Bobby Hamilton Jr. will be making his third start in the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge in the Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Hamilton Jr. has 10 NASCAR Busch Series starts at LMS with four top-10 finishes and a best of 7th place on three separate occasions. His average starting position is 11.7 and his average finishing position is 13.5. Hamilton Jr. has five NASCAR Nextel Cup starts at Lowe’s with a best of 15th at the fall race in 2004.The Quaker Steak and Lube 200 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway will mark Hamilton Jr.’s 11th NCTS career start.Hamilton Jr. is racing a new and yet unnamed BHR chassis at LMS.  

Hamilton Jr. on the tire test at Lowe’s: “That will really help a lot. From the get go, we will know what type of springs. They are going to change the tire on us from what we tested. They told us that before we left. They are going to look at a slower tire. I think I ran 25 laps straight wide open in the Fastenal Dodge without having to lift in any part of the corners, so that was a little bit too fast for them. But I think the big thing is that it gave the crew just a little bit of an idea of what to start with, what we needed, trends in the track would want, trends in what the truck would want in the middle of the run or the end of a run and confidence as far as myself in what to expect when we unload. It was a big, big, big help. No matter how we wind up, it’s going to benefit me and the team. It was a great honor to do that for Goodyear working with some great people. The way they did the race track is incredible. It’s as smooth as ice and as grippy as anyplace I’ve been. So, I can’t wait. I still wonder how it’s going to be on the outside, but with the NASCAR Craftsman Trucks and how wild these guys are I guarantee they’ll be three or four wide around there easy and wide open. It’ll be a great race.”

No. 18 Fastenal Racing Dodge Fast Facts
Quaker Steak and Lube 200 --- 134 Laps ---1.5 mile Oval
Lowe’s Motor Speedway --- NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series
Qualifying: 4:15pm ET May 19th
Race Start: 8:30pm ET May 19th Broadcast Live on Speed

On Building momentum: “Martinsville we got our first pole and we ran well. At Gateway, we didn’t get to qualify. We really wanted to qualify. We were looking for another pole, but during the race we really ran well. I think what it does is really right now we have our hands full with the Toyotas, so we really need something as far as to stick our chest out. Just by how the guys were acting after the race, by the way they were joking. As a matter of fact recently, I bought them lunch. We were out eating and cutting up about everything. We got to talking about racing and you can just tell a different light in them. They’re eager. They’re ready to go. And that’s really, really important. If they’re really eager and ready to go, they don’t mind spending extra hours at the shop. They are really fine-tuning the details. Everything right now is going the way we need it to at BHR with the Fastenal Dodge.”
 
Bobby Hamilton Sr. on having Bobby Jr. involved with running the shop :  “It has been totally relieving to know that he’s there. Last week was the first week that I have really taken any time away from the shop, but I have three basic people I check in with. Bobby Jr. has been saturated with sponsor commitments. He’s been doing a lot of stuff helping me out. There’s just a difference now. I didn’t hang around his Cup car because I didn’t like the goofballs he was around. He goes in the shop and gets on top of things. Not only is he focusing on his race team, but he goes to the other race teams and talks to the other drivers. I don’t know that I ever had a worry about that. I knew that he had the capability to. He’s reaching out in all aspects trying to make whatever he can easy on the company. And he’s been a great spokesperson because he knows that Dodge has aero issues. He’s been to the wind tunnel. He’s heard the wind tunnel numbers. He talked to NASCAR about how far the Dodges were behind on a mile-and-a-half race track. He’s just a great spokesperson, and I have never known him to have experience in that.”