Joey Hand Bio
Joseph Alan Hand (born February 10, 1979) is an American professional racing driver who competes in sports car racing as a Ford factory driver. A former champion of the Star Mazda Series, Hand is the co-winner of the 2011 24 Hours of Daytona driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, the 2012 12 Hours of Sebring GT class for BMW Team Rahal, and the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro class for Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA driving the Ford GT.
Over a career that began in karting, Hand has raced across American open-wheel ladder series, Grand-Am Rolex competition, the American Le Mans Series, the United SportsCar Championship, the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, and the NASCAR Cup Series. He is widely recognized as one of the few American drivers to hold a full-season factory contract in DTM.
Early Life and Background
Joseph Alan Hand was born on February 10, 1979, in Sacramento, California, in the United States. Growing up in Northern California, he was surrounded by a vibrant motorsports culture that included karting circuits and access to a variety of road racing venues across the West Coast. That environment helped shape his early interest in becoming a professional racing driver.
Hand began his career in kart racing at the age of 12, learning race craft and car control at grassroots tracks before stepping into formula cars. His progression through junior open-wheel competition in the late 1990s laid the foundation for a transition into the Star Mazda Series, where his talent quickly became evident.
Path to NASCAR
Hand’s path to NASCAR was unconventional, as he built his reputation primarily in endurance and sports car racing rather than the traditional stock car ladder. After years of success in prototypes and GT machinery, he made his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the 2021 Bank of America Roval 400 at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval, driving the No. 52 for Rick Ware Racing.
The transition gave Hand a chance to apply his road course experience to stock cars, and he has since become a part-time road course specialist in the Cup Series. Opportunities with Rick Ware Racing and, later, a one-off drive with RFK Racing in 2024 helped establish his place in the NASCAR garage for select events.
Joey Hand Career
Early Career (1998-2003)
Hand moved up to the Star Mazda Series in 1998 and won nine races, earning the Star Mazda Rookie of the Year award in 1998 and the series championship in 1999. That early success marked him as one of the promising American open-wheel talents of his generation and opened doors to higher-profile junior series.
Following an injury that sidelined him for most of the 2000 season, Hand returned to competition in the Toyota Atlantic series in 2001. He scored two wins over three seasons in Toyota Atlantic, with a best championship finish of third in 2001, and was also named the Toyota Atlantic Rookie of the Year. He later added Team USA Scholarship honors to his resume as he continued to climb the ladder.
Grand-Am and ALMS Breakthrough (2004-2013)
Beginning with the 2004 season, Hand raced in the Grand American Road Racing Association’s Rolex Sports Car Series in both the Grand Touring and Daytona Prototype classes, winning five times in the GT category while driving BMWs. He also raced in the American Le Mans Series, where a dramatic end-over-end crash at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course in 2006 did not slow his momentum. In 2009, he earned the first pole position for a BMW in eight years in the ALMS at Road America.
Driving for Chip Ganassi Racing, Hand teamed with Scott Pruett, Memo Rojas, and Graham Rahal to win the 2011 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in the No. 01 Riley-BMW Daytona Prototype. The BMW Motorsport program he was part of also won the GT class of the 2011 12 Hours of Sebring, and Hand later finished third in the GTE-Pro class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans driving a BMW M3. In 2011, he also made his International V8 Supercars Championship debut with Dick Johnson Racing at the Gold Coast 600, finishing fourth with co-driver James Moffat.
Hand returned to BMW Rahal for the 2012 American Le Mans Series season, again winning the GT class at the 12 Hours of Sebring and taking three podiums from seven starts. During the 2013 ALMS season, he added a second-place class finish and two fourths from six appearances in a BMW Z4 for Rahal, while also contesting the 24 Hours of Daytona with Ganassi and the Brickyard Grand Prix at Indianapolis.
IMSA and Ford GT Era (2014-2016)
As the new United SportsCar Championship launched in 2014, Hand finished second in the GTLM class at the 24 Hours of Daytona and third at the 12 Hours of Sebring for BMW Rahal. The transition into the unified IMSA series kept him in contention for major endurance honors while driving factory-supported GT machinery.
