The relief could be seen on his face as well as heard in his voice.
When Bobby Hamilton Jr. (No. 35 McDonald s Ford) held an interview session at Daytona International Speedway during Preseason Thunder testing in January, the Nashville native proclaimed he was finally “back home” in the NASCAR Busch Series after a two-year hiatus.
This week, he returns to series competition in his hometown at his home track for the first time since 2004.
He has momentum, too, having moved into the top 10 in points following the race two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway. And he topped the speed chart during one of the two-day test sessions last week at Richmond International Raceway.
Hamilton has gone through quite a metamorphosis since he was last in a full-time ride for Team Rensi Motorsports in the NASCAR Busch Series in 2004.
He left Team Rensi to compete in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series with 12 races left to go in the season and an eighth-place standing in the points.
His expectations at the next level didn t go as planned and over the next two years, he moved in between NASCAR NEXTEL Cup and the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series. During that time he d experienced the highs of marriage and fatherhood to the tragic low of losing his father and NASCAR great Bobby Hamilton Sr. to cancer.
His wife Stephanie was the impetus for his return to the NASCAR Busch Series, which has been a conduit to some much-needed happiness for the Hamiltons.
“She went to Ed (Rensi) and said, can you find a sponsor so we can come back home? ” Hamilton said. “I ve pretty much spent my whole career in the NASCAR Busch Series (and) I couldn t think of anywhere else I d want to go. ”
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