With 25 Nextel Cup drivers entered in Saturday’s Busch Series event, Bobby Hamilton, Jr. and the remaining 17 Busch Series drivers knew there would be nothing easy about the USG Durock 300. The race had all the makings for domination by the Cup drivers. The 25 Cup drivers were able to take advantage of nearly three times the amount of practice over the weekend in sweeping 17 of the top 20 positions on the 1.5 mile superspeedway. The advantages were just too strong for the 25 Cup drivers in the field. Hamilton crossed the finish line in the 29th position.
“Today was very tough for us, we did all we could with the practice we had to work with,” Hamilton said. “My guys worked hard on the Eckrich / McDonald’s Ford all weekend. We were real excited to have Eckrich on board our car this weekend. Now we can go to St. Louis and O’Reilly Raceway Park the next two weeks for what should be very good races for our team. We have our focus on moving up into the top-five in the point’s race and these next few weeks will be very important for us.”
Kevin Harvick captured the win, leading Matt Kenseth across the finish line.
Constant Reader knows I am a Bobby Hamilton Jr. fan. But what this article doesn't say is that Bobby was the seventh highest Busch regular. For whatever reason, Team Rensi's performance wasn't even up to their normal "Busch Regular" standards on Saturday.
Granted, this article does ease the pain of the disappointment of the 29th place finish to some degree.
Still, why did David Gilliland, driving similar Team Rensi equipment, finish 27th if it was all about practice? It seems to me that Rensi's equipment simply isn't up to the quality of the Nextel Cup operation's Busch cars. I would like to see Rensi admit this and Bobby's handlers and he himself complain a little less about the practice issue.
JOLIET, IL - Team Rensi Motorsports has many ties to the Chicagoland area which makes Saturday's NASCAR Busch Series USG Durock 300 almost a home game for driver Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Team co-owner Ed Rensi has called Chicago home for many years and always looks forward to having the annual NASCAR race weekend at Chicagoland Speedway in his backyard.
"It's always a special weekend for me, my family and the team," Rensi said.
Rensi and company are hoping for a repeat of 2003, when Hamilton, Jr. won at Chicagoland in his first tour of duty with the team. The second generation driver is back with Rensi this year and looking to recapture the success both enjoyed the first time around.
"I am very hungry to prove my racing talents and record many more NASCAR Busch Series wins in the McDonald’s Ford," Hamilton, Jr. said when announcing his return. "I want to thank Team Rensi Motorsports for staying in touch and continuing to believe in my ability to drive a race car."
Hamilton, Jr. comes into the Chicago weekend seventh in the series points standings and has experienced an up and down season - his first without father Bobby Sr., who lost his battle to cancer earlier in the year.
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