Davey Hamilton lands Indy 500 ride

Longtime IRL IndyCar Series driver Davey Hamilton has signed with Kingdom Racing to drive in this year's Indianapolis 500.

Hamilton, who came back to racing after undergoing 21 operations and two years of rehabilitation following a devastating crash at Texas Motor Speedway in June 2001, finished ninth at Indy last year, his ninth start in the May race. His best Indy finish was fourth in 1998.

"I will do anything I can to race at Indy," Hamilton said. "I continue to train harder and am putting myself in the best physical shape of my life, because the most important race in the world is the Indianapolis 500. I'd like to thank Kingdom Racing for giving me that opportunity, and I look forward to a great partnership with them."

The new team is owned by Houston businessman George Del Canto, who hopes the Indy 500 entry will attract sponsorship for the 2009 IndyCar season. USA Today