Pepsi 300 - Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Notes

Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
Race Preview
Pepsi 300
Nashville Superspeedway
April 12, 2003

TEAM MARINES RACING NOTES & QUOTES:
· Hamilton, Jr. has two top-five finishes in his last two starts at Nashville Superspeedway.
· Hamilton, Jr. has led laps in each of the three NASCAR Busch Series events at the Nashville Superspeedway for a total of 55 laps.

Hamilton, Jr. has put a lot miles in at the three year old track he calls home. Aside from the three Busch Series events he has competed in, he has several test sessions under his belt including two 600-mile tests for Winston Cup car-owner Andy Petree. Hamilton, Jr.'s success there is reflective of his experience on the track. He posted consecutive third and second place finishes in both events at Nashville Speedway last year, not to mention finishing fourth in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series event in a truck owned by father, Bobby Hamilton. The driver has led laps in all three of the NASCAR Busch Series events that have been run there.

Bobby Hamilton, Jr. on Nashville:
"I really like the feel of the place and I don't just say that because it is my hometown track. It's kind of a combination between Las Vegas, California and Darlington. It is just my kind of track. It's fast and now that the surface is getting a little more worn there will be more side-by-side racing.

The fans here are great and I get a lot of support from them," added Hamilton, Jr. "You go to so many different places throughout the year where you are just a stranger, so it makes it pretty special to race at home with a lot of family and friends in the stands and the people that you grew up racing in front of."

Fred Wanke on Nashville:
"Nashville is probably my favorite of all the tracks we compete at. It's a place you have to have a good combination of horsepower and handling. The biggest factor here is getting the car to accelerate off the corner so that it utilizes every ounce of horsepower. It's extremely tough on the motor because the driver is wide open down the straightaway, slows down going into the corners, accelerates off the corner, then wide open again on the opposite straightaway. Hitting that combination better than anybody else is the difference between getting the trophy and going home empty handed.

Equipment:
The No. 25 Team Marines will compete with chassis No. 22 this weekend at Nashville Superspeedway. This is the same chassis that Hamilton, Jr. drove to a 13th place finish at North Carolina Speedway and a 12th place finish at Darlington Raceway earlier this season.

Special Appearances:
Hamilton, Jr. will sign autographs and greet fans on Wednesday, April 9, 2003 at the Academy Sports and Outdoors in Rivergate from 5-7 pm and on Thursday, April 10, 2003 Prime Outlet Mall in Lebanon from 7-9pm.

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