|
|
 |
 |
02-17-2003
Hamilton, Square D Racing Dodge Team Post Fourth Place Finish At DIS
TruckSeries.com Report
Printer Version
Send Story
Square D driver Bobby Hamilton battled with a crippled No. 4
Dodge in today’s Florida Dodge Dealers 250 to finish the
100-lap race in fourth position.
Hamilton crossed the finish line and radioed to his crew, “I am
tickled to death that we finished this good guys. We’re going
for this championship and starting off fourth in the points is
going to help us get there fast. Wow what a race.”
And what Hamilton was referring to was the most intense 100
laps imaginable for the Square D Racing team.
In the first five laps, Hamilton moved from his 13th starting
position to the front of the pack. On lap 28 Randy Renfrow (66
truck) blew an engine thus opening the door for teams to pit.
Hamilton went in the leader and came out in the same position
as he peeled off pit road approximately six car lengths ahead
of the others.
On lap 40 a multi-truck pile up brought out the third caution
of the day. Hamilton radioed, “Newt (Moore, crew chief) as much
as I hate to come in again, I feel like I need to do it. I’ve
had a bad vibration this whole time, so I want to check the
tires.” So on lap 42 Hamilton pitted for four fresh tires and
fuel.
The next stop was scheduled on lap 79, but four laps before
Carl Edwards (99 truck) spun in front of Hamilton and slid up
the track into the rear of the Square D Dodge. It forced
Hamilton to slam into the wall and bounce off with right front
damage.
Immediately Moore told the interim pit crew from the No. 4
Kodak Winston Cup Series team to get the tools and duct tape
ready for the stop on lap 76. The crew members applied the tape
and fixed the sheet metal on the right front fender. Hamilton
pitted again the next lap so the team could fix the tow, the
alignment that was knocked out during the wreck. Then NASCAR
called for a restart so the team ran out of time to fix the
problem. So Hamilton had to hold his breath for a few laps.
Luckily a caution came out on lap 85 which allowed Hamilton to
pit. The team made the necessary adjustments and Hamilton was
ready to race. On lap 93 Moore radioed for Hamilton to, “Take
these boys to school.” And the excitement began.
On lap 97 a caution came out and again on lap 99. Hamilton
restarted the race, which was scheduled to finish under
green-flag conditions, on lap 104 in eighth position. He got
behind Robert Pressley and together the duo plowed through the
field in turns one and two. Then Dennis Setzer (46 truck) went
high and sandwiched Hamilton in the middle. The trucks shuffled
back and forth scrambling for position all the way to the
finish line. Hamilton crossed it in fourth position.
“I only wish that those veteran Winston Cup series drivers
could go through a race like we did today,” Hamilton said. “We
are having a blast out there. I didn’t get any doughnuts on my
truck until the last two laps, but then they beat me to death.
It was really a great race even through the last turn.”
Rick Crawford won the Florida Dodge Dealers 250. Travis Kvapil,
Robert Pressley, Hamilton and Andy Houston round out the top
five.
|
|
 |
|
|
|
