2002 Media Release

Bobby Hamilton Racing Race Report for Martinsville
Robert Pressley Extends Points lead Despite Tough Day at Martinsville

Robert Pressley and the No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge team had a
very tough day at Martinsville Speedway and still managed to extend their
lead in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series points standings. Pressley and the team entered the Advance Auto Parts 250 tied with Ted Musgrave for the lead in the series points standings. Following the event on Saturday, Pressley moved out to a 20-point advantage.

Pressley's day began from the 17th position, after a miscue during qualifying. When the race started, Pressley made a move up through the field that gave every indication that the team may be heading for a solid run.  Then just 50 laps into the event, the left front tire went flat after contact with another truck. Pressley pitted under green for repairs that dropped him three laps down to the leader.

From that point on the team was playing catch up. On lap 52 of the 250-lap race, Pressley was in the 35th position. Over the final 200 or so laps, Pressley and the team made several pit stops to help the truck's handling. With around 60 laps remaining in the event, Pressley made up one of the three laps he and the team was down. This gave them a chance to race their way into the top 15 in the running order.

When the smoke had cleared, Pressley and the No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Racing
team had shown the resilience that a championship contending team is made of. They had battled all day to get back in position for a solid run, and as the checkered flag fell they recorded a 14th place finish, which was good enough to regain sole possession of the NASCAR Truck Series points lead.

"It was a long day," said Pressley. "The best thing I heard was when they told me I was 14th. Right off the bat we were just no good at all. We cut down a tire. I think somebody got into our left front. I know where they get that commercial now. I'm so discouraged because this is a race I've really been looking forward to. We went to Lakeland, Florida and did some testing, but we just got here and we were off. We're going to work on our communication and I think we'll be all right."

Driver: Robert Pressley, No. 18 Dodge Team
Starts Pole Wins Top Fives Top Tens    Earnings    Points Position
   3    0     1        2          2    $ 114,875       1st

Pressley's 2002 Craftsman Truck Series Event Results

©2002 Bobby Hamilton Racing