Bobby Hamilton made a lasting impression in this writer's son's life. Credit: AP

Memories of Hamilton are many and varied

It took some doing, but Richard Houston was clearly impressed.

Driving past what's now known as Lowe's Motor Speedway, I explained to my young son that Richard Petty had raced there. Dale Earnhardt and Darrell Waltrip, too. The names didn't seem to register with Richard, who must have been almost 7 at the time. Cars go almost 200 mph right over there, I told him. Still, nothing. No response.

Bobby Hamilton made three Truck Series starts in 2006 before announcing he had cancer. Credit: Autostock

MESSAGE BOARD •   Send your condolences to Bobby Hamilton's family. HAMILTON DIES AT 49 Bobby Hamilton, the 2004 Truck Series champion, died Jan. 7 after a battle with neck cancer.  •   Complete story, click here BY THE NUMBERS Bobby Hamilton found Victory Lane in all three of NASCAR's top series, but when he went to the Lady in Black in a truck, he found his way to the front.  •   Hamilton: By the Numbers PHOTO GALLERY From driving the 43 car for Petty Enterprises to winning a Truck Series championship with his own team, Bobby Hamilton's career was multi-faceted.  • Hamilton: In Photos 2004 FLASHBACK The 2004 season was Bobby Hamilton's crowning moment in the Truck Series, but even in his championship year nothing was handed to the owner/driver.  •   Complete story, click here Reflecting on a titleBobby Hamilton looks back on his 2004 truck championship Lifting the trophyBobby Hamilton clinches the 2004 Truck Series championship '05: Up frontBobby Hamilton takes the points lead halfway through the year '05: Victory at MansfieldBobby Hamilton celebrates his UAW-GM Ohio 250 victory Sign up for TrackPass now BUY THE NEXTEL i836

We rode in silence for a few seconds before Richard chimed in, "What about Bobby Hamilton? Does he race here?"

"Yep. Sure does."

"Cooooool."

That had gotten my son's attention like nothing else had. Richard knew Hamilton, who passed away Jan. 7 after a year-long battle with cancer. Petty, Earnhardt and Waltrip were just names in the paper for which I wrote at the time, Winston Cup Scene. Sure, they were famous racecar drivers, but Richard had never spent any significant time with any of them. Hamilton, he knew personally.

Richard to this day lives in Hermitage, Tenn., just outside Nashville and only a few miles from Hamilton's home in Mt. Juliet. In 1996, because of my travel schedule, I found myself in a fix for a way to get Richard to North Carolina for his annual summer visit. Hamilton's then-wife Debbie offered a solution. Hamilton was headed that way anyway, so why not bring Richard along on the plane?

What? No way. Richard had never flown before. How would he get to the airport?

"No problem," Hamilton said. "He would pick Richard up."

"OK, fine. How much do I owe you?"

"Nothing."

"What about ..."

"Don't worry about it."

Hamilton did in fact pick Richard up at his house, and he also took Richard -- a young kid he'd never met before -- to lunch before heading to the airport. After pilot Bob Reuther, a former Nashville racing legend himself, landed Hamilton's small private plane in Concord, N.C., Richard called the flight the best roller coaster he'd ever been on.

Neither Bobby nor Debbie ever accepted any payment for the flight. They did it simply because they could.

Here's another enduring memory of Hamilton. Travis was a young man at our church who lived most of the time with his grandparents. A race fan, he loved Bobby Hamilton. When I told Bobby and Debbie about Travis, again, they offered to help. One of the last Cup races at North Wilkesboro was coming up, so Travis, my wife Jeanie and I were to meet the Hamiltons at their motorhome behind the backstretch for a cookout. It was a beautiful night. The food was good, and Hamilton treated Travis like they'd known each other all their lives.

One other thing about that evening resonates in my memory. Hamilton had a horse-sized dog ... and he bit it squarely on the nose.

Today, there are many other thoughts of Bobby Hamilton. Early in his career, some called him "Blinky" due to his nervous habit during interviews. He sought to improve himself by watching videotapes of those chats, and thereafter consciously tried not to blink quite so often when talking to reporters.

There was his relatively calm response following an on-track bump from Dale Earnhardt at Rockingham that cost him a shot at his first career victory. Later the same year, he got that initial win at Phoenix while driving for Petty Enterprises. Standing on the pit wall amidst the members of a team that had not won in a very, very long time, the meaning of the moment was almost palpable.

I lost most contact with Hamilton as my focus at Scene shifted to the Busch Series. We'd never really been close friends. Richard's flight and Travis' encounter in the Wilkesboro motorhome lot had been more the result of happenstance than any kind of forged relationship. I hadn't seen or talked to him in several years.

Still ... when I heard he'd passed away, there was something missing.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.