Chat Transcript: Bobby Hamilton
April 27, 2001
1:04 PM EDT (1704 GMT)
[Nascar_Host1] Welcome to NASCAR.com's chat with Bobby Hamilton!
[Bobby_Hamilton] This has just been a good week for me and we have been very busy. I welcome everybody's questions. I am just happy as a lark right now!
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Stoker1] Bobby, in your 10 years in Winston Cup have you ever had a more thrilling moment than your victory at Talladega?
[Bobby_Hamilton] It is probably still a close race for first because I won my first race for Richard Petty at Phoenix. It was very exciting for me to win the first race for Square D and Andy Petree. I always wanted to win a restrictor plate race, so for it to come down to the last lap, that was very exciting for me.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [wardfan22] How did you celebrate your win after Sunday's race?
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Bobby Hamilton
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[Bobby_Hamilton] Actually we got on Andy's plane and flew back to Asheville. I flew to the track with Casey Atwood, so I just let him use the plane to go home. We just had a big get together there with the families on the airport ramp.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [#55fan] Which was the bigger contributing factor to your win on Sunday: luck or skill?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think everybody did a great job so we all had a lucky day. After the two years we have had running restrictor plates like this, we all had good luck. I feel like I have always been a pretty smart drafter, even if I haven't been successful; so I got with certain drivers and I found some things I wanted to do at the end. To have my teammate behind me at the end was icing on the cake.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [NascarFan] Did Sunday's caution-free race surprise you?
[Bobby_Hamilton] Yes, it surprised me a little bit but when NASCAR stressed what they stressed in the drivers' meeting about being careful, I didn't expect the "big one." It is tough to go caution-free on a racetrack that size. People can run out of gas or cut a tire, so on that side of it, I was surprised.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [nascar1] How do you think your car will do at Fontana? Do you feel your setup can qualify well there?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think we will be in good shape. We qualified third or fourth at Texas with it and it has been a good car for us. We ran well at the race in California last year but we had a gas mileage problem. I feel pretty confident going in there.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [wallacefan2] What's it like driving for Andy Petree?
[Bobby_Hamilton] It is really pretty easy because a lot of people know Andy's background. He has been a real successful crew chief in the past and now in his owner status, it makes it easy because he is really on top of his game. I am in the business to promote Square D and he is in business to promote his sponsors, so we all work together to make that happen.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [phizerman] How closely do you and Joe Nemechek work on your set-ups, etc.?
[Bobby_Hamilton] We work real close. After every practice we have a meeting in each other's trucks to compare notes and setups. We talk about scenarios and if need be, we swap racecars. It has been a good deal for me with this double-car team. There are no egos involved and Joe was happy for Andy Petree when we won over the weekend. If I have a good car, he is down with my team trying to see what I am doing, and vice versa. We just want to make both cars competitive.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [hamiltonfan] Do you have any special paint schemes coming up?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think they have something for the nighttime races coming up and I think there is something coming for the second Richmond race. All nighttime races will have something special, but like I said, I think we will have some really special for the nighttime Richmond race.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [harvick_fan] What are your thoughts on Shawna Robinson driving in Winston Cup?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think it is great. Shawna has been real successful in the ARCA car and she is trying to make her racing career go. Michael Kranefuss is dedicated to that team and they are going to have plenty of power. This is going to be a tough race for anyone to tackle. I think she is going to be good but everything has to fall into place for her.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Lilbudluver] Drivers are often superstitious. Do you have any superstitions or routines that never change before a race?
[Bobby_Hamilton] No, I don't. I was strapping into the car at Talladega and there was a quarter in the rocker panel that was heads-up, and I left it there, so we were talking about that back from the track on Sunday night.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [grgriffins] Hi Bobby, I'm a big fan. Did you do anything interesting in the off season? Play golf? Go on a trip? What are your hobbies?
[Bobby_Hamilton] Actually the only hobby I have is racing, and of course I own two truck teams. I am trying to make that business successful as my hobby. I never did it until a couple of years ago and it is real successful so that has been my main hobby.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [55Rules] What's something in your motorhome that would surprise most people?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I used to have a South Park doll of Cartman. I kept him in the front windshield, so that would probably be the only thing that would surprise most people! Haha!
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [frano] How do you and your family handle the serious demands on your time with more races than ever and sponsor obligations?
[Bobby_Hamilton] That is pretty easy for me because my wife goes to all the races with me, and my son races in Busch. We stay together in the motorhome together and he lives on the property behind our house. It is nice to stay together and travel together with our commitments.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [dalejr_fan] Bobby, I've been watching the Busch races too and noticed that your son is doing awesome! How do you feel about him racing? Do you think he will join Winston Cup? How do you think he will do the rest of this season?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think he is on the verge of going Cup, but it is up to him. He had a chance to go to the #01 car with Chip Ganassi but he decided he needed more training. If they get the mechanical problems fixed, I think they will have a better deal. They have a different motor and they are a race team that is not tied in to Winston Cup so their learning curve is much longer. Once they do that they will be fine. They have run well and qualified well so they just need to put the mechanical problems behind them.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [wardfan22] What advice do you have for the guys entering their first or secind year in Cup?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I guess just log the laps. There is plenty of time for the success and it is pretty easy to see that everybody has a good chance to be successful in what we do. Rookies should have a good relationship on and off the track with all their peers because that goes a long way in this business.
