Chad Chaffin – Last Race: “Homestead is my last race with the Dickies Racing Team. This season has been so much fun for me. I have enjoyed being a part of a wonderful organization and working with my guys at Bobby Hamilton Racing. I am so proud of what we have been able to accomplish this year. I wish them all the luck next season. They are strong group of guys and will be a force to reckon with at many of the tracks next year. No matter what happens in the future, I will always remember this year for my first NCTS win at Dover. It was such a team effort and that is how I will always remember it. Winning the next race at IRP was icing on the cake and such a show that was. I want to thank Dickies for being such a great sponsor and I wish them all the luck as they go on to new levels in the sport [sponsoring the 2nd Cup race at Texas]. We won’t be racing together next year, but this team and season will always hold a special place in my heart.”(BHR PR)
UPDATE:Deborah Renshaw, who made NASCAR history last Friday at Darlington by becoming the first female racer to lead a lap in the 10-year-old Craftsman Truck Series, may join Bobby Hamilton Racing next season. ”There are talks going on and we are close to putting something together,” said Renshaw, who three years ago became the first woman to lead the championship standings in the premier division at 46-year-old Fairgrounds Speedway. ”I think it would be a good fit,” said Hamilton, a veteran owner/driver who fields trucks out of his Mt. Juliet complex. ”We’ve been involved in NASCAR’s diversity movement for a long time, working with (black drivers) Bill Lester and Joe Henderson III, and we could continue that by helping develop a female driver. Deborah is an attractive, personable young woman who is very good with the fans and the media. If we can get her up to speed on the track she’ll have the whole package.” Renshaw has run 13 truck races this season with a top finish of 15th. Hamilton, the series points leader, has been impressed by her progress in such a short period. ”She’s done a pretty good job,” Hamilton said, ”especially considering what she’s had to work with. I’m not being critical of her team, because it’s run by good people who do the best they can with what they have, but they don’t have a lot of resources to put into it. If Deborah joins BHR we’ll make sure that she has everything she needs to succeed.” Hamilton said if the deal is completed Renshaw will drive the #8 truck currently co-owned by BHR and Ray Montgomery. Montgomery’s son, Chase, is driving the truck this season but next year will take over the #18 Dodge driven by Chad Chaffin. ”I’d be glad to have Deborah race our truck,” Ray Montgomery said. ”She would contribute a lot to the entire team.” Chaffin lost his sponsor [Dickie’s], but Hamilton said he hopes to ”keep him under the BHR umbrella” [#59?] in another ride next season. Hamilton plans to turn his [#4] truck over to Montgomery eventually. ”Chase has a lot of talent and is going to be a great driver,” Hamilton said.(Tennessean)(11-17-2004)
UPDATE 2: Deborah Renshaw has joined the ranks of the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Championship organization for the 2005 season. In a homecoming of sorts, Renshaw will pilot the #8 DODGE of BHR2 for the complete 25 race schedule next season. Wow, what an opportunity that I have to join this organization, said Renshaw. This is a very important time in my career and I cannot think of a better place to be than right here. I am familiar with some of the people in this organization since my days of racing around the Nashville area and I actually ran an ARCA race a few years ago with some of the guys on this team. I really feel like this is where I belong and that is comfortable. Renshaw, a native of Bowling Green, KY, made 14 starts in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series this past season. In those 14 starts she garnered two top 20 finishes and a career best of 15th at Martinsville Speedway in October. She has also competed in the ARCA RE/MAX over the last three years where she has accumulated nine starts with a best finish of seventh at the Nashville Superspeedway. Deborah is welcomed with open arms by her new teammates Bobby Hamilton and Chase Montgomery. “We have been a part of the diversity program since NASCAR started it, stated Hamilton. Deborah becoming part of the BHR family is yet another way our team is involved in taking NASCAR to another level. We also are looking at this as an internal driver development program much like we had with Chase (Montgomery) this past year. Deborah has talent behind the wheel of a race car and is a great spokesperson for our sport. We really see good things out of her in our equipment.”
Renshaw and her #8 team will be headed up by new crew chief Bob Bissinger. Bob has an extensive background in the ARCA RE/MAX Series where he also worked with other female drivers. He served as truck chief after joining the BHR2 team halfway through the 2004 season. Bob will be joined by team engineer Randy Seals who served as crew chief for the #8 DODGE this past season with Chase Montgomery. The #8 team and their new driver will get to work right away by taking part in a test session at the Talladega Superspeedway on December 15th & 16th. I am very excited about this opportunity, stated Deborah. This #8 team is a great collection of guys with an immense amount of knowledge that will help me tremendously. They put a great truck out there on the track each week and it is my job to make the most of it. I do feel that this will be the best opportunity I have had in my career and I look to make the most of it. I am ready to get the year started and head to Daytona. Renshaw and the team will look to make an announcement regarding their sponsors sometime in January.(BHR PR)(12-15-2004)
