As he starts his fourth full season as a fulltime NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor in the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge one could define Bobby Hamilton in a couple of different ways.

As a NCTS driver Hamilton is a proven commodity with 10 wins, 33 top-fives and 54 top-tens in only 99 starts. His series championship serves as a high point in an incredibly successful Truck series run. Hamilton is one of only a select group of drivers who have captured wins in all three of NASCAR’s elite touring series – Cup, Busch and Truck. At the onset of the 2006 NCTS season Hamilton is one of only two full-time Craftsman Truck Series competitors who can make that claim. Hamilton has proven he can win at almost any kind of circuit, his four Nextel Cup wins have come on a flat track (Phoenix), an intermediate track (Rockingham), a short track (Martinsville) and the biggest track of all (Talladega). In his NCTS battle he has developed a knack for winning on the ever present 1.5 mile oval (Atlanta, Homestead, Kentucky), the granddaddy of the all (Darlington-twice) and on the smallest of the all (Mansfield).

As a NCTS owner Hamilton has had equal success. Fielding trucks for a wide variety of drivers Bobby Hamilton Racing has developed a reputation for providing competitive rides week in and week out and for developing young talent. In addition to the 10 wins by Hamilton, BHR has posted multiple wins with Joe Ruttman, Robert Pressley and Chad Chaffin. At the series marquee race at Daytona, BHR has posted three wins in the last six seasons (Ruttman-2001, Pressley-2002 and Hamilton-2005). With 19 total wins and one championship, BHR has established itself as one of the premier teams in NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series history. Recent history is even more promising. Over the past two seasons BHR has compiled more NCTS wins than any other organization with eight victories.

The secret to Hamilton’s success as a driver and an owner is no secret at all. It is one of the most time-honored yet overlooked traits in any business – attention to detail.

“I am the type of owner that is surrounded with a good support group, but there isn’t anything that goes on in the shop that I don’t have my hands in,” Hamilton said. “My deal is structured very, very simple. I walk in there on Mondays and hang around in the shop getting pulled in several different directions and answer questions. I help design the chassis and love that part of it. On Tuesdays I sign the bills and talk about what we’ve got to do for testing and the next event with travel. On Wednesdays they leave me alone – they do their job and I overlook it. And on Thursdays we’re going to the racetrack. That’s the way it is at my shop. Basically all I did was take the middle people out so nobody could say, ‘Well, so-and-so told me this, or they didn’t tell me this. They have to come to me about everything. I’ve got 50 people. It isn’t that hard to juggle 50 people a week if you have crew chiefs that handle their people well. I trust my instincts and that is what makes us a championship caliber team.”

Hamilton is proud of his team’s efforts and proud of the series he competes in. For his dollar there is no other series as competitive as the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series from both a team and a driver standpoint.

"It's a great series and you would be surprised if you knew all the people that get called to the NASCAR trailer after every race,” Hamilton says. “It is never made been made public but it's something every week. I wish the media could see it more because they would have some great stories to write. Pay attention and just sit at the NASCAR trailer and look how busy it gets. But it's not only the drivers that make the series tough, I think it's the teams too. There's going to be a battle going on every week that you run and it might not be for first position only," said the Nashville-based driver who was the Nextel Cup Rookie of the Year in 1991, "but you look back to about seventh or eighth place and there's blood in their eyes and it happens every week. But nobody focuses on that.”

Maybe it is because of that heated competition that forces Hamilton to operate with a take no prisoners attitude. Gentle off the track when dealing with fans and sponsors but totally focused when the green flag falls Hamilton knows this is a give and take business but one can only give so much.

“I go for the win every time,” Hamilton said. “I’m not the type of driver that pushes anyone around, but I’m also not the type who will take anything either. I’m still hungry for another championship. When we won the championship in 2004 I raced when I wanted to and rode when I wanted to. I made the right decisions and we were there at the end. I know how to lose championships, I did that in 2003. But I know how to win one as well, even though other competitors like Sprague and Hornaday have more experience with that.”

As he prepares himself for another season of NASCAR competition Hamilton knows he will face challenges both on the track and off, as a driver and as an owner, teaching two young guns - Timothy Peters and Scott Lagasse Jr. the rules of the road. Lagasee Jr. will run for the NCTS Raybestos Rookie of the year and Peters embarks on his sophomore season after running 16 races last year.

“Both of these kids are talented, Hamilton says “Scott comes highly recommended and his dad was a great driver who drove a full year in the truck series when the series first started. Timothy had some great runs last year and we think he will be a lot more competitive this year. I’ve always said when you surround yourself with good people such as your team and good product such as Fastenal and Dodge, it usually works well. This is such a people business and my deal is no different. You can have the best motors in the world, the best downforce and if you don't have good people it just doesn't work for some reason. The minute the people start coming alive, it makes it a lot easier."

Career Accomplishments:

• Won two NCTS races - Daytona and Mansfield and finished 6th in the NCTS standings.

• 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion.

• Became full-time driver/owner in 2003, winning at Darlington and Homestead to rank sixth in the points standings with 10 top fives and 18 top 10s.

• First Truck Series victory at Martinsville Speedway in 2000.

• First Truck Series pole position at Martinsville Speedway in 1996.

• Has four career victories in NASCAR Nextel Cup Series and eight in Craftsman Truck Series.

• Won Talladega 500 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race for car owner Andy Petree in 2001.

• Won Nextel Cup race at Martinsville for car owner Larry McClure and finished 10th in final 1998 standings.

• Scored a career-best ninth place finish in 1996 points standings and won first career Cup Series race driving for car owners Richard Petty at Phoenix.

• Qualified fifth in first career Cup Series start in “Days of Thunder” movie car at Phoenix in 1989.