Courtesy of Dan St. Pierre

       Oxford Plains Speedway's Bob Walker, like most speedway announcers, was quite a hand with nicknames for the drivers. OPS had Ray "The Boulder" Stone, Earl "Parnelli" Jones, "Sudden Sam" Sessions, and God knows how many more creative monikers out there on the track on any given Saturday night. Oxford's exceptional sportsman driver Al Hammond ended up - at least while I used to attend races - as "Fat Albert" Hammond [more in deference to Bill Cosby's cartoon character than to any girth problem]. Hammond turned out to be a great driver for many years. When I was getting to see races up there, he had partnered with Tony DiPompo, quite the motor man, and they were hard to beat. Not that other Maine drivers don't deserve it just as much, but I have quite a few Hammond photos. I figured I might just as well do a page for him.

Courtesy of Charlie Sheehan This Crown Vicky could very well be Al's first car. Don't know for sure.	Courtesy of Walter Newell The Crown Vicky is seen here in an early Hammond win.	Courtesy of Walter Newell By the time of this earlier car, Al has switched over to Chevy.	Courtesy of Steve Pellerin The same Chevy at Wiscasset.	Courtesy of MVRCA SIte The Chevy at OPS.
Courtesy of Dan St. Pierre A later 13 Chevy.	Source Unknown Al, with Tony Di Pompo during the Mopar era.	Courtesy of George Richardson Somebody thought enough of  Hammond to put him in a Permatex car at Daytona.	Courtesy of Ken MacIsaac Hammond was often sought out. Here he talks to track manager Dick Bahre.	Courtesy of Dan St. Pierre Hammond was often sought out. Here he talks to Ralph Moody of Holman Moody.
Courtesy of Walter Newell Hammond, in Vic Lane with Mike Rowe and Skip Hodgdon. 1977.	Courtesy of Walter Newell Arguably, this is his most iconic race car.	Courtesy of Walter Newell Arguably, this is his most iconic race car.	Courtesy of Xactoman The Chevelle, up front.	Courtesy of Steve Pellerin During this era, Al got to drive the Seavey J2 Chevelle, usually run by Russ Nutting.

Courtesy of Walter Newell
Composite publiciity shot.

Courtesy of Walter Newell  A trip into the OPS lake. I'd say the awful fate was  those poor track guys wading in to get him	Bill Haynes Photo  Courtesy of Walter Newell Another win in the Goodwin 1.	Delameter Photo Courtesy of Ken MacIsaac Hammond, in Vic Lane with Russ Nutting  and Billy Clark. 1985.	Courtesy of Walter Newell Another OPS win.	Courtesy of MVRCA A handful of loot.
Source Unknown Some sort of Daytona Permatex type photo I can't amke out too well.	Courtesy of OPS.com  A shot late into a great career.	Courtesy of OPS.com  A later ride.	Courtesy of neighborhood who.com  The '57 Chevy restored. Some damn fine signwork too.	Courtesy of Al Hammond Mem. Facebook Page A later late model on display at a car show.
	Courtesy of Al Hammond Mem. Facebook Page  Another shot of the more recent late model, in action.	Courtesy of Al Hammond Mem. Facebook Page  Another shot of the iconic Chevelle.	Courtesy of Al Hammond Mem. Facebook Page  Another shot of the more recent late model, in action.

 
Courtesy of Al Hammond Mem. Facebook Page
 Induction into the Maine Motorsports Hall of Fame. [Center, back row]

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