NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitor Bobby Hamilton Jr. parlayed a strong truck, sound pit strategy and terrific teamwork into a solid 7th place finish Saturday night in the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 at Gateway International Raceway.  Hamilton Jr. posted his second straight top-10 finish in the Fastenal Dodge.

No. 18 Fastenal Dodge Gateway Race Recap

• Qualifying for the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 was cancelled due to inclement weather.  As a result the field was started on drivers points.  Hamilton Jr. started in the 16th position.
• When the caution flag fell on lap 7, Hamilton Jr. radioed his crew that he was “just biding my time.”
• On the ensuing green flag run, Hamilton Jr. told his crew that his truck was stout.  “I can just mat it all the way to the floorboard in the center of the corner.  Everyone else is spinning their wheels coming off.”
• When a NASCAR mandated caution fell on lap 45, Crew Chief Danny Rollins called his driver to pit road for four fresh Goodyear Wrangler tires and a full load of Sunoco fuel, plus his crew made a minor chassis adjustment – one round up on the track bar.  Hamilton Jr. entered the pits in the 9th spot and exited in the 18th position because some teams chose to not take tires.
• Halfway through the next run, Hamilton Jr. informed his crew, “You guys gave me a heck of a truck tonight.  Great job guys.  This thing is really good from the center of the corner off.”
• On lap 72, Rollins informed his driver that his Fastenal Dodge was as fast as the leader.
• Hamilton Jr. clawed back into the top 10 on lap 75 by passing the No. 75 of Aric Almirola.
• When the caution flag fell on lap 87, Hamilton Jr. once again brought his Fastenal-Dodge down pit road to the attention of his crew.  They bolted on four fresh tires, added fuel and raised the track bar up one half of a round.  Hamilton Jr. restarted in the 17th position on lap 92.
• By lap 103, Hamilton Jr. had climbed up to the 10th position.
• Hamilton Jr. came back down pit road on lap 107 for a splash of fuel to ensure that he could make it the full 160 laps.
• The Fastenal Dodge restarted in the 12th position on lap 110 and was back in the top 10 only one lap later.
• Rain threatened to stop the event on lap 123.  Hamilton Jr. radioed his crew that he was really loose and the track was slick.  “I was totally sideways a minute ago.”
• Hamilton Jr. continued his drive toward the front despite worn tires.  On lap 148, while running eighth, he informed his crew that his truck was “hanging the back end out where it was hooking up earlier.”
• On the race’s final restart on lap 158, Hamilton Jr. held off a furious challenge from David Starr to secure the seventh finishing position.

“We had a good truck tonight,” Hamilton Jr. said following the event. “The Fastenal Dodge was really good early on; we really had something for them. At the end, the leaders had fresher tires than we did so it was hard to hold them off. It was a good points day for us and we are happy about that. We just need to keep racking up good finishes and keep climbing in the points.”

Todd Bodine won the Missouri-Illinois Dodge Dealers Ram Tough 200 in front of an estimated crowd of 40,000. Ted Musgrave, David Reutimann, Jack Sprague and Johnny Benson rounded out the top five. The next event for the NCTS competitors is slated for May 19th at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Concord, NC.