Bobby Hamilton on the teams trying to beat him for the 2005 title: "Bring it on. Eat your Wheaties, because you're going to need 'em."

As BHR expands, so does its competitiveness

Hamilton runs his multi-truck operation his way

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Since winning the Craftsman Truck Series championship two short months ago, Bobby Hamilton has been in a bit of a panic.

Sponsorship for his multi-truck team was up in the air, especially his own title-winning No. 4 Dodge.

Testing washed out A day-long rain washed out Saturday's first day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing for the Craftsman Truck Series on Saturday. Full Story

But with the season-opener looming, backing is coming together quickly.

On Saturday, in what was supposed to be the truck series' opening day of NASCAR Preseason Thunder testing at Daytona International Speedway, Hamilton announced sponsorship for 12 races for the No. 4 truck.

Bailey's, a small cigarette manufacturer in Virginia, will be on the Hamilton's truck and on Hamilton's No. 04 Dodge for 14 races, with Timothy Peters driving 11 of the race.

Bobby Hamilton's truck title last year was the first for Dodge in the Craftsman Truck Series.

Casey Atwood will drive the other three.

Atwood will open the year in the No. 04 because of Peters' rookie status. Peters will then run the rest of the 14-race deal.

And don't forget, Chase Montgomery will drive the No. 18 BHR Dodge, while Deborah Renshaw will drive the No. 8 BHR2 Dodge in a driver-development program.

"I want to tell you something, I was really in a panic," Hamilton said. "I'm not so sure selling these things off X amount of races isn't the best way to do it anyhow. It's a headache, but in the end it's going to be a better deal for me."

Hamilton still has 13 unsponsored races for his No. 4 team but said Saturday that Daytona is "pretty much sewn up." Hamilton also said that former sponsor Square D could be back for a handful of races.

"I might be short one or two races, but we're in good enough shape now that once I get the ball rolling, we're actually in better shape than we were last year," Hamilton said.

That could be bad news for Hamilton's competitors. Hamilton led the series with four victories and 12 top-five finishes last year, winning the title by 46 points over Dennis Setzer.

The empire that is Bobby Hamilton Racing continues to grow, despite adding two new drivers for 2005.

Casey Atwood

"Everything's new, but I just take everything in stride and go on to the next step," Hamilton said. "It's not a big deal. It's still, go in, unlock the shop, punch in your security code that starts the alarm, pay the paychecks and pay the bills, go to the racetrack and race, go home and sleep for four hours and get up and go at it again."

That simple approach has served Hamilton well since he left Cup racing two seasons ago. Instead of being at the mercy of big-time car owners, Hamilton can set his own course.

The team is based in Mount Juliet, Tenn., near Nashville, so Hamilton can do his own thing. He likes it that way.

"I don't never talk to Richard Childress - I like him," Hamilton said. "I don't ever talk to Rick Hendrick - I love him. I don't never talk to Roush - he's OK.

"I do my own deal, and I don't have to answer to any of them guys. I have to answer to somebody at NASCAR about rules. ... I'm very proud of what we did, and I have a blast at it."

Deborah Renshaw

His team builds its own bodies, steering components, rear end gears and transmissions. The only reason BHR doesn't build its own engines is because Dodge gives them to the team as part of its factory support.

Since Hamilton returned, he said he's only had to replace one employee (besides drivers). That lack of turnover has helped Hamilton's team build consistency and results.

And it could help Hamilton repeat as champion, despite a higher level of competition in 2005 with former Cup drivers Ricky Craven and Jimmy Spencer joining the series full-time.

"I never really raced for the championship until five or six to go anyhow," Hamilton said of 2004. "I feel like if you win the most races and have the least DNFs, you're the guy at the end."

Hamilton won the most races and had the fewest DNFs (zero) in 2004. He sounded confident that trend could continue in 2005.

"I have people tell me all the time, 'I won this with Ron Hornaday in 1996, and I'm coming to kick your tail,'" Hamilton said. "I said, 'Bud, time's changed. Bring it on. Eat your Wheaties, because you're going to need 'em.'"