February 15, 1999
Pit Road Accident Costly for Little Bobby in Busch Opener
After starting Saturday’s Busch race from the sixth spot, the Sadler Brothers race team was looking for a strong run from Bobby Hamilton Jr. But fortune did not shine on the team.
During the first pit stop, the entire field headed for pit road. Kevin Grubb in the number 37 Timber Wolf car was in the pit stall directly behind ours. As Bobby was turning into his pit stall, the 37 car darted out of his stall, and Bobby could not avoid making contact. The team performed the tires changes and began pulling the sheet metal from the left front tire. Then, Danny Rollins, front tire changer, noticed that the front tire was just dangling. Something in the front end had broken.
Bobby immediately took the car to the garage area and the team set to work replacing the front end. The Busch officials advised the team that they would only get one chance to run at a competitive speed, or they would be forced to park the car for the day. So, they worked quickly but diligently. One group repaired the aerodynamic damage, while another group dismantled the front suspension. 36 laps later, Bobby Hamilton Jr. rejoined the race.
Prior to the accident, Bobby was fighting and extremely tight race car. The crew successfully fixed the handling. Bobby was able to run with the draft for the remainder of the race.
Bobby was also able to avoid the numerous multi-car crashes that took place all around the speedway. The worst crash saw a friend of Bobby’s Casey Atwood tumbling down the front straight, with just a couple of laps to go. Fortunately, Casey was okay, and Bobby was able to avoid the wreck, by going down the pit lane.
Randy Lajoie won the race under caution, and former Sadler Racing drivers Jeff Green finished second and Andy Hillenburg came home third in a Joe Gibbs prepared car. The Sadler Team came home 30th, 36 laps down to the leaders.
The team is looking forward to next week’s race at Rockingham where they tested very well.
Shawna Robinson Gives Nod to Bobby after Strong ARCA Run
In Thursday, Feb. 11th’s issue of the Winston Cup Scene, Shawna Robinson was interviewed following her second place finish in last weekend’s ARCA race at Daytona. Following is an excerpt from that article:
During the 80-lap race, Robinson would maneuver into the top five positions, and then find herself shuffled back because of the draft. However with six laps remaining, she was running third to eventual winner Bobby Gerhart and Bobby Hamilton Jr. Two laps later she pulled under Hamilton Jr. and they raced side-by-side before rubbing sheet metal on the backstretch. Robinson then inched ahead into second place with three laps to go.
“I didn’t have anything for her,” Hamilton Jr. said. “We worked well together. Some people were questioning her ability after being gone for so long. She hung in there. Man, she’s a bad girl.”
“We were rubbing but we were picking up speed. I knew she was faster than me right in the middle (of the turns).”
Robinson said rubbing sheet metal with Hamilton Jr. “felt good.”
“I’d only heard good things about him,” Robinson said of the young driver. “The things I’d heard about Bobby Hamilton Jr. was that he was a smart kid, and he’s got a good, solid head on his shoulders. Don’t be afraid to race side-by-side with him. Boy, I got to learn that today, and they were absolutely right. We had a good time, I just wish we’d had more laps, because I would have gone around the leader and Bobby would have come with me, and we would have had a ball.”
Here’s the schedule of races that the team plans to run this year.
Read a couple of articles published recently about Bobby and the team.
Hamilton Jr. to Make Busch Debut – from The Nascar Winston Cup Scene
Here Comes the Son – from The Tennessean
There are also several past stories about Bobby in our News Archive.
The team is seeking sponsorship for this exciting new driver. If you are interested in putting your company’s logo on the hood of the 95 car for the rest of the 1999 season, come on aboard! Contact Kent Sims at (615)826-1686 or e-mail him at [email protected]. Serious inquires only, please. Get your company into the fastest growing sport in the country!
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