October 19, 2003

Square D Racing Recap: Advance Auto Parts 200

Square D driver Bobby Hamilton had one of the fastest trucks on the track in today’s Advance Auto Parts 200 at Martinsville Speedway. Hamilton finished the race in fifth position, marking his eighth top-five finish this season.

Hamilton started the race in 12th position and it took only 28 laps for him to move into the top five. By the time the first caution came out on lap 56, Hamilton had raced into the fourth spot. He told Crew Chief Newt Moore before his first pit stop that his Square D Dodge was a little free.

After a quick four-tire change, Hamilton restarted the race on lap 62 in third position. He held his spot in the top three until the second caution came out on lap 113. With less than 100 laps left in the race, Hamilton had to pit only one more time to make it the remainder of the race on fuel. He told Moore under the second caution that his truck was still a little free, so Moore called for one pound of air to be taken out of all four tires. The Square D Racing Team performed another fast pit stop and got Hamilton back on the track in the top 10.

Moore called Hamilton’s lap times out over the radio during the next segment. Hamilton’s times were consistently faster than the leader by two-tenths. He got held up behind Carl Edwards and Rick Crawford, who were battling for the third and fourth spot, for several laps but managed to pass Edwards by lap 158.

Then as Hamilton was battling with Rick Crawford trying to take over the next position, Andy Petree and Tracy Hines spun bringing out the fourth caution. Hamilton held the fifth position through the next several laps. Before the restart of the fifth caution Moore reminded Hamilton to take as many spots as he could by saying, “Remember baby’s got bumper.”

Hamilton continued to gouge back and forth with Crawford in the final laps of the race. The two raced each other clean and brought their trucks home in one piece. Hamilton crossed the start/finish line taking the checkered and yellow flag for a last lap caution in fifth position.

“I’m not particularly happy with fifth, I wanted to win,” Hamilton said. “It was a good race and that is what Martinsville is about. You take what you have and make it work. In racing fifth is better than second, really third is better than second. Nobody likes to run second if they want to win it. We took a decent truck and finished fifth with it. We were the best finish in a Dodge in today’s race, so all in all it was a good day for the Square D and BHR.”

Jon Wood won the Advance Auto Parts 200 in Martinsville. Carl Edwards, Dennis Setzer, Rick Crawford and Hamilton followed in the top five.

For More Information see www.bobbyhamiltonracing.com