DARLINGTON, S.C., (Nov. 13, 2004) – Trying to save tires for the race, the Square D Racing Team practiced only two laps on Darlington Raceway’s 1.366-mile oval before qualifying.  The genius idea was useful when Hamilton got those fresh tires with only 30 laps left in the Darlington 200 and went on to finish second.  The 12th top-five finish of the year allowed Hamilton to extend the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points lead over Dennis Setzer by 70 points with only one race left in the 2004 season. 

The race was rained out on Friday evening and postponed until Saturday afternoon.  Hamilton qualified for the event in the fifth position.  After qualifying he practiced only 18 laps in the Happy Hour session, just enough to get the right setup for the final Darlington Truck Series event. 

Hamilton raced steadily in the top five until the third caution of the night came out.  Crew Chief Danny Rollins decided it was time for the Square D Racing Team to pit.  Hamilton and a few others came on to pit road, and some stayed on the track.  The team made only minor adjustment to air pressures and sent Hamilton back out for the restart on lap 34 in the 15th position. 

Until the next caution, he raced smart and steady in 14th position trying to preserve his equipment for the end of the race.  On lap 62 the fourth of 10 cautions came out.  Once again Rollins told Hamilton to pit.  The Square D Racing Team cranked out a fast pit stop picking up five positions for the restart on lap 66. 

By lap 91 Hamilton was already third.  He moved up one more position when Carl Edwards had a flat tire bringing out the sixth caution.  The team pitted on lap 94 and restarted in second behind Bobby Hamilton Jr.  On lap 98 Hamilton Sr. took the lead coming off of turn four, thus giving him five bonus points toward the championship.  Hamilton Jr. regained the lead the following lap and his father settled in behind him for the next several laps. 

When the seventh caution came out on lap 116, the Square D Racing Team’s plan paid off.  Their foresight for the race allowed them and only a handful of trucks to have tires left for the final laps.  Hamilton entered pit road in second and restarted the race in 18th position on lap 120. 

He took off like a rocket.  By lap 124 he was 10th, six laps later he was fifth.  Then on lap 136, with Hamilton third, the eighth caution came out.  He held this spot through the ninth and 10th cautions.  NASCAR threw the final green flag on lap 148 for a green-white-checkered-flag finale.  On the restart Hamilton Jr. missed a shift in front of his father and the two collided on the front straightaway.  Hamilton Jr. hit the wall and Sr. limped around to the caution/white flag lap.  Hamilton Sr. made one more circuit on the track and went on to finish a very emotional second. 

“We sat there and strolled around all night,” Hamilton said.  “Our Dodge really drove well, and we had a set of tires there at the end.  I think the caution might have saved all of us from catching Kasey (Kahne), because we were catching up about four or five-tenths a lap.  And then I ran over Bobby Jr. on the restart, so it didn’t give anybody a chance.  He told me he missed a shift and that happens a lot here.  I won’t make a story out of it; he’s my son.  But it was huge for Dodge to win to clinch the NCTS Manufacturers championship.”

Kasey Kahne won the Darlington 200 at Darlington Raceway.  Hamilton, Ted Musgrave, Carl Edwards and Steve Park followed in the top five.