Earl Sadler in 1998 gave Bobby Hamilton Jr. his first opportunity to drive a Nationwide car. Ten years later Hamilton has joined Sadler's racing team again — as a co-owner. Hamilton said he has purchased 50 percent of the team, which will now be Sadler Hamilton Racing. The team plans on running a limited schedule of Nationwide, ARCA and Camping World races.
"It's a pretty good deal," Hamilton said. "Everything is just sort of falling into place.
Tennessee's Willie Allen has been signed for the Feb. 16 Camping World 300 — the Nationwide Series season opener at Daytona. Allen also will compete in the Camping World 150 race at the Music City Motorplex on July 19 for Sadler Hamilton Racing.
Allen will team up with crew chief Danny Gill at Daytona. Gill was a crew chief for two races with Allen last year at Thorsport Racing in the Craftsman Truck Series. He also was the team's competition director. Allen won the series' rookie of the year in 2007.
The day before Bobby Hamilton died was a happy one. He rested on the couch at home, watching an Elvis documentary on television, tapping his foot to the beat of the good songs, shaking an ol' ornery finger in disapproval of the ones he didn't like. He'd battled head and neck cancer for an entire year but was in great spirits. He never lost that dogged determination that had long defined him, never lost hope he'd overcome. Hamilton's gruff exterior concealed a warmth and caring from most folks.
But it was there, deep within. And it was present until the moment he died. "His spirit never faded," said Lori Hamilton, Bobby Hamilton's wife and chief caregiver throughout his cancer battle. "I didn't realize he'd die that day."
Bobby Hamilton died Jan. 7. He was 49 years old. Throughout the previous year, if he was even remotely physically able, he was at the Bobby Hamilton Racing shop in Mount Juliet, Tenn.
Some days he'd head to the doctor for chemotherapy in the morning and be in the shop that evening. The next day he'd do his best to rest in the morning, then knock off the dust from the chemo and mosey on into work in the afternoon. Chemo was manageable. Radiation was not. "Radiation knocked his socks off," Lori said. "It took him a couple months to recover from that."
Still, he worked. "If he felt good, whether it was for six hours or one hour or eight, he was at the shop," Lori Hamilton said. "If Bobby wasn't at the shop, there were phone calls made to him, conference calls from the shop. People came to the house. He was extremely hands-on.
"A lot of times he wouldn't feel good and I'd bring him to the shop, and in the conference room we put a couch and a recliner, and he'd sit there and the guys would come in and talk to him. Most people would be in the bed. He'd say, 'Take me to my couch at the race shop.'"
As his battle with cancer worsened, the trips were less frequent. But that didn't mean he wasn't running the show. In December, from home, Lori Hamilton said her husband made the decision to replace crew chief Danny Gill with Jeff White. "He was hands-on up until about three weeks before he died," she said.
Now the team is focused on 2007. Factory-backed by Dodge Motorsports, BHR will field a pair of trucks, and has pieced together a four-man management team, hand-picked by Hamilton before his death. They will announce that group formally during Speed Weeks at Daytona.
Ken Schrader No. 21 Air Force Bud Shootout Race Recap
Ken Schrader drove the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion to an 11th place finish in the 29th running of the Bud Shootout Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway. Although the team just missed out on their first top-10 finish of the year, Schrader gave them plenty to smile about during the event.
After rolling off the starting grid from the 7th position based on Thursday night’s random draw, Schrader lined up low and tucked in tight in the draft. He didn’t stay low for long and on the second lap was shuffled out of the draft, dropping back to 14th place by lap eight. Schrader clawed his way back into contention and the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion responded time and time again. By lap 11, he was right back in the top-10 running order. His steady climb continued until he reached fifth place on lap 16, just four laps shy of the 20-lap mandatory 10-minute caution break.
By that break, Schrader was running seventh and his only complaint was that the car was slightly tight off the corners. The team utilized their lengthy stop to take a half a round of wedge and place a spring rubber in the right rear suspension. As the cars began rolling again, many teams contemplated returning to pit road on the pace lap in order to top off their fuel tanks—as fuel mileage would be close with 50 remaining laps. The Wood Brothers/JTG Team elected to stay out and gamble on making it without a stop if necessary.
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