July 8, 2003

Square D Racing Preview -----------------------

Event: Built Ford Tough 225
Location: Kentucky Speedway
Qualifying: July 11th 6:00 PM EDT
Race Start: July 12th 8:00 PM EDT Live on Speed

Like Father, Like Son: “Wouldn’t it be nice to say that Bobby Junior and I won at the same track, in the same year? I would love to see the papers say, ‘Hamiltons Sweep Kentucky Races.’ That would be something that one day we could tell the grandkids about. I think we have a fair shot at winning this weekend. We’ve ran well at this type of track, but our finishing position hasn’t always shown how we raced that day. We’ve been off for a couple of races now and it’s time to get back in the swing of things.”

You Raised Your Hand: “About this time every year, people start getting in that mode where they are a little burnt out. We’ve had several races in a row and have a few more to go before another weekend off. So everyone starts getting a little stressed and tired. It was a lot worse in the Winston Cup Series, but it happens in all three of NASCAR’s series. It’s July, it’s hot and everyone wants a day off. My motto to that is, ‘Well you raised your hand.’ That is the tough part of this sport and if you raise your hand to work in it, then you have to take the good with the bad. A good finish goes a long way, but then again so does a bad one. We have to keep our heads in the game at all times. It’s big time auto racing now, so step up and race.”

Hamilton on Points Racing: “It’s really close right now and I expect that it will stay that way for the remainder of the year. I’m pretty sure you won’t see one driver run off with the championship. You’ll see some switching around, one driver hold it for a few races and then it might switch up again. We want to be in the mix of things. Right now we are 30 points out of the lead. That can be made up in one race or that can drop again in one race. It’s an up and down hill battle. That is what the points were created for though!”

Notes:
• Hamilton is third in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points championship. He trails leader Travis Kvapil by only 30 points.
• This weekend’s No. 4 Dodge is Butthead, named after one of Hamilton’s favorite shows Beavis and Butthead. Crew Chief Newt Moore decided last weekend’s truck, Beavis, needed a friend in the shop. So he named this truck Butthead. This truck was raced in Texas, where Hamilton led the most laps.

Team Information:
• Front Tire Changer Dale Newcomb Hamilton’s Career Statistics
• Front Tire Carrier Jeff White Starts Wins Poles Top 5’s Top 10’s
• Rear Tire Changer Tony Pinkerton 34 3 5 10 16
• Rear Tire Carrier Dana Ebersole Career Money Won: $418,020
• Jackman Stephen Douglass
• Gasman Mike Goins Crew Chief: Newt Moore
• Catch Can David Short Spotter: Andy Dunlap
• Engine Builder Arrington Manufacturing

Testing Notes: “We tested at Kentucky Speedway for a manufacturer’s test and were really off at first. I’ve never raced on that racetrack before and Newt hasn’t been there to set up a truck either. We made the first few runs and had to change a few things because we were off. Since we had not raced on the Kentucky track before to have a baseline to go off of, it took us longer to get on the right path. Once we made a few laps and I found my groove on the track, we got dialed in. At the end of the test session we were pretty good. It’s funny to me because people say when we go to races, I should be one of the best there because I was a Winston Cup Series driver. They aren’t looking at the fact that I am racing a lot of places I have never driven a lap on before in a truck.”