The Hamiltons

Growing up, Bobby Hamilton Sr. knew what his calling in life was -- building race cars.

And for good reason. His grandfather and father built cars for years for singer-racer Marty Robbins.

"I watched them and learned how to put cars together and I figured that was what I was going to do as a career," said Hamilton.

And, that probably would have been the case if it had not been for some carefree drivers.

"It seemed like every person I built cars for would go out and wreck them all the time," said Hamilton. "So I thought, I know I could drive better than these guys, so that is when I decided to get behind the wheel."

That was a pretty bold move for Hamilton since at the time no one in his family ever had much of a driving career to speak of.

However, that did not stop Hamilton, and the choice to begin piloting cars turned out to be a wise one.

During the 1980s, Hamilton built up quite an impressive resume around the Nashville, Tenn., area, thanks to winning a multiple races and several track championships.

Then in 1988, he turned plenty of heads when he beat NASCAR Winston Cup stalwarts Darrell Waltrip, Sterling Marlin and Bill Elliott in a four-car "Superstar Showdown" at Nashville Speedway.

That breakthrough win and his solid credentials helped him land a limited ride in NASCAR's Busch Grand National Series in 1989.

The following season, he competed in 28 BGN races, getting one win and four top-five finishes en route to placing 11th in the season points. He was the second-highest finishing rookie behind only Kenny Wallace, who came home in sixth.

"Since I started out building cars first, I think that really helped out my driving career," said Hamilton, who also made his Winston Cup debut in 1989, competing in one event as part of the production of the big-screen movie "Days of Thunder".

"I knew a lot about the cars I was racing and I was able to relay to my crew how the car was handling and what changes needed to be made."

In 1990, his second full year in the BGN ranks, he was 11th again in the points chase on the strength of seven top-5 efforts. He also returned to the Cup scene, making three starts for owner George Bradshaw.

Hamilton and Bradshaw teamed up again in 1991 and the end result was Hamilton taking home the Winston Cup Rookie of the Year honor by virtue of coming in 22nd in the points standings.

Unfortunately, Hamilton couldn't parlay that success into the '92 campaign as he and Bradshaw's team mustered only a 25th-place performance in the points.

And in 1993, his Cup status was unsecure at best as he ran in only 15 races for three different owners.

Hamilton did find a full-time Cup gig the following year but he and Felix Sabates parted ways after just one season, when he was 23rd in points.

By 1995, Hamilton finally found a home for his nomadic Cup career in the form of Petty Enterprises.

That season rejevenated his career with a solid 14th-place points finish, which was fueled by his four top-5 efforts.

Using that momentum, Hamilton had a banner Cup campaign in '96. The proof is in the numbers.

He had eight top-10 outings, highlighted by his first Cup victory at the Dura-Lube 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

"That was a big deal for me to finally make it to Victory Lane in Winston Cup," said Hamilton, who became the first driver to win with a Petty Enterprise car since Richard Petty won in 1983.

He followed his '96 win up with his second victory the following year at Rockingham, N.C.

Although Hamilton was 16th in points in '97, he left the Petty stable to drive for the Morgan-McClure Motorsports team in '98.

The move proved to be a good choice -- at least for two years anyway -- as Hamilton was 10th and 13th in points, respectively.

What's more, he won the Goody's 500 race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway in '98.

Still, any magic Hamilton and Morgan-McClure had the first couple seasons was all but gone in 2000 as he could only manage a 30th-place points standing.

Many critics thought Hamilton's drop off was indirectly caused by his starting up the Bobby Hamilton Racing Craftsman Truck Series Team in '99.

That is a notion Hamilton didn't put much stock in at all.

"A lot of people were saying that I was too distracted with running my truck team," said Hamilton. "But that just wasn't true. The truck team wasn't taking up all my time. I am surrounded with a great group of guys on my truck team and I just basically give advice to them now and then."

Hamilton's words were certainly ringing true in 2001.

In his first season of driving for Cup owner Andy Petree in the Square-D Chevrolet, he has been hovering around the top 15 in points and even won at the famed Talladega Superspeedway on April 22.

"We started out the season very strong, and that win at Talladega was huge," said Hamilton. "It proved that I could get a victory at any type of track, including a superspeedway. We struggled a little bit in the middle part of the season, but we changed our setup again and I really feel like there is no reason we shouldn't come in at least 15th or 16th in the points. That is pretty good in our first year, and I know there are a lot of other teams out there, who would love to finish the season that well."

Meanwhile, Hamilton's truck team in its fourth year of operation, is doing better than ever as veteran driver Robert Pressley put the No. 18 Dickies Dodge in Victory Lane twice in 2002.

"I knew that I wasn't going to be able to race forever, but I didn't want to have to leave the sport when my driving days are over because racing is all I know," said Hamilton. "So, I started up the truck team (in 1999) and it has been a lot of fun and something I plan on continuing to run for years to come."

While Hamilton Sr. has certainly made a name for himself in NASCAR, son Bobby Jr. initially got lost in his shadow.

"When, I first started racing as a teen-ager it was pretty cool," said Hamilton Jr., who turned 24 in 2001. "But when I didn't win races initially, I started feeling a lot of pressure. My dad was a successful driver and it seemed like everybody was wondering why I couldn't be like him. It was pretty tough."

Hamilton Jr., like his dad, began his racing career at the tracks around the Nashville area and eventually progressed through the Slim Jim All-Pro Series and the Southern All Stars circuit.

By 1998 and '99, Hamilton was dabbling in the Busch Series, but didn't have much to smile about.

"I started doubting my own ability because it seemed like things could never come together for me," said Hamilton Jr.

So, about 1 1/2 years ago, Hamilton Sr. stepped in to comfort his son.

"I just sat him down and I told him not to worry about what I have accomplished in my career," said Hamilton Sr. "And, don't worry about what other people are saying about you. Just be yourself and focus on racing cars and everything else will take care of itself."

The talk was just the tonic Hamilton Jr. needed.

"My dad is the type of guy who will open doors for you, but he will not walk you down the hall," said Hamilton Jr. "And once he had that talk with me, I was able to let go of all the pressure I was feeling and just drive. That is when I stared having fun."

In 2000, Hamilton Jr. piloted his Dave Carroll-owned car to a 19th-place points placing in the Busch Series.

That same season, the younger Hamilton also had a special moment as he made his Cup debut Nov. 12 at Homestead-Miami Speedway in his father's owned No. 57 Chevrolet.

Adding more drama to the weekend was the fact that Homestead was Hamilton Sr.'s 300th career Cup race.

"That race is one I will never forget," said Hamilton Jr. "I couldn't believe I made the race and then when I found out that my dad was making his 300th start, it was a great feeling to be in the field with him."

In 2001, Hamilton Jr. was showing more and more improvement with each passing week in his Carroll racing machine.

"He has really learned the ropes and realized what a serious business the Busch Series is," said Hamilton. Sr. "If he asks me for advice I will just point him in the right direction, but he is a lot better race-car driver than he gives himself credit for."

Debuting in the No. 25 Team Marines Racing Ford Taurus for Team Rensi, he cracked the top 10 in points for the first time in 2002, coming in eighth. Hamilton Jr. entered Victory Lane for the first time, taking the checkers at New Hampshire in May.

In total, he garnered 15 top-10 finishes in 34 races, including four top-10 efforts in the final seven events.

Still, Hamilton Jr. is in no hurry to compete on a weekly basis at the Cup level.

"I don't care if it takes me 20 years to get a full-time Cup ride. I just want to have fun racing, and I am not really worried about much else."