2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton regretfully is stepping out of his #18 Fastenal Dodge for the 2006 season effective after the race at Atlanta Motor Speedway due to health reasons. Hamilton has been diagnosed with cancer in the right side of his neck and will be replaced for the season by his son Bobby Hamilton Jr. “Nobody wants to go through this and the word cancer is a stout word to hear,” Hamilton said. “But I will be starting my treatment right after the race in Atlanta so I have to take care of me for awhile. The hardest thing I’ve done is stepping out of this truck, but I will be back by Homestead or by Daytona bext year. When I told Dodge and Fastenal that I had to do this, they were right on board with me. It says a lot for companies of this magnitude to stay with our program during such a difficult time. We have a huge family at BHR and their support will enable our program to continue to be a success.”(NASCAR PR)(3-17-2006)
UPDATE: Bobby Hamilton has undergone two chemotherapy treatments for cancer and said he’s doing well. “I walk in (at Vanderbilt University Medical Center) just like everyone else who gets the treatment, and I walk out the same way,” Hamilton said. “I don’t want any special kind of treatment out of this so it is very important for me to do this just like everyone else. I never even told my nurse who I was.” After Hamilton’s first treatment two weeks ago he returned to his racing shop in Mt. Juliet and went back to work. “It is business as usual,” he said. While still active at the shop, Hamilton is concerned that the ongoing treatments will leave him too weak to race. Starting Friday at Martinsville, Va., he will turn the driving duties over to son Bobby Jr. in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. Hamilton’s goal is to be back behind the wheel for the season finale at Homestead, Fla., or at least by the ’07 opener at Daytona.(The Tennessean)(3-29-2006)
