By Larry Woody
Nashville's Bobby Hamilton is living every trucker's fantasy.
He doesn't have to fill out log books, wait in line at weigh stations, or battle behind-the-wheel boredom.
And best of all, there's no speed limits on Hamilton's runs.
All he has to worry about is swerving his truck around slowpokes clogging the fast lane and dodging an occasional 170-mph pileup.
Hamilton does his trucking in NASCAR's Craftsman Truck Series, where last season he became the division's oldest champion at 47.
"Oh man, I'm having a ball," says Hamilton, who began racing as a teenager and over the years has successfully competed on every level, including NASCAR's Nextel Cup big league. "I can honestly say that this is the most fun I've ever had in this sport."
Hamilton is a native Nashvillian and third-generation racer. His grandfather Charles "Preacher" Hamilton and dad Bud raced on the amateur level and also built and maintained race cars for the late country-western singer Marty Robbins. One Saturday night at Nashville Speedway Robbins was leading a wreck-delayed race when he came screeching into the pits. Preacher, serving as Marty's crew chief, rushed over to see what was the matter.
"Nothing's wrong," drawled Marty as he climbed from the car. He explained that he was scheduled to perform on the final set of the Grand Ole Opry and was running late. Hamilton's grandfather-who got his "Preacher" nickname from his salty language-was not happy over losing the lead, the race and his driver. The Hamiltons have a rich and colorful racing history.
"My family has been involved in racing as far back as I can remember," Hamilton says. "I literally grew up at the track."
Still, as a youngster, Hamilton "never dared to dream that someday I would race in NASCAR. I thought that was something that only guys like Richard Petty got to do. I didn't think an ol' boy from Nashville had a chance to reach that level."
Hamilton was content to race locally, and to help pay the bills he drove a wrecker. His duties included towing repossessed vehicles, and often their ex-owners didn't part with them quietly.
"I used to get cussed out, punched, and shot at," Hamilton says with a grin. "One night I was hauling off a guy's car when he jumped on the back of my wrecker, kicked the rear window out, and tried to choke me with a logging chain. Finally I pulled over and told him, 'Hell, buddy, if you want your car back this bad, you can have it!'"
Another chuckle: "Man, if you think it's dangerous driving a race car, you ought to try driving a repo wrecker sometime."
In 1989 Hamilton got his big career break and it was literally right out of a Hollywood script. The "Days of Thunder" movie starring Tom Cruise was being filmed and producers needed someone to drive a car at Phoenix Raceway to provide some action footage. NASCAR star Darrell Waltrip, who had watched Hamilton race in Nashville, recommended Bobby. Hamilton did such a good job racing the "movie car" that he was offered a full-time driving job in the then-Winston Cup Series.
Hamilton raced in NASCAR's top series for 13 seasons. He earned Rookie of the Year his first season and went on to win three races and gain a reputation as a tough, shrewd competitor.
But he was often saddled with less-than-competitive cars and after a frustrating 2002 season he decided to step down to NASCAR's third-tier truck series. Hamilton for years had been fielding trucks for other drivers out of his shop in the Nashville suburb of Mount Juliet, and he decided to start racing his own creations.
"I've always been a competitive guy," Hamilton says about his decision to quit Cup. "I decided I'd rather run up front in the truck series than run in the back in Cup."
Hamilton doesn't care about the truck series' "third-tier" ranking behind NASCAR's Nextel Cup and Busch Series. "I've competed in all three divisions and I guarantee you that some of the toughest, most competitive racing goes on in the truck series," he says. "A lot of fans consider truck racing the most exciting in any level."
Hamilton drove his Dodge to a series-leading four wins in 2004 on the way to the championship, and picked up a check for $973,428 at season's end.
He says the money was sweet but the trophy was sweeter: "To win a championship with a team that I built myself from scratch … that makes it special. I feel like a proud parent."
Hamilton knows that feeling well. His son Bobby Jr.-known in racing circles as "Little Bobby"-this year is competing in his first full Nextel Cup season. The Hamilton family racing tradition is secure for a fourth generation.
But just because the son has moved up doesn't mean the father is ready to step down. Bobby Sr. has no plans to hang up his helmet just yet.
"I plan to race for a couple more years," Hamilton says. "Shoot, winning this first championship was so much fun that I can't wait to get back out there and try to get another one."
Catch the Craftsman Truck Series
Scheduled races for the Craftsman Truck Series.
Go to www.nascar.com for a complete schedule.
March 18: World Financial Group 200, Atlanta Motor Speedway
April 9: Kroger 250, Martinsville Speedway
April 30: Dodge Ram Tough 200, Gateway International Raceway
May 15: UAW-GM Ohio 250, Mansfield Motor Speedway
May 20: Charlotte Tailgate 200, Lowe's Motor Speedway
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