Lori Robinett
Public Relations
Bobby Hamilton Racing
lsr4racing@aol.com

Team History

The foundation for what would someday become Bobby Hamilton Racing began in 1996 when, NASCAR veteran, Bobby Hamilton, in a partnership with friend, Chuck Spicer, purchased a race truck and began making plans to compete in one or two NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races.

The original idea was to build a competitive team that Bobby Hamilton Jr. could one day step into, and start what everyone hoped would be a successful NASCAR racing career with the family operation.

Over the first three years, Hamilton started seven races with his own truck, during which time Hamilton Jr.’s career took off, and he soon left the nest so to speak. This left Hamilton Sr. pondering the future of his young team. That is when everything began falling into place and Hamilton bought out his friend Chuck Spicer. Shortly after this transaction in December 1998, in a small shop behind Hamilton’s Mount Juliet, Tennessee home, Bobby Hamilton Racing was born. A few weeks later, sponsorship and factory support from Dodge began taking shape. With two trucks and a handful of crewmembers, the work began on what has developed into one of the premier teams in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

Three short months after this meager beginning, BHR qualified for the opening event of the 1999 season at Homestead Miami Speedway. The team finished ninth that day and began what would be a challenging first year.

During the course of the first year, there were many highs and lows. The team opened the season with some good runs that proved that they had potential, and over the last half of the season, the team improved every week. This was just the beginning, and the team would no doubt build on their one pole position, four top five, and 14 top ten finishes in their first year.

In 2000, the team arrived at Daytona International Speedway to begin their second season of competition, with little doubt that the hard work and the experiences of the previous year would pay dividends quickly. As it turned out, the 2000 season was one of tremendous accomplishments. The team won the first three pole positions of the year and took home their first victory in just the third event of the season. From that point on, BHR reeled off three more wins, six more poles, and led over 800 laps of competition during the year. The team also entered their first NASCAR Winston Cup Series race at Homestead Miami Speedway with Bobby Hamilton, Jr.

BHR began its third year of competition in 2001 by moving into a new, 46,000 square foot facility, and increasing its involvement with DaimlerChrysler. It was at the beginning of the 2001 season that the organization formed a second full-time effort in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series as part of Dodge Motorsports’s diversity program (No. 8 Dodge Team).

The 2001 season opened with the organization winning the Daytona 250 from the pole position, which turned out to be a launching pad for a record-setting season for BHR. Over the 24-event season, the No. 18 team recorded a series high 20 top ten finishes and finished in the third position in the points standings.

The No. 8 team finished in the 20th position in the points standings.  After such a successful year in 2001, Bobby Hamilton Racing continued its growth by adding a third team (No. 4 Team) over the winter of 2002.

Unfortunately, with the addition of the third team and the changing of driver talent over the winter, no one knew what to expect in 2002. But just like the previous year, BHR went to Daytona International Speedway for the season opener and won for the second year in a row. From that point on, the organization marched on through the season, winning again at Michigan and by season’s end, placed all three teams in the top 20 in the final points standings. No other organization has ever accomplished such a feat in Truck Series history.

Now in 2003, all eyes are focused on making history. Owner, Bobby Hamilton, has come home to drive full-time for the organization, Chad Chaffin joined the No. 18 team, and Bill Lester returns as the driver of the No. 8 Team. All these changes make BHR’s goals very simple. BHR hopes to do the impossible by placing all three teams in the top ten in the final standings, win the driver’s championship, and establish BHR as the most successful team in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.