After seven weeks as executive director of United States Auto Club, Davey Hamilton is no longer associated with the motorsports sanctioning body. He said a difference of opinion with USAC President and CEO Kevin Miller led to the departure.

“I have a passion for short-track racing,” said Hamilton, who officially joined USAC on March 10. “USAC has a great name and has done a lot for me and my career, but after getting in there and really going into the deep end I was ready to go for it and get the racing side of it to where hopefully it once was.

“Unfortunately Kevin and I just didn’t see eye to eye on the direction he felt it needed to go and the direction I felt it needed to go as far as the racing component was (concerned). I think he felt everything I was doing was—I was working too much in the future and maybe not so much on today. But I didn’t know how to change things immediately.”

Miller said last week through a public relations representative that Hamilton had signed a 90-day contract and that contract was not renewed because certain expectations had not been met.

Hamilton admitted many of his plans were focused on long-term growth.

“All of my changes would have been more of a long-term plan,” the former Indy car driver added. “I had one-, three- and five-year plans in place. Unfortunately we just didn’t see eye to eye on the way either one of us thought that USAC should go.

“He (Kevin Miller) said he felt I was working on things that were just too far in the future,” Hamilton added. “I was working too far out. I was guilty of that. I have to say that he hit the nail on the head. I really was working on things in the future.

“I had some ideas on short-term things. He didn’t really like some ideas that I had on the short term,” Hamilton said. “I’m not sure what he wanted me to do exactly. I do think he felt that I needed to go to every race possible and I felt like I can’t go to every race and try to fix the long-term package at the same time. I went to plenty of races while I was there, trust me. I got input from the racers and promoters and evaluated what I felt we did right and what we did wrong and how we could make things better.”

At the end of the day, Hamilton said he felt like it was just easier to part ways with USAC now.

“It was much easier to sever the relationship seven weeks in rather than waiting a year from now,” he said. “I didn’t want to be the guy who heard, ‘Hey Davey’s been there a year and nothing’s changed.’ I didn’t feel that was a direction I wanted to go.”

Hamilton said he felt pressured to micro-manage each individual series, but that he didn’t agree with that philosophy.

“I felt that was a position that maybe they wanted me to take, but I’m not a micro manager at any point,” Hamilton said. “I’m a guy to come in and evaluate what’s going on and make sure that if there is anything we do differently or any changes, that we really evaluate them properly and make the right decisions. Don’t just make knee-jerk reactions.”

Hamilton discussed many of the things he had hoped to change, including finding a way to return the Honda USAC National Midget Series to a more prominent position within the industry. He also wanted to work on finding more national events for the USAC Silver Crown Series, as well as create a unified rules package for the USAC HPD Midget Series divisions around the country.

“One thing we needed to do is make events out of Silver Crown races, not just races,” Hamilton said. “We needed to get them back to where they use to be. I think Andy (Hillenburg, Silver Crown series director) did a really good job getting the participants back involved and activated. I felt it was my job to get the events kicked back up.

“If you look at the midget series across the country, none of them are super healthy,” Hamilton continued. “The engine cost is out of control in the midgets. You have to pay $55,000 for a Toyota to be able to win and you’re racing for $2,000 or $3,000 (to win) at the most. It just doesn’t make any sense. Most races are $1,000 to win.

“Most importantly, I met with all the engine manufacturers that are currently involved with the USAC midgets and some new ones to try to find an engine that can be competitive for much less of an investment. I was working on a program—and I’m not going to mention any manufacturers or people—they felt that they had an opportunity to have a 375 horsepower engine that cost $20,000 and that will last 1,500 miles. That is basically three years.

“It’s just unfortunate that the spigot got turned off before we really got going full bore,” Hamilton said.

Hamilton said he will continue to run his King of the Wing Sprint Car Series, which will no longer be a part of USAC. He is also working toward returning his Verizon IndyCar Series team to full-time status after only running the Indianapolis 500 this year through a partnership with Dennis Reinbold and Kingdom Racing.

“We already have a program put together for 2016’s 500, but we’d like to make it more of a full-time team,” said Hamilton, who will also continue to work as an analyst during IndyCar events on the IMS Radio Network.

Hamilton made it clear he holds no ill will toward USAC and wishes only the best for Miller, USAC and everyone involved with the sanctioning body.

“At the end of the day all I can say, without USAC I wouldn’t have had the career that I’ve had,” Hamilton said. “USAC has helped me get to the ultimate in motorsports for me, which is the Indy 500, and be an Indy car driver on a full-time basis. Without USAC, I don’t feel like I would have made it.

“I still have heart, passion and support for USAC completely,” he added. “I want nothing but the best for them. It’s just that unfortunately the ideas I had for USAC and the direction I felt it needed to go and the direction Kevin Miller felt it needed to go were obviously two different things.”