On occasion, people are brought together in the midst of the most unfortunate circumstances. But through those adverse circumstances, two widely-known female team owners in NASCAR, who in the past exchanged few words, were fortunate to form an unbreakable bond.

Lori Hamilton, widow of the late Bobby Hamilton and DeLana Harvick, a self-described racing brat and daughter of fallen racecar driver John Paul Linville, both found solace in a friendship whose common denominator was loss.

“

I naturally turned around and said 'Where's Bobby?' and in a second it hit me. That was the first time I had been in Victory Lane without him. I just cried and cried; I really lost it.

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LORI HAMILTON

Just two years after Harvick, wife of Sprint Cup driver Kevin Harvick, lost her father to cancer, Hamilton too lost her husband to cancer.

Harvick immediately reached out to Hamilton.

"I remember after Bobby announced in Atlanta that he had cancer, DeLana came up to me and said, 'we are bonded now,' and she told me she would be there for me," recalled Hamilton, whose husband lost his year-long battle to head and neck cancer in January 2007, a few months after the couple's wedding day.

Harvick felt she was in a unique position to help Hamilton as her father had received treatment at the same hospital as the late Bobby Hamilton and she was more than familiar with the rigors of treatment and home care.

More than that, Harvick realized Hamilton was now in charge of a Craftsman Truck Series team, Bobby Hamilton Racing.

The right employees and management were put in place prior to Bobby Hamilton's passing, nevertheless, Hamilton was overwhelmed by the responsibility that lay ahead.

Her racing background, as well as Harvick's, was marketing and public relations, race-day setups were not Hamilton's expertise.

But Harvick explained, "With today's competition level, you need to press forward. Taking a day off wasn't an option. Races keep going. When my dad passed, going to the track kept me busy. I knew that would help Lori move forward, but she had to, she didn't have a choice."

Neither of them were afforded lengthy mourning periods. And Hamilton had a team and an organization her husband spent most of his life building to rally and lead.

Harvick's generosity and compassion was another saving grace.

"When Bobby died, DeLana sat down with me and helped me get on the right track. She opened her books and showed me how to get things done and how not to let people get one over on you," Hamilton said. "She was a trusted person, she obviously runs a successful team and I have so much respect for her."

Although both women are fierce competitors in the Truck Series, they admittedly root for each other from the tops of their respective pit boxes. Often during the races, the two send text messages back and forth, sometimes it's just coffee talk and other times it's about the race in front of them.

The Kroger 250 in Martinsville, Va., where Dennis Setzer was on the verge of his emotional victory for Bobby Hamilton Racing, was no exception.

Harvick bubbled with anticipation when Setzer took the lead on Lap 128 and remained there through nine more cautions that helped him stretch his fuel mileage.

"During the race, our trucks weren't having the best of luck," Harvick recalled. "So, then I started worrying about Dennis running out of gas."

“

I never have to explain why I'm upset. I can send Lori a one-word e-mail and she knows; she gets it. It's hard to explain our connection, but that's really what we have, a common connection.

”

DELANA HARVICK

Harvick pulled out her phone and feverishly typed out a message to Hamilton.

"I wanted her to tell me if he was going to run out of gas. My heart would break, I didn't want to be surprised," Harvick said. "Our team, Kevin Harvick Inc., is first, but at then end of day, we are our biggest supporters."

Once Setzer took the checkered flag, Harvick knew how happy, yet sorrowful Hamilton would be in Victory Lane.

"I knew she'd be looking for Bobby," Harvick said. "She was so happy, but I know she was looking for Bobby and I get that."

When Harvick's husband won the Daytona 500 in 2007, Harvick experienced a similar emotion -- she wanted her father there. He was a driver in the Nationwide Series until 1995 and Harvick often tagged along with him to races.

"I wanted him to know that feeling," she said. "In Victory Lane that year I felt the highest of high and the lowest of low."

And so did Hamilton. Distracted by the cheers and confetti, she called out for her husband.

"I was caught up in the moment," she recalled from Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway. "I naturally turned around and said 'Where's Bobby?' and in a second it hit me. That was the first time I had been in Victory Lane without him. I just cried and cried; I really lost it."

Both Hamilton and Harvick, through their grieving process, have endured many firsts and will continue to do so throughout their lives; holidays, birthdays and anniversaries will always be difficult.

But through their unique bond and ability to commiserate, Harvick and Hamilton find true comfort.

"I never have to explain why I'm upset. I can send Lori a one-word e-mail and she knows; she gets it," Harvick said. "It's hard to explain our connection, but that's really what we have, a common connection."

The connection continues to grow, but the friendship's common denominator is less about loss and more about camaraderie between two female team owners with strong personalities, the desire to succeed and the ability to make a difference.

Looking to the future, both are interested in taking on charitable roles with cancer foundations and furthering research efforts.

In April, Hamilton was a spokesperson for the Oral, Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Week.

"DeLana and I have talked about our next calling in life and we've tossed around different ideas," Hamilton said. "But most important, I think our loss has taught us a lot about life and the friendships we have. It's something to be cherished greatly."