[Nascar_Host1] Who do you think has a good chance for Rookie of the Year this year? Any thoughts or guesses?
[Bobby_Hamilton] My favorite would be Casey Atwood, but Kurt Busch works really well and he had a chance to work with Roush in the trucks. Halfway through the season I think Casey will come on. Kevin Harvick is with a real successful race team and he has won a race this year, so I think it will come down to those three. Any of those guys could win a race or a few races, and they only take the top 15 or so finishes, so it can go any way.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Does] Do you plan to race in any more Craftsman Truck races this year?
[Bobby_Hamilton] Yes, I have to run two more: Darlington on Mother's Day weekend and the other one is in Richmond. I might squeeze another one in because we run New Hampshire the same weekend as the Cup, so that is possible. That Darlington race should be fun because Ted Musgrave and I think Ken Schrader should be there, too.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [jt350] What factors influenced your decision to finally join a multi-car team?
[Bobby_Hamilton] It didn't have anything to do with multi-car teams. It was about Andy. I liked his approach on a lot of things and being an owner in another series, it all made sense to me. We could make the growing process a little faster with two cars.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [jt350] Do you ever plan on fielding your own Winston Cup team?
[Bobby_Hamilton] Yes, I have. If it ever grew through the truck series up to the Cup series, I think I have the people and facility to do it. It depends on what little Bobby's status is. I would like to do it with him one day, but only if I have a good sponsor behind it. I wouldn't do it with anybody. I really want to put my heart into it.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Stoker1] Bobby, what do you think of your chances of finishing in the top five in Winston Cup points if you complete all the laps for the rest of the season?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think it would be great! That is what it is all about. I think we are second or third in laps completed. If you just log the laps, that means you are consistent and the points are based on that. We haven't had any mechanical breakdowns or crashes, so if you keep building good racecars, you have as good as shot as anybody.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [NascarLib] Bobby, congratulations on the win last week. You looked really exhausted afterwards. What do you do to recover from a race like that?
[Bobby_Hamilton] Really you just loose so many fluids and our air broke so we didn't have any ventilation in the car. I just eat and put the fluids back in. We also left and tested in Sears Point for the last two days, so now I am just lounging.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [CynN2the55] Are you surprised that you and a young crew chief like Jimmy could worked so well together in your first year with Andy Petree Racing?
[Bobby_Hamilton] No, I am not. There is something that goes on with an older driver and a young crew chief, or a young driver and an older crew chief, and that is healthy. I am a driver that can build a motor, do the shocks, do it all, and I need someone to pull the reins in on me. Jimmy is real healthy for me, and it was the same thing with Robbie Loomis.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [Martin6fan] What do you and the other drivers do during the week when nothing racing related is going on?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I think a lot of drivers play golf and do their hobbies, but I am at my truck team. It is 8 miles from my house so I spend a lot of time there. I go to the shop on Tuesday but that is basically what I do. I spend time between my truck team and Andy Petree Racing.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [i] What's the craziest thing a fan has ever done for you?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I am not real sure! Let me think... We had a race fan one time when I was with Richard Petty that used to send us a set of setup sheets each week telling us what we should run. I thought that was pretty crazy! Haha!
[Nascar_Host1] Which track are you looking most forward to going to?
[Bobby_Hamilton] Charlotte is probably my most favorite, and now that we are in The Winston, it should be. I feel like we are on a roll, and all of them are exciting, but Charlotte and Richmond are probably my favorites right now.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [RWfan] How did you manage to hold off Tony Stewart for the win?
[Bobby_Hamilton] It was just when you got side-by-side, the lead car has the power of the draft. If you get too far, they can get a run on you. I pulled Tony's line one part of the way and Joe's on part of the way. When you get to the tri-oval, most of the times they don't have enough power to beat you, so I just worked with that.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [binnsy] Great job last weekend. I noticed that last year at Talladega the Andy Petree cars were also successful. Does the team focus more on the aerodynamics of the cars or the plate engines?
[Bobby_Hamilton] It is equal. The car that I finished 8th at Daytona with I decided to not use. Joe's car did better in the wind tunnel, but APR's engine shop has done a great job. Richard Petty always told me if you had enough power, you could drag a parachute around there, so I owe it all to the motor shop.
[Nascar_Host1] Question from: [frano] What are your goals for the rest of the season?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I don't do that. I think it is real healthy that we just race off the cuff every week. If you put goals out there it adds pressure on people. Our strategy is just different. Whatever the sport gives us, we are going to take. I just hope it is something to be happy about.
[Nascar_Host1] That's all the time Bobby has for us tonight. Thanks Bobby! What are your final thoughts?
[Bobby_Hamilton] I appreciate everyone logging on and I appreciate your support. Hopefully you will want us back again next week!
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