Hearing that several employees from Bobby Hamilton Racing-VA were released yesterday, and that they will be running the #18 driven by Dennis Setzer and sponsored by Dodge Dealers. Status of the #4 undetermined at this time.(8-30-2008)
UPDATE: BHR to One Truck for Now: Over the recent break in the truck series schedule the management at Bobby Hamilton Racing decided it was best to shift its focus to the #18 effort and have ceased operations on the #4 entry until further notice. “It was a very tough business decision that was thought long and hard about amongst the owners,” said Lori Hamilton, Chief Operating Officer of BHR. “This allows us to pull from our many resources and direct all our focus to the #18 team. Our goal is to win more races thus giving us more exposure and finish this season in the top 10 in points.”(BHR-VA PR)(9-3-2008)
UPDATE 2: Dodge not renewing sponsorship in ’09: The Dodge livery brightly splashing the #18 for the remainder of the year belies the fact that the manufacturer is not renewing its support of the team at season’s end. [Lori] Hamilton said the team has been in talks with Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota for 2009. “Dodge has been a good partner to us and they’ve built BHR with Bobby to what it is today, so there’s a lot of loyalty there,” Hamilton said. “I’m sure that another manufacturer would look at how long we’ve been with them, and that’s attractive to them.”(ESPN.com)(9-5-2008)
UPDATE 3: The struggles in the U.S. automobile sales market are trickling down to racing, with the latest blow coming to the Craftsman Truck Series. Dodge will not provide any financial support to any teams in the series in 2009, Dodge Motorsports senior manager Mike Delahanty said. “We’ll have no factory-funded teams,” Delahanty told ESPN.com. “When times are tough, there are certain things that are lower on the priority list than others.” Dodge had been a powerhouse in the Truck Series earlier this decade, winning 46 of 99 races from 2001-04 and championships with drivers Bobby Hamilton in 2004 and Ted Musgrave in 2005. In recent years Dodge has scaled back its involvement, with only Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia receiving money from the manufacturer this season. Dodge informed the team that its factory support would end this season, and BHR-VA has talked to Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota about a switch for 2009. Delahanty said the manufacturer’s involvement with the Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series is unaffected.(ESPN.com)(9-6-2008)
UPDATE 4: Bobby Hamilton Racing-Virginia is “very close” to signing with Toyota for 2009, a team source said. It will finish out the season as Dodge’s last factory-funded team.(ESPN.com(9-25-2008)
