Meet NASCAR’s newest Race Director, Jusan Hamilton

Hamilton, who called several races in 2021, will become the first ever race director of color to control the Daytona 500

For many fans, Formula One’s championship decider in Abu Dhabi is one that stains the entire season, due to a controversial call following a very liberal interpretation of the rules by race director Michael Masi.

As it turns out, NASCAR’s newest race director is among those fans.

Meet Jusan Hamilton, a 31-year-old official who has been working in NASCAR race operations for around 10 years at the time of writing. His first race called was the 2017 Auto Club Xfinity race, and his first Cup race was the summer Pocono race of 2018. He made multiple appearances as Cup race director in 2021, alongside Tim Bermann.

Notable races Hamilton has called include the 2020 Charlotte Roval Xfinity race, and the 2022 Clash at the Coliseum.

Hamilton, in 2022, will become the first African American race director in Daytona 500 history. Since the retirement of David Hoots in 2018, the role has been held mostly by Bermann. Hamilton will call 46 total races this season, including 23 Cup races.

Hamilton is a widely respected figure in the Cup Series garage. Head of NASCAR officiating Elton Sawyer said of Hamilton “I see ice water running through his veins now. He’s just ready to go… he’s got tremendous bandwidth to be able to take on those challenges.” Said Bubba Wallace, “He’s been working super hard”.

For Hamilton, it’s not just about being a good race director. He has the short term goal of calling a flawless Daytona 500, and the long term goal of being a role model for kids across the country.

Said Hamilton, “I hope that by the example I’m setting, young girls and boys have more of a freedom to pursue their goals and have that system around them that can look at what I’m doing, or what others are doing and say, yes, it is possible.”