Hamilton hurt in CTS race UPDATE 3 will miss three Cup races, Biffle to drive at RIR, NHIS and Dover: Bobby Hamilton, driver of the #55 Schneider Electric Chevy in Cup, was taken to Memorial Regional Medical Center after Thursday night’s CTS race at Richmond International Raceway. He was to be evaluated for pain in his right shoulder, left wrist and left collarbone following an accident on the final lap of the race. Hamilton hit David Starr from behind in Turn 1 as the final lap began. In all, 10 trucks either wrecked or spun out from the incident. Hamilton’s condition was not known late Thursday. He is scheduled to qualify his #55 Andy Petree-owned Chevy Friday in preparation for Saturday night’s Chevrolet Monte Carlo 400.(ThatsRacin.com) AND Hamilton was taken to a hospital as a precaution after the race complaining of a sore right shoulder, left wrist and other aches.(Daytona Beach News Journal/AP) UPDATE: Bobby Hamilton will miss the next three Winston Cup races after suffering a broken right shoulder blade and left wrist in a wreck on the final lap of Thursday night’s Virginia is for Lovers 200 Truck race at Richmond. Greg Biffle will drive the #55 Chevy owned by Andy Petree in Saturday night’s Chevrolet 400. That will break a streak of 266 consecutive Winston Cup races in which Hamilton has started. No interim driver for races after this weekend has been determined. Hamilton was driving a No. 4 Dodge truck he owns in Thursday night’s race. As he went into Turn 1 on the final lap, running in the top five, he made contact with another truck and crashed hard into the outside wall. He rebounded across the track and was hit several times by other trucks racing on the final lap of the race won by Tony Stewart. “I’m not really sure what happened,” said Hamilton, whose right arm will be immobilized by the shoulder injury. “I realized I was spinning toward the wall and going to hit on the driver’s side, so I turned the wheel the opposite way. I hit the wall and it pushed me back down the race track, where I got hit several times.”(ThatsRacin.com)(9-6-2002) UPDATE 2: Fox Sports Net’s NASCAR This Morning reports Greg Biffle will drive the #55 APR Chevy for the next three races, Richmond, New Hampshire and Dover. BUT Hamilton will be sidelined for three weeks, but car owner Andy Petree has not determined the plan beyond this week’ event.(Ford Racing)(9-7-2002) UPDATE 3: Andy Petree Racing officials confirmed late Saturday BGN points leader Greg Biffle would continue to drive the #55 Chevy until the team’s regular driver Bobby Hamilton returns. Hamilton suffered a broken right shoulder blade and cracked left wrist in Thursday night’s Truck series race. He is expected to miss from three to six races, including Saturday night’s race at Richmond. Biffle is expected to drive the #55 next Sunday at New Hampshire and the following weekend at Dover. He will continue until Hamilton returns or his rookie status becomes in jeopardy. Drivers are allowed to run up to seven Winston Cup races without losing rookie status the next season. Biffle currently has two Cup starts in 2002.(ThatsRacin.com)(9-8-2002)
