Text By Dave Rodman, NASCAR.COM

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Any doubt about the future of Bobby Hamilton Racing began to be dispelled Thursday afternoon at Daytona International Speedway, when a pair of BHR transporters arrived for the Craftsman Truck Series portion of Jackson Hewitt Preseason Thunder.  They unloaded Dodge trucks for veteran Ken Schrader -- a former Truck Series winner -- and Georgia youngster Chase Miller, who made his first eight Truck Series starts last season for BHR.  Any concern that existed about how competitive the Dodge Ram trucks brought to Daytona by the followers of the team's namesake -- who died from cancer three weeks ago at home in Mt. Juliet, Tenn. -- vanished Friday.  BHR's Dodges, the only ones among more than 35 trucks in Daytona's garage Friday, warmed up in single truck runs that morning, then were seventh (Miller) and ninth (Schrader) on the sheet in the afternoon, when drafting runs dominated the action.

"We've got to still work on it a little bit, but it's not bad at all," Schrader said. "But see, I've never run a truck down here, so they're a handful [in the draft]. It's fun, but they're a handful.  "That big old body is what gives 'em all that drag, even if the front ends are getting slicker. And you've got better guys working on 'em, but it's still a big old block to move [through the air]." 

Schrader, the motorsports mercenary who is probably the leading current example of a racing lifestyle made famous by Bobby Allison, i.e., racing anything, anywhere, anytime on any surface, is testing the truck with which Hamilton won the 2005 Daytona opener.  In fact, the truck's won three Daytona openers, wheeled by Joe Ruttman (2001),Robert Pressley(2002) and Hamilton.  "I'm going to be driving this truck every time that my Nextel Cup schedule will allow me to," Schrader said of his program with BHR.  "I'm looking forward to going to all of 'em, whether I've been there in a truck before or not."

The team's commitment to its former owner is shown by the visible displays of his name -- on the hauler, on the No. 18 Dodge on the hauler's side and even above the window on the truck that Schrader tested.  And Schrader said that, despite having heartfelt pain that would probably never dissipate, there was no question the team would be in Daytona, would be competitive and would move on with its collective heads up.  "Well, I was thrilled last fall when Bobby asked me to drive his truck," Schrader said after taking a few seconds to gather his thoughts.  "But then I got to thinking about it and I said, 'What the hell is he asking me to drive his truck for -- he should be driving it by then?'

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I am in shock. I just read this news on CBSsportsline.com and had to stop and share the news with my wife who was shocked like I am. I think we both wanted to cry, for though Bobby does not know us, we knew him.

I was under the impression that Bobby was cancer free and that the cancer had recently reappeared. I assumed he would beat it or that it might be a long battle. But that's what Bobby wanted me to think. He was a private man and he did not want us to worry about him. He also never was one to complain. That's a tough old southern man way of doing things and I would expect nothing else than that out of Bobby for he was a good old southern man.

Stopping to think, I am amazed looking back at the way Bobby put everything in order before passing. He announced that Ken Schrader will drive the 18 next year and that Chase Miller will drive the 4. What a way to go out. The last thing a man does for his family is make sure things are set up so that after he is gone it is as easy as possible for his family to carry on.

I have seen the love Bobby had for Bobby Jr and vice - versa. It was easy to see in both their eyes. And their eyes are both gleaming in front of me on the Fastenal poster on the wall behind my computer that I talked the guys at the local Fastenal store out of just this past summer.

During the summer of 05 I talked to the owner of the race track in Carthage Tennessee about buying the race track there. Bobby was looking into it too. Wouldn't it have been great to have been able to partner with him even at a 10% level.

God be with and bless the Bobby Hamilton family at this difficult time. Thanks so much for the memory I have watching Bobby win in the Kodak 4 in 1998 at Martinsville with my three year old beautiful little blonde daughter on my knee yelling "Go Bobby! Go Bobby!"

(The tears are flowing and I can't get my breath. I love you guys.)

O.K. I am back after gathering myself for a few seconds.

Later while watching another race, my daughter got her Bobby's confused and decided she liked the green Bobby better than the yellow Bobby.  She is a Bobby Labonte fan to this day at age 11 and had to have a Bobby Labonte shirt when we went to the Vegas race last year.

I'll never forget the Sage Burning Gang (on the old MMM (Morgan Mc Clure Motorsports message board)) and all the efriends I have gained from that and all the realities we have shared with one another in our own little real worlds. In my mind I am Burning Sage for Bobby Right now.

The Bible talks a lot about wine. I am sure there will be wine in heaven. Maybe I can have a glass with Bobby one day when I get to meet him there.

Cheers!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Bobby Hamilton paid his early bills driving a wrecker, got his NASCAR break driving a car used in Days of Thunder and won the 2004 Craftsman Truck championship in his own truck.

