Bobby Hamilton Jr. Event Preview
No. 32 Tide/Downy Chevrolet Monte Carlo
Race 29 of 36 – UAW-Ford 500
Talladega Superspeedway
HICKORY, N.C., (Sept. 27, 2005) – The 2.66-mile track known as Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway is patiently waiting for Bobby Hamilton Jr. and his Tide/Downy race team as the NASCAR Nextel Cup circuit makes its final run at a restrictor-plate venue this Sunday during the UAW-Ford 500.
Looking at this season’s statistics, superspeedways have not been kind to the Tide crew. That’s because an overheating problem and two crashes have dictated Hamilton Jr.’s end results at Daytona and Talladega. At Talladega in May, the Tide ride made a valiant comeback during the Aaron’s 499 after blowing out a left-front tire under green-flag conditions. The crew fixed the damaged car without going down a lap and managed to climb up to 18th place until a 25-car melee broke out. Hamilton Jr. became a sitting duck and was collected in the aftermath. His Tide Chevy was demolished and the outcome ended in a 40th-place finish.
Hamilton Jr.’s goal for the weekend is rather simple … to finish.
Bobby Hamilton Jr., driver of the No. 32 Tide/Downy Chevrolet Monte Carlo:
Your luck this season at restrictor-plate races have been disappointing and of no fault of your own. How do you tackle a track like Talladega and remain optimistic?
“You go in hoping for the best. But in all reality, it’s one big crapshoot. I think a good day at Talladega for us will be taking the checkered flag with all of our fenders on the Tide Chevrolet. I mean, you can have the best car out there but if someone makes a mistake, you can end up like we did last time. I know a lot of people were frustrated after Talladega but what happened was pretty typical of the place. When there’s a crash, it’s usually pretty big. There will be 42 cars out there having to deal with the same conditions so all you can really do is your job and hope everyone is on top of their game too.”
How has the addition of crew chief James Ince influenced your race team?
“It appears that he has been a very positive influence. Last week we unloaded fast right off the truck. We haven’t been able to do that very much so to run in the top 10 for most of the weekend was very encouraging. Unfortunately we lost the primary car during final practice so that set us back during the race. I guess we have to crawl before we can walk right now but that’s okay. I am excited to see what he has done with our superspeedway cars. We are bringing two brand new cars and RCR is packing more horsepower this time so hopefully we can duplicate our qualifying and practice efforts from last week. Obviously, we want to keep it simple for the race. We just want to finish. If we can do that, it should be a pretty respectable day.”
Notes of Interest:
Bobby Hamilton Jr.
The UAW-Ford 500 will be Bobby’s 57th career start in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series.
He has raced at the Talladega Superspeedway in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series a total of three times. The last two times have been in the Tide/Downy Chevrolet.
His best NASCAR Nextel Cup start and finish at Talladega came in October of 2001 while driving the No. 4 car. He started 35th and finished 14th.
In the NASCAR Busch Series, Hamilton Jr. has raced at Talladega a total of six times. His best start is ninth (4/21/2001) and best finish is fourth (4/15/2000).
PPI Motorsports
At Talladega, PPI Motorsports with Tide Racing has a best start (2001) and finish (2003) of fourth with driver Ricky Craven.
About the Tide Ride:
Chassis No.: 69
Bobby Hamilton Jr. will be racing chassis No. 69 in the UAW-Ford 500. For back up, the team is bringing chassis No. 61. Both cars are brand new and have never participated in NASCAR Nextel Cup competition. However, both cars have been to the wind tunnel: Chassis 69 on Sept. 20 and Chassis 61 on June 8.
