History shows Dennis Setzer (No. 18 BHR-V Dodge) as the only North Carolina-born driver to win a NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series race in Charlotte.
Setzer, from Newton, N.C., won in 2004 and is the only Tar Heel winner in NASCAR national series points competition at Lowe's Motor Speedway since Dale Jarrett's UAW-GM Quality 500 victory in 1997.
That's a far cry from earlier eras when names like Petty, Baker, Parsons and Earnhardt dominated.
The birth of the Craftsman Truck Series in 1995 aided the rush of non-southern and off-oval competitors into the sport. Only one champion -- the late Bobby Hamilton -- was born south of the Mason-Dixon line.
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.
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