Indy Car: 10 Years Later, Davey Hamilton Returns to Race at Texas

The last race on the Izod Indy Car Series schedule was the 100th Anniversary of the Greatest Sporting Event in the World, the Indianapolis 500.  This weekend's race will also have a significance when it comes to an anniversary. 

Saturday night's Firestone duel 275K's at Texas Motor Speedway will mark the tenth anniversary since Davey Hamilton's horrific wreck in 2001.

This will be Davey's first race at the track where the accident in June of 2001 nearly forced him to have both of his legs amputated.

The horrific accident started when Jeret Schroeder blew his engine exiting turn two.  The blown engine forced Schroeder to spin on some oil and make contact with the Yellow and Red #99 machine driven by Hamilton. 

Hamilton's car got airborne, and nearly went into the catch fencing head on.  The force of the contact forced his machine to spin many of times back across the track before resting near the inside retaining wall.

Hamilton's legs and feet were severely injured due to the head on contact with the wall, and it forced him into an early retirement. 

It took 21 surgeries to reconstruct his legs and feet.  It wasn't until the next summer before Hamilton could walk again on his own.

Hamilton, the driver analyst on the IMS Radio Network, came out of retirement in 2007 to race in the Indianapolis 500.  It was his first time back behind the wheel in an Indy Car race since Texas.  He placed a surprising ninth place in the rain shortened event.

Hamilton has driven in six races since that infamous wreck.  He's competed in every 500 since 2007, and also raced in Chicagoland last season.

His 54th career start and second start of the season in the #11 HP Honda will be the most memorable and emotional start in Davey's career.