Andy Petree visited Team Rensi Motorsports garage this week to see the paint scheme on the No. 35 Mc Donalds Ford Fusion. Petree was the owner of the No. 55 Chevrolet 2001 Monte Carlo that won the 2001 Talladega 500. The driver of that car was Bobby Hamilton who passed away on January 7, 2007. Hamilton's son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., will be driving the same paint scheme his father drove in what would become his last Winston Cup win in honor and memory of the Sr. Hamilton in the Orbitz 300 Busch Series race at Daytona on Saturday.
Petree sent the paint code and everything from his shop from the way it used to be to the Team Rensi shop so they could surprise Bobby Jr. by honoring his father in this way. Petree was all for it, and he even promised that if team Rensi does get lucky enough to win that he will come over and jump on the hood like he did after that win at Talladega.
Bobby Jr. says there are up and down sides to the paint scheme. Sometimes he doesn't want to be reminded of his dad when he is ready to go to work. But then he says there are good memories of that Talladega win that go with the scheme too. Bobby says when he is inside the car it doesn't matter, because he can't see the color anyway from there.
It's an understatement to call this interview with NASCAR Busch driver Bobby Hamilton, Jr. candid. It's more than that! You won't believe what he has to say. He and the Speed Freaks discuss ####es, Bobby Labonte's love for PETA, Grey Goose Vodka, Hunting Beaver, Idiots at Bobby Hamilton Racing and more.
You'll enjoy this! Check out this hilarious Speed freaks audio!
Team Rensi Motorsports to Honor Bobby Hamilton, Sr. in Season Opening NASCAR Busch Series Race
On January 7th, the sport of NASCAR suffered a loss with the passing of former Nextel Cup driver and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck series champion, Bobby Hamilton, Sr. On Saturday, Hamilton, Sr. will be remembered with a special paint scheme on the No. 35 McDonald’s Ford. Behind the wheel of the Team Rensi Motorsports McDonald's Ford Fusion will be the son of Hamilton, Sr., Bobby Hamilton, Jr. The McDonald’s Ford has been redesigned to carry the identical paint scheme of the car Hamilton, Sr. drove to his final Cup victory in 2001 at Talladega Super Speedway. On that special day in April, Hamilton, Sr. drove the No. 55 Square D sponsored car for team owner Andy Petree to victory lane.
Team Rensi Motorsports President Ronnie Russell was a long time friend of Bobby Hamilton, Sr. “Bobby was a very special person and he helped me and Team Rensi Motorsports grow over the years. With the return of Bobby, Jr. to Team Rensi Motorsports, we felt this was the perfect opportunity to honor his father's accomplishments in NASCAR. Everyone at Team Rensi Motorsports is excited about seeing the car on the track in Daytona Beach. With Bobby, Jr. behind the wheel, we feel strongly that the car will be in the lead pack all afternoon.”
Five years ago. Wow! Time flys. Things change. Now we have lost Bobby Hamilton.
Today I am concluding my week long period of remembering Bobby at this time of his passing. I would like to think that I have composed these blogs to remember Bobby and preserve these memories in an electroninc format for Bobby's family, as I have been copying them to Bobby Jr.s board. However, it may have just been my therapy. Hopefully they have served all three purposes.
A teammate of Hamilton's at Andy Petree Racing in 2000 and 2001, Joe Nemechek said last week that it felt like he had just pushed Hamilton to victory at Talladega.
Hamilton spent three seasons with the Morgan-McClure No. 4 team before joining Andy Petree's two-car effort for the 2001 season. Rocked that year by the death of Dale Earnhardt at Daytona, NASCAR went to Talladega that April on eggshells. It was the first restrictor plate race after the death of the Intimidator and it was filled with safety concerns, new rules and fear of tragedy around every turn.
Still, there was a race to be run, and Hamilton would be in it. Driving the No. 55 car with young crew chief Jimmy Elledge, Hamilton was enjoying a good first season with the team, and knew the car was good right from the first practice.
Bobby Hamilton parked the car after practice in preparation for the 500. Hamilton headed to the truck. "He wouldn't tell me anything about the car, so I followed him into the truck," said Elledge about that day. "He was changing clothes, and I asked him if we needed to do anything to the car. "I told him it had a couple more horsepower and he said we'd be fine. You had to pry it out of him, but he knew we were going to be good and we won the race the next day."
As the race unfolded that Sunday, an event many feared would be a single-file parade turned into a fun-filled event where the racing outweighed the risks, helping the community begin to heal in the face of the Earnhardt tragedy. In a rare caution-free performance at the fastest track on the circuit, it was Hamilton who came out the upset winner. He led just three laps, yet held off Tony Stewart in an amazing finish to hit the checkered flag first. Hamilton gave it his all in that race; so much so that in Victory Lane, he slowly slid to the ground and needed oxygen immediately after exiting the car. Emotionally and physically exhausted, the veteran asked for a minute, whiped his face with a towel and still had no problem showing both honesty and spunk, a defining feature of his independent streak that endeared him to so many.
"This is emotional," said Hamilton that day after the win. "The media has been really hard on me with restrictor plate races; they more or less said I suck. I think my confidence was beat down. I've always sucked as a speedway driver so, to win here, the critics can just kiss my tail."
Not surprisingly, the win was the first for Hamilton's car owner, Andy Petree. After five years of owning a team and employing seven different drivers, it was Hamilton who became the magic formula capable of taking his program to Victory Lane.
Elledge earned his first and only career Cup win with Hamilton and Petree. "Bobby really meant a lot to me," Elledge said. "He's the guy I won my first race with, and so far it's still my only win. Bobby taught me a lot about a lot of things. When he came to the team in 2001, that team was two years old, and he came in and really embraced the guys. He really had some neat qualities.
"He came over every week and spent the day with us and took us to lunch and stuff. He was a real solid figure that that team needed at the time, and I needed, too. He'd calm me down when I'd get upset."
Thanks for helping calm us down Jimmy . We all miss Bobby. I Can't wait to have a Pepsi with him on the new earth.
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