March 17, 2003

Square D Racing Recap Craftsman 200

Here it is…the moment we’ve all been waiting for…the real reason why Square D driver Bobby Hamilton chose to drive full time in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. In only his second start of 2003, Hamilton won the Craftsman 200 at Darlington Raceway.

Hamilton, the owner of three full-time truck series entries including his own No. 4 Square D Dodge, took the lead with 15 laps to go on the “Lady in Black.” He held off fellow veteran Ted Musgrave in the final lap to claim his first win. Hamilton also moved into the driver’s championship points lead over driver Travis Kvapil.

As soon as the green flag fell, the 45-year old Nashville, Tenn. native was on a mission to the front. In only 24 laps Hamilton had worked his way from his starting position of 14th into fifth place. And for the remainder of the race, he never fell out of the top five.

The race had only two cautions, once for debris on lap 31 and the other when Andy Houston hit the outside wall in turn three on lap 125. Hamilton made pit stops under both cautions and once under green-flag conditions. Every time his interim pit crew, son Bobby Jr.’s No. 25 Team Marines crew, did an outstanding job of getting Hamilton back on the 1.366-mile oval in a timely manner to hold his position on the track.

The rest was up to the driver. And the former NASCAR Winston Cup Series veteran had no problem conquering the track some have named “TooTough to Tame” as he took the checkered flag in the Craftsman 200.

After the race Speed commentator Barry Dodson radioed Hamilton from the booth asking for his words about the victory, Hamilton said, “Thank you to the guys from Team Marines for helping us in the pits today. The Marines have landed. This victory goes out to all the men and women fighting for our freedom oversees. And it goes to Square D for sticking by me in the truck series this year. This is what we’re all here for.”

And with that being said, the crew jumped up and down on pit road while Hamilton did three burnouts, one for each section of the fans in the grandstand. Meanwhile, crew chief Newt Moore stood on top of the pit box congratulating the entire BHR (Bobby Hamilton Racing) team for its teamwork effort which brought the Square D Dodge Ram the first victory of 2003, a first for Moore as a crew chief.

“It was a cat and mouse game out there all day,” Hamilton said. “Ted (Musgrave) didn’t show his hand, but I didn’t show mine all day until the end. I don’t know how much he was holding back, but I felt like we were better than them on the long runs. So it was between the two of us. I really respect Ted’s ability to drive at this track and I knew it was going to be a tough battle there at the end.

“I wanted to preserve my tires because that is the key here,” Hamilton said. “We are after the drivers’ championship and this is where we need to be on a consistent basis to win that. We’re up front now and so we have to keep it there.”

Ironically the last time Hamilton was in victory lane as a Craftsman Truck Series driver was at Darlington Raceway on May 12, 2001. Following Hamilton in the top five was Ted Musgrave, Brendan Gaughan, Travis Kvapil and Chad Chaffin.


Race-by-Race Run Down:
Location Start Finish Laps Status Money Won
Daytona 13 4 106 of 106 Running $ 26,000
Darlington 14 1 147 of 147 Running 39,075 (Next Event)
Totals 253 of 253 (100%) $ 65,075

NEXT EVENT: Lucas Oil 250 at Mesa Marin Raceway in Bakersfield, California on March 23, 2003. The event will be televised live on SPEED Channel at 5:00 PM Eastern Time.