NAME: Joey Hand
BORN: February 10, 1979 (age 42)
HOMETOWN: Sacramento, CA
LIVES: Sacramento, CA
NATIONALITY: American
WEBSITE: www.joeyhandracing.com
After an outstanding karting career, Joey Hand demonstrated he was going to be a star of the future with in the Formula Mazda Pro Series - finishing fourth in his debut season in 1998 and then winning the title in 1999. Hand was awarded a Team USA Scholarship and graduated to Formula Atlantic where scored two wins and a third place in 2001.
He graduated to sportscar racing in 2004 and kicked off a long association with BMW in the GRAND-AM Rolex Series. In 2006, Hand moved to the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) and has become a force to be reckoned with, taking six GT class victories and 22 podiums.
The 2011 season put Hand on the global motorsport map. He took overall victory for Chip Ganassi at the Rolex 24 in a Daytona Prototype, and then won the GT class at Sebring. Hand followed this up with consecutive wins at Long Beach and Lime Rock, which culminated in he and his teammate clinching the ALMS GT driver’s title. Hand also made his debut at Le Mans finishing on the podium. He raced a V8 Supercar for Dick Johnson Racing at the Gold Coast 600 in Australia – impressing by finishing fourth (the highest placed international debut).
In 2012, Hand drove for BMW in the German manufacturer’s return to the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters). He was the first American driver to compete full time in the series. He dovetailed two programs - racing in Europe for BMW and in the ALMS for BMW Team RLL. He continued his winning ways in the US, taking his second Sebring win in succession.
In 2013, Hand continued his assault in the DTM. His strong point finishes assisted BMW in clinching their second consecutive manufacturers title. Competing in select ALMS races, he captured pole position at COTA and a podium at Long Beach.
In 2014, Hand contested for a third year in the DTM plus endurance rounds of the Tudor Series. The season included a strong runner up finish at the Rolex 24 at Daytona and a podium at Sebring in GTLM.
For 2015, Hand switched manufacturers to Ford, signing a long-term contract to become a fulltime driver for Chip Ganassi Racing. Driving a prototype in the Tudor Series, he claimed five podiums including a win at COTA alongside Scott Pruett.
In 2016, he debuted the new Ford GT in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and took three runner up finishes. He scored the biggest win of his career with victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Dirk Mueller and Sebastien Bourdais – coinciding with Ford's 50th anniversary of the brands history making first Le Mans victory.
In 2017, the season started by collecting another major endurance win with victory at the Rolex 24 at Daytona. Joey and Mueller scored another win at Rd America and finished 3rd in the championship and runner up in the N.American Endurance Cup. On their return to the Le Mans 24 as the defending GTLM champions, they once again finished on the podium making it 3 podiums on 3 visits to Le Mans for Joey.
In 2018, the duo continued their winning ways with victory at another endurance classic the Watkins Glen 6 hrs, and followed that with a win at Lime Rock Park. They also won the N.American Endurance Cup.
In 2019, the swan song season for the Ford GT program, Joey stood on the podium 4 times. In what was the final victory for the program it was Joey who drove the car to victory lane at Weathertech Raceway Laguna Seca in dominate fashion.