Following his death Sunday of cancer at the age of 49, Hamilton was remembered for his love of the sport, kindness and blue-collar persona.

Nextel Cup driver Sterling Marlin, a fellow Tennessee native, said Sunday night that a lot of people didn't get to know Hamilton well, but that the driver who started with nothing and never had the best equipment would be missed.

"He would give you the shirt off his back, and he helped me out a lot through the years," Marlin said.

Born in Nashville in 1957, Hamilton got his start on local tracks and qualified fifth in his first Cup race at Phoenix in 1989 with a car used in the movie "Days of Thunder." He drove in all of NASCAR's top three divisions, making 371 Cup starts and winning four races in what is now the Nextel Cup series, including the 2001 Talladega 500.

  Bobby Hamilton won a handful of races on NASCAR's top circuit and an '04 Craftsman Truck title. (AP)   The death was shocking to people who had not seen him recently. His racing team announced only last month that Ken Schrader would drive its truck this season.

"NASCAR is saddened by the passing of Bobby Hamilton," said Jim Hunter, NASCAR's vice president of communications. "Bobby was a great competitor, dedicated team owner and friend. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of the Hamilton family."

Hamilton won 10 times in the truck series, including four victories in 2004 when he became the first owner-driver to win a NASCAR series title since the late Alan Kulwicki won the Winston Cup championship in 1992.

"I think at the end of the Cup deal, he was burnt out on the system. But he always had a good vision," Marlin said. "He always wanted to do things his own way, so he became his own boss, got into trucks, and it worked out well for him."

Hamilton was diagnosed in February with head and neck cancer. A malignant growth was found when swelling from dental surgery did not go down.

He raced in the first three truck races of the season, with a best finish of 14th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, before turning over the wheel to his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr. The senior Hamilton then started chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

Liz Allison, widow of former NASCAR star Davey Allison, co-hosted a local radio show with Hamilton that started in January 2006.

"The thing I loved about Bobby Sr. so much is that he treated everybody the same. It didn't matter if you were one of the drivers he competed against or a fan he'd never laid eyes on before," Allison said.

"He didn't have a pretentious bone in his body. I think that's why people were drawn to him. He was just very real and had a way of relating to everyone."

His son also replaced him on the radio show to fulfill his obligation.

By August, he returned to work at Bobby Hamilton Racing in Mount Juliet, about 20 miles east of Nashville. It was his fourth race shop, a facility lacking for nothing and built to prove he could stay in Tennessee and compete in a place he kept so clean he often walked around barefoot.

Doctors indicated his CAT scans looked good. But microscopic cancer cells remained on the right side of his neck.

"Cancer is an ongoing battle, and once you are diagnosed you always live with the thought of the disease in your body," Hamilton said in an article posted on NASCAR's Web site last month. "It is the worst thing you could ever imagine."

That was about as much as Hamilton shared with anyone outside his family and close friends.

"I love what I do; I love this business," he said in March 2006 when disclosing he had cancer. "NASCAR has been good to me, and I just don't feel comfortable when I am not around it."

Hamilton's Nextel Cup wins, in addition to Talladega, came at Phoenix, Rockingham and Martinsville. His best season was in 1996 when he finished ninth in the season standings. He won his first Cup race that year, at Phoenix.

Hamilton drove in the top-level NASCAR series from 1989-05, earning $14.3 million and racing to 20 top-five finishes.

He became a full-time driver-owner in the truck series in 2003.

Another NASCAR favorite, 1973 Winston Cup champion Benny Parsons, was diagnosed with cancer in his left lung in July. He was checked into intensive care last week at a North Carolina hospital.

In addition to Bobby Jr., Hamilton is survived by wife Lori and a granddaughter.

AP NEWS
The Associated Press News Service

Copyright 2005-2006, The Associated Press, All Rights Reserved

2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Dies at 49

A Winner On and Off the Track.
A Good Friend.
A Champion.

Bobby Hamilton, Sr. (1957 - 2007)
2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion

We will forever remember two conversations with Bobby Hamilton. The first was following his victory at Daytona in 2005. In all of the commotion that followed the victory lane ceremonies, and really in deciding whether Bobby was the winner or Jimmy Spencer, we never had a chance to do a winner’s interview with him. Many drivers would just say ‘tough luck, catch me next week’ and be done with it. Not Bobby. We were able to reach him by phone and he invited us to his motorcoach to do a complete interview. It was a memorable night for many reasons, but to cap it off spending a few private moments with Bobby and Lori was a perfect end to an incredible weekend at Daytona.

The second conversation is the last we had with him at Atlanta in October, 2006. Bobby requested that we come in and do an interview to talk about a wide range of topics, including the health of his race team and his own personal health. He was always open and never shied away from any question asked of him. He even went out of his way to do a plug for TruckSeries.com, saying whenever he couldn’t be at the track he relied on our site to keep him updated.

