08-07-2006 | Clermont, IN
Bobby Hamilton Jr.’s reign of misfortune continues to fall. A broken upper control arm on the left front suspension on lap 117 erased any hope for success for the No. 18 Fastenal Dodge Ram in the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at O’Reilly Raceway Park on Friday night. Hamilton Jr. was relegated to a 31st place finish in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event.
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No. 18 Fastenal Dodge O’Reilly Raceway Park Race Recap
• Hamilton Jr. qualified his Fastenal Dodge in the 12th position. Hamilton Jr. circled O’Reilly Raceway Park’s .686 mile oval in 22.715 seconds, which converts to a speed of 108.721mph.
• While running in the 11th position on lap 25, Hamilton Jr. radioed his crew and informed them that his Fastenal Dodge was “a little tight off the corner.”
• Hamilton Jr. pitted under caution on lap 29 for four tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment. His Fastenal crew also removed a spring rubber from the left rear.
• The Fastenal Dodge pitted again on lap 37 for fuel and an additional track bar adjustment but was flagged for speeding on pit road. Hamilton Jr. was forced to start at the tail end of the longest line in the 32nd position.
• Hamilton Jr. made a couple of pit stops on laps 60 and 82 to try to rectify his tight condition, something that is typical of the short track in Indianapolis.
• On lap 117 Hamilton Jr. notified his crew that something major was amiss with the Fastenal Dodge. He came down pit road and his crew diagnosed a broken upper control arm on the left front suspension. On lap 131 the crew pushed the truck behind the wall for extensive repairs. After his crew diligently worked to fix his wounded ride, Hamilton Jr. returned to the fray on lap 144 and was able to pick up four positions before the checkered flag fell to end the event.
Rick Crawford won the Power Stroke Diesel 200 before an estimated crowd of 35,000. Dennis Setzer, Ron Hornaday Jr., David Starr and Mike Bliss completed the top-five. The next stop for the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series competitors is at the Nashville Superspeedway on Saturday August 12th.