CONCORD, N.C. Bill Rose has tabbed Zach Hampton to pilot his No. 6 machine with the World of Outlaws NOS Energy Drink Sprint Cars this season.

Hampton becomes the latest driver in a loaded rookie class as the upcoming season will mark his first with The Greatest Show on Dirt. He joins Cole Macedo, Chris Windom, Garet Williamson and Skylar Gee in the chase for the Kevin Gobrecht Rookie of the Year award.

Knowing he wanted to put someone in the seat as he continues to heal from injuries sustained last year, Rose recently reached out to Hampton. It was fortuitous timing for the Mooresville, Ind., native as he went from an uncertain future to a shot on sprint car racings biggest stage.

Im actually selling most of my stuff, and I was kind of prepared to be done unless I could drive for someone else but didnt really have anything in the works, Hampton explained. Bill was going to buy a few things like my mule and other small stuff, and we got to talking. It kind of started from there. Then he called me while I was at Chili Bowl and asked if Id be interested. We talked some more and got a deal worked out that works well for both of us.

Hampton has plenty of sprint var laps under his belt. His 2024 campaign was highlighted by several top 10s in weekly Knoxville Raceway action. In 2023 he picked up an impressive FAST victory in his home state at Circle City Raceway.

Now he takes the step up to the demanding World of Outlaws calendar where hell face off with the best of the best every night.

Im really excited, Hampton said. Theres going to be a big learning curve in a lot of areas. I think theres like 90 races on the schedule, and the most by far Ive ever done in a year is, I want to say, 52. Thats definitely going to be a big step up, but I think thatll only help me from a driving standpoint being on the track more and more consistently.

The opportunity is one that Hampton is motivated to take advantage of. It wasnt all that long ago that he was selling his equipment without a solid situation ahead. The time is now for Hampton.

Its nice that people see potential there and that Bill trusts me not only driving his car but to be a part of this team, Hampton said. The drivers are usually kind of the face of it. It means a lot that he trusts me enough in all of those aspects to come race with them.

While Rose has added Hampton to the team, fans can still expect to see Rose himself behind the wheel. Hes still ironing out the details as he continues to await medical clearance, but with it being his 50th overall year in racing, Rose has no intentions of only being a crew chief all season.