Guest Author - De Powell

Loss is never easy to deal with, and the NASCAR world has just been dealt a loss that will be felt for a long time. This week we were all shocked to learn that Bobby Hamilton Sr. had lost his battle with cancer. In March of 2006, he made the announcement that he had cancer of the neck. "I love what I do; I love this business," Hamilton said. "NASCAR has been good to me, and I just don't feel comfortable when I am not around it."

In the interviews with Bobby after the announcement, his positive outlook never wavered. "Don't call me a 'victim,'" he said. "I don't look at it that way." By August, he told us that the cancer was in remission and that he would be back to racing in the fall. Unfortunately, the cancer returned.

"Cancer is an ongoing battle, and once you are diagnosed you always live with the thought of the disease in your body,'' Hamilton said in an interview last month. "It is the worst thing you could ever imagine.''

Bobby’s impact on the NASCAR world was great. Hamilton was one of the ‘Good Ole Boys’. There aren’t many left like him, and his presence will be sorely missed. He was one that never forgot where he came from. Hamilton was from the Old School way of thinking. He earned his stripes the hard way. He was a hard worker, and he liked to run things his way. He was given very few breaks along the way, but what breaks he was given, he was able to use to his best advantage.

In 1988, Hamilton was known as the winningest driver at the Nashville fairgrounds. Waltrip was entered in the Busch race there, but was also driving at Martinsville and wouldn’t be able to qualify his car. It was suggested to Waltrip to ask Hamilton to qualify his car for him. Hamilton was happy to do Waltrip the favor. Waltrip won the Busch race that day, thanks to Hamilton’s setup. Waltrip vowed to help Hamilton out when he could.

It wasn’t long before Waltrip was able to make good on that promise when he recommended Hamilton to Rick Hendrick. They needed a driver to carry the cameras for the movie ‘Days of Thunder’. He not only got some great camera shots with a car loaded down with cameras and equipment, but he even led some laps. Hamilton made connections that day which would later get him a full time ride.

His biggest break came in 1995 when he was hired by Petty Enterprises to drive full time. He had four wins during his Cup career, and in 2003, decided to give up the Cup racing and become an owner/driver in the Craftsman Truck Series. This proved to be a great decision on his part as he won the series Championship in 2004. He was only the 2nd to achieve this feat.

Liz Allison, a family friend and widow of driver Davey Allison, co-hosted a radio show with Hamilton, said he was at home with his family in Mount Juliet, Tenn., when he died. "The thing I loved about Bobby Sr. so much is that he treated everybody the same. It didn't matter if you were one of the drivers he competed against or a fan he'd never laid eyes on before.”

When he was diagnosed, Bobby handed over the driving duties to his son Bobby Jr. He has also taken over his father’s duties on the radio show with Allison.

"My dad was a good person," said Bobby Jr. "The people who didn't know him are the ones who missed out. My dad wanted things to continue as normal as possible during his ordeal," he said. "He didn't want anybody to worry about him or feel sorry for him. He honestly seemed more concerned about the rest of us than he did about himself."

"He will be greatly missed as a husband, a father, a grandfather, an owner and a friend," Hamilton's family said in a statement. "We want to thank everyone for their love and support of our racing operation and the outpouring of care and concern during his cancer battle. One of Bobby's greatest loves in life was racing and we will continue on in his honor."

Bobby Jr. is carrying on. He has the same drive as his father, the same attitude. It is just this drive that will help him succeed and make a name for himself. Family traditions are big in NASCAR, and the Hamiltons are big on tradition.

Til next week......