro Stock is probably the most competitive you can get," he said. "So I don't know if I'm jumping back from the frying pan to the fire, but I've got faith and I think everything will be just fine."

Hammonds starts the porocess of clearing his land.

The former All-American and two-time All-ACC selection at Georgia Tech has moved back to the Hub City for the first time since 1985, when he led Crestview High to the school's lone state championship in any team sport.

While earning his degree in business and industrial management, Hammonds was an NBA Lottery pick when he was chosen ninth overall by the Washington Bullets in the 1989 draft.

After a 12-year NBA career -- spending time with the Bullets, Charlotte Hornets, Denver Nuggets and Minnesota Timberwolves -- Hammonds called it quits in 2001, due mostly to deteriorated cartilage in both ankles.

He began his racing career in Pro Stock in 1997. In 2002, he had a career-best two second-place finishes and finished 14th in the season standings.

Two years later, Hammonds completed the final coursework in the GM Minority Dealer Development Program and opened Tom Hammonds Chevrolet in Darlington, S.C.

As a dealership owner, he was forced to step down from the racing circuit and commit all of his time to the business.

After playing tug-o-war with his future and his desires, Hammonds decided last December to sell the dealership and return to the NHRA full-time with his own team.

"It was a tough decision, but when I was working at the dealership I really missed that competitive side," he said. "There's nothing like competing your whole life, then going in and sitting behind a desk.

"I enjoyed the business, and GM has actually come to me recently with an opportunity to get more stores. But racing is what I want to do now."

Chevrolet immediately jumped back on board, along with Mac Tools and Industrial Depot as the three premiere sponsors for Hammonds' race team. He is still looking for one more major partner to complete the package.

Hammonds will once again campaign a Chevrolet.

"Team Chevy is proud to support Tom Hammonds upon his return to NHRA Pro Stock racing in 2007," said GM drag racing marketing manager Fred Simmonds in an interview with dragraceusa.com. "Tom was a valued member of our team when he raced his Pro Stock Chevy Cavalier several years ago, and we're looking forward to renewing our relationship with one of the class acts among professional athletes."

Drawing from his first-stint in the sport, Hammonds has brought back Jimmy Oliver as his primary engine builder. Oliver, a 30-year veteran in the business, is regarded as one of the top three engine builders in the country.

"It's fun to do something like this from the ground up," said Oliver, who is in the process of moving down from Columbus, Ohio. "Tom's a good driver, he's team-oriented, he has a goal and he knows how to get there, so I think he will do well.

"I think this can eventually be a championship team. Tom is motivated to do it and he has the right program. If we can all execute the program, there's no reason we can't make it to the top."

Hammonds is still seeking a crew chief to complete the team and is confident he will find the right person for the job.

"I know what it takes to win and I know how to win," Hammonds said. "I know that it takes hard work. But on top of the hard work, it takes good people.

"That's one of the main things I learned throughout the dealership process. You get good people, let them do their job, take care of those people, then you work your butt off. That's really the secret to success."

One of his reasons for choosing Holt to base his team is the proximity to the Emerald Coast Dragway, where he will do the majority of his testing. Although the strip is only an eighth of a mile -- half the distance of the standard quarter-mile tracks used in NHRA -- Hammonds said it is adequate enough to meet their needs.

"I'm just so excited about being back and having the chance to make a difference in this community," he said. "I'm looking forward to having people come out and see what's going on. We will have an Open House when everything is up and running.

"I think this is outstanding for this area, just to have a full-fledge professional race team come out of Holt and the Crestview area."

With all of the fun that Hammonds looks forward to behind the steering wheel, he still keeps the business aspect in perspective.

Hammonds breaks ground with, from left, his mother Ruth Brunson, mechanic Mark Houston, engine builder Jimmy Oliver and engine shop assistant Tim Roberts.

"It's a business and it will be run like a business," he said. "We've got a lot of work ahead of us. In order to be competitive in this sport you've got to concentrate 110 percent on your own program.

"We had a lot of success the first time around, but I think the thing that can now take us to the next level is having our own shop here in this area."

Hammonds also hopes to bring in some local talent, such as mechanics and drivers, to join his team when the time comes.

"There is a lot of talent in this area that we can use, and we want to tap into that," he said. "I don't have to go to North Carolina. I can find people right here."

Hammonds also has three sons -- Tom IV, 21, Keelan, 11, and Kaison, 7 -- who he hopes to bring on board when they are ready. Tom IV is playing college basketball at North Florida after transferring from East Carolina last season.

"Heck yeah, I'm going to have those boys in here helping out," the elder Hammonds said. "They can come in here and clean up or sweep the floors or something."

Hammonds has now put basketball behind him, other than watching a game every now and again. But his philosophy for success is still the same, whether on the court or on the drag strip.

"It takes a team. No matter what you do in life it takes a team effort to be successful," he said. "I'm a big believer in that you get out of something what you put into it. If you devote 100 percent of your time and effort into something, you're going to get good results, regardless of what it is. I'm confident that we can be competitive and that we will be successful."

"I just thank God everything is coming together."