Bobby was a great guy, and always treated us with respect. Our heartfelt condolences go to his family and his extended family at Bobby Hamilton Racing. He was a friend to our website, a terrific champion, as hard-nosed a driver as anyone out there, and it was always a pleasure to work with him. He will be missed.

- Charles Krall and Steve Keller, TruckSeries.com

01-08-2007

Bobby Hamilton: 1957 - 2007

John Close, CloseFinishes.com 

Bobby Hamilton poses with his 2004 championship trophies (High Sierra Photo)

Racers accept death on the speedway. It's mortality off the racetrack they have trouble dealing with. Such is the case today as the motorsports community struggles with the passing of Bobby Hamilton, Sr. Hamilton, 49, died Sunday around 3 p.m. at his home in Nashville, TN losing a year-long battle with cancer.

Hamilton broke onto the NASCAR Winston Cup scene when he drove one of the camera cars for the movie 'Days of Thunder.' Piloting the No. 51 Exxon Chevy fielded by Rick Hendrick for Paramount Pictures, Hamilton qualified fifth for the for the 1989 Autowerks 500 at Phoenix (AZ) International Raceway. His car, several hundred pounds heavier than those of his competitors because of the additional camera equipment, provided many of the shots that eventually were edited into the runaway success movie that introduced the sport to millions of people.

Hamilton's Cup career started in earnest a year later when he qualified Gary Bechtel's Diamond Ridge Racing No. 68 Pontiac eighth at Charlotte for the Coca-Cola 600 eventually finishing 39th after crashing out of the event on Lap 102.

Eventually, Hamilton would make 371 NASCAR Cup Series career starts posting four wins, 20 top-5, 67 top-10 finishes and more than $15 million in earnings. Included in his career highlights were winning the 1991 Cup Series Rookie of the Year award and giving Richard Petty his first win as a team owner in 1996 at Phoenix.

Meanwhile, Hamilton's NASCAR Busch Series career totaled 86 starts and featured a win at Richmond (VA) Fairgrounds Raceway in 1989.

Bobby Hamilton's 2004 No. 4 Dodge. (High Sierra Photo)

In recent years, Hamilton became synonymous with the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series - his efforts culminating with winning the division's 2004 championship. In all, Hamilton totaled 102 Truck Series starts scoring 10 victories - the first at Martinsville (VA) Speedway in 2000 and the last at Mansfield (OH) Speedway in 2004. His biggest win in the Truck Series came in the 2004 season-opening Daytona 250 - the first-ever night race for the trucks at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

All his statistical accomplishments aside, Hamilton will long be remembered as a hard-nosed competitor on the track and a 'regular guy' off it. Never afraid to challenge NASCAR authority, Hamilton passed through pit road on three consecutive laps at the appropriate speed to protest a pit road speeding penalty imposed during a Truck Series event a couple years ago. Hamilton could care less that the action dropped him down in the final running order - he had already lost the race because of the infraction and there was a point to be made.

While Hamilton could be one of the division's most vocal critics in the garage area, it was never offered in malice and always directed for the betterment of the sport. In that spirit, he helped countless individuals - including this writer - gain a foothold in NASCAR giving them a chance to work on his race teams or suggesting them to someone else.

In the end, Bobby Hamilton loved racing - especially the home he found in the Truck Series at the end of his career. In an interview this writer conducted with Ted Musgrave at Daytona last February, Musgrave stated "I asked Bobby Hamilton why he decided to come to the Truck Series and he told me 'It's a place where you can wear your jeans and your T-shirt, hang out with your guys, go to the track, practice, qualify, race, go out for a burger, and bench race afterward. This is the way it should be.'"

At just age 49, Bobby Hamilton shouldn't be gone from our ranks. He should be at Daytona next month giving it his all behind the wheel on the track and mixing it up with "his guys" off it.

Sadly, that won't be the case.

Auto racing has lost a champion driver and - more importantly - a quality person. Bobby Hamilton will be sorely missed and fondly remembered by all whose path he crossed.

01-08-2007

Richard Petty Comments on the Passing of Bobby Hamilton

TruckSeries.com Report 

Bobby Hamilton was the driver of the famed '43' owned by Richard Petty from 1995-1997. He won for Petty Enterprises in 1996 at the Phoenix (Ariz.) International Speedway and also at the North Carolina Speedway (Rockingham) in 1997. Richard Petty commented on the passing of Bobby Hamilton.

"The entire Petty family and organization is saddened by the passing of Bobby Hamilton. Bobby was not only a huge part of the racing family, but of the Petty family as well. He will always be a part of our family. He had a heart of a champion and that affected everyone around him. You could always count on Bobby. He was just that type of guy. He never let you down and gave you everything he had on-and-off the track. His family is in our hearts and prayers."