Bobby Hamilton won the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series title by 46 points. Credit: Robert Laberge/Getty Images

Hamilton secured NCTS title in second full season

Owner/driver finished 2004 with series high in victories, top-fives

In 2004, Bobby Hamilton won four times in the Craftsman Truck Series. It equaled his career total in the series, which didn't begin full time until the previous year.

CraftsmanTruck Series 2004 Driver Standings Pos. Driver Make Behind 1. B. Hamilton Dodge -- 2. D. Setzer Chevy -46 3. T. Musgrave Dodge -70 4. C. Edwards Ford -131 5. M. Crafton Chevy -245 Stats (25 starts) Pos. Driver W T5 T10 1. B. Hamilton 4 12 16 2. D. Setzer 2 8 16 3. T. Musgrave 2 11 16 4. C. Edwards 3 9 17 5. M. Crafton 0 6 17 • Complete standings, click here Reflecting on a titleBobby Hamilton looks back on his 2004 truck championship Lifting the trophyBobby Hamilton clinches the 2004 Truck Series championship Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

In 25 races, Hamilton had 12 top-fives, 16 top-10s and no DNFs. He finished on the lead lap 21 times.

Hamilton was 10th in points following his 11th-place finish in the season opener at Daytona. He never fell out of the top 10. In fact, he was in the top five in the standings for all but two weeks.

But the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series championship didn't come easy for Hamilton, whose season included a thrilling victory at Atlanta Motor Speedway, an emotional low at Darlington and a season-long battle with Dennis Setzer.

The year's second race produced one of its most dramatic finishes as Hamilton and Mike Skinner raced side-by-side on the final lap at Atlanta. The two trucks bumped, sending Skinner sideways as Hamilton crossed the finish line first.

"We sorta ran outta room on that last lap but I wasn't going to let up," Hamilton said after the race. "I was saying to myself, 'Just hold the bottom, baby.'"

Hamilton stumbled the following week at Martinsville. A season-worst 31st-place finish dropped him from third to ninth in points.

From there, however, he would complete all but 15 of the next 3,743 laps. A run of five consecutive top-10s, including wins at Memphis and Kentucky -- the latter a dominating performance in which Hamilton led 133 of 153 laps, catapulted him to second in points after 11 races.

Bobby Hamilton won the first NCTS race held at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Credit: Autostock

Inside the Numbers Bobby Hamilton in 2004 Site Start Finish Points Daytona 10 11 10 Atlanta 12 1 3 Martinsville 5 31 9 Mansfield 6 4 4 Charlotte 5 10 4 Dover 7 19 5 Texas 12 7 5 Memphis 3 1 3 Milwaukee 3 6 3 Kansas 3 2 3 Kentucky 3 1 2 Gateway 2 17 2 Michigan 2 5 2 IRP 2 3 1 Nashville 15 1 1 Bristol 13 12 1 Richmond 24 26 1 Loudon 23 15 1 Las Vegas 8 5 1 Fontana 33 5 1 Texas 32 3 1 Martinsville 1 26 2 Phoenix 8 7 1 Darlington 5 2 1 Homestead 9 16 1 • Complete 2004 stats, click here '04: Happy papaBobby Hamilton wins the Toyota 200 and celebrates with his son Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

Hamilton took the points lead following a third-place run at Indianapolis two weeks later, and strengthened it by winning at Nashville the next time out. He held the top spot for 11 of the season's final 12 weeks.

But Setzer, who led the points for the majority of the first half of the season, retook the lead when Hamilton again found trouble at Martinsville. He finished 26th, 18 laps down, and Setzer grabbed a one-point lead.

Hamilton finished seventh the next week in Phoenix to regain the top spot by seven on Setzer, who finished ninth. Hamilton went into the next-to-the-last race of the season at Darlington bound and determined.

Hamilton finished second, and increased his points lead to 70. But it came at the expense of his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr.

On the final restart with two laps left, the younger Hamilton missed a shift and was bumped to the wall by his father. He then caromed into the waiting path of David Reutimann, who slammed hard into the left-front of the truck, near the driver's side door.

"I wish it would have been me," a visibly shaken elder Hamilton said after the race. "It's tough ... he's my son.

"He told me he missed a shift. I heard it, but you're right up each other's tail here. It happens a lot here, seems like. He was probably going to win his first Truck race."

Hamilton went into the season finale at Homestead needing only to finish 12th to secure the championship. And he raced that way.

"We heard a lot of strange noises in the truck," Hamilton said after finishing 16th. "I just decided not to listen to that anymore and stay focused on winning the championship. Man, that was tough.

"I chickened out, fell to the rear and did what we had to do."

Hamilton won the title by 46 points in his self-owned No. 4 Dodge, the manufacturer's first championship in the series.

"I guess it's what every driver is after, deep down," said Hamilton, who at 47 became the oldest NCTS driver to win a title. "Winning is what it's all about, whether it's races or championships."