In 2016, Hand joined the Ford factory program for the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, reunited with teammate Dirk Müller and joined by Sébastien Bourdais for the endurance races. Driving the 2017 Ford GT, Hand, Müller, and Bourdais won the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMGTE Pro category, one of the most prestigious results of his career.
DTM Era (2012-2014)
On December 15, 2011, BMW announced Hand as one of its factory drivers for the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters, making him the first American to hold a full-season factory contract in the series since its inception in 1984. He competed in the full 2012 DTM championship alongside a limited ALMS campaign with BMW Team RLL.
Across three DTM seasons, his best race result was fifth at Brands Hatch and his best championship result was twelfth in 2013. Driving the No. 4 for BMW Team RBM, he recorded one fastest lap while continuing to balance his commitments between DTM and North American endurance racing.
NASCAR Cup Series (2021-Present)
On October 5, 2021, Rick Ware Racing announced that Hand would make his NASCAR Cup Series debut at the Charlotte Motor Speedway Roval in the No. 52. He started 36th and finished 27th in that debut. In 2022, Hand entered all six Cup Series road course races for Rick Ware Racing in the No. 15, with a best finish of 20th at Sonoma and a best starting spot of ninth at Road America.
On June 12, 2024, it was announced that Hand would drive the No. 60 for RFK Racing in the Chicago Street Race. He won the second stage for his first career Cup Series stage win, led seven laps, and was narrowly passed by eventual winner Alex Bowman before settling for a fourth-place finish. The result was the strongest Cup Series moment of his stock car career to date.
Driving Style and Strengths
Hand is best known for his precision and consistency on road and street circuits, where his background in prototype and GT endurance racing translates directly to stock car road course events. His ability to manage tire wear, traffic, and long stints behind the wheel has made him a reliable option for teams looking for road course help. Strong preparation and clear communication with his race engineers have been central to his results across sports cars and NASCAR.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include his 2011 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona overall victory with Chip Ganassi Racing, his GT class wins at the 12 Hours of Sebring with BMW, and his 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGTE Pro triumph in the Ford GT. In NASCAR, his fourth-place run in the 2024 Chicago Street Race and his first Cup Series stage win headlined his stock car highlights.
Joey Hand Career Wins
Joey Hand has built an impressive endurance racing resume, with major class victories at the 24 Hours of Daytona, the 12 Hours of Sebring, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. His success spans prototype and GT categories, often as part of factory programs with BMW and Ford.
IMSA and Endurance Highlights
Hand is a winner of the 2011 Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona with Chip Ganassi Racing and a two-time GT class winner of the 12 Hours of Sebring with BMW Team Rahal in 2011 and 2012. He also scored five Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series GT wins while driving BMWs and earned the American Le Mans Series GT championship in 2011. His most recent major endurance victory came at the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Ford GT, taking the LMGTE Pro class with Ford Chip Ganassi Team USA.
Other Wins and Performances
Earlier in his career, Hand won nine races in the Star Mazda Series and captured the 1999 Star Mazda championship, along with two wins in the Toyota Atlantic series. In NASCAR, he has yet to record a Cup Series victory but has earned a stage win and posted competitive road course results with Rick Ware Racing and RFK Racing.
Joey Hand Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Hand was born and raised in Sacramento, California, where his early access to karting laid the groundwork for a professional career. His progression from California kart tracks to international endurance racing reflects a classic grassroots American motorsports story.
Personal Life
Hand and his wife, Natalie, have two children. He continues to be active on social media through his official channels, connecting with fans of his sports car and NASCAR road racing efforts.
2025 Season Performance
Heading into 2025, Hand continues to be active across multiple disciplines. In the NASCAR O’Reilly Auto Parts Series, he is listed as having made his first start at the 2025 Pacific Office Automation 147 at Portland, reflecting his ongoing interest in selective stock car opportunities on road and street courses.
His primary focus remains sports car racing, where his Ford factory role and long-standing relationships with championship-winning programs keep him in contention for major endurance events. With a Le Mans class victory already on his resume, Hand is positioned to chase additional podiums in IMSA and international GT competition throughout the year.
For 2025, expect Hand to balance endurance commitments with potential part-time NASCAR appearances, using his road course expertise as a specialized asset. His blend of experience, consistency, and adaptability makes him a steady presence in any garage he joins.
