# Bobby Hamilton Jr.

Charles Robert Hamilton Jr. (born January 8, 1978) is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He formerly competed in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, Nationwide Series, and Camping World Truck Series.

## Early career

When he was 15 years old, he found a Ford Pinto in his driveway as a gift from his father (2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Champion Bobby Hamilton). They fixed up the car, and Hamilton began racing it on weekends at the local speedway. In 1998, he moved to the ARCA series where he earned four top 5 finishes in five races.

## Motorsports career
### 1998–2001

In 1998, Hamilton began to run some Busch Series races for the Sadler Brothers Racing No. 95 team. He made his debut at Rockingham in October, where he started in 27th position. He led four laps and finished 37th, three laps off the lead. He also made the race at Atlanta, had a 19th place start and 20th-place finish. Hamilton and the No. 95 Shoney's Inn team entered 1999 with a part-time schedule. In four races with the team, his best start was 6th at Daytona, and his best finishes were 27th at Rockingham and Darlington. He did not race again until the Hensley Motorsports No. 63 Exxon Superflo team had an opening. He ran six of the next seven races, beginning at Watkins Glen. In that seat, he set his best career finish of 21st at Pikes Peak. Hamilton then moved over to the No. 22 Air Jamaica Team owned by Carroll Racing. He qualified for all the races he attempted, and matched his career best start of sixth at Charlotte. At Homestead-Miami Hamilton started 15th and finished 9th.
Hamilton got a full-time ride with Carroll in 2000, driving the newly formed No. 26 Chevy, with sponsorship from Baywatch. Hamilton had three top 10s in 2000, with a fourth at Talladega, and a pair of sevenths at Charlotte and Memphis. Hamilton also won his first career pole in the season finale at Homestead-Miami. He finished 19th in points. During the Homestead weekend in 2000, he made his Winston Cup Series debut at that track, driving the No. 57 Chevrolet owned by his father. He finished 33rd in that race, six laps down. He drove the No. 01 Coors Light Chevrolet for SABCO Racing the following week to a 31st-place finish.
Hamilton returned to Carroll had a pair of fifth at Darlington and Rockingham in 2001. He also added three other Top 10s and won another pole at Fontana in addition to starting in the Top 10 for half the races. After finishing 17th in points, he left the team. He made his Truck Series debut that year at The Milwaukee Mile in the No. 4 Dana Dodge Ram for BHR but exited early due to a transmission failure. He also ran three races in the No. 33 Oakwood Homes Chevy for Andy Petree Racing as a teammate to his father, filling in for the injured Joe Nemechek. He also ran seven Cup races late in the season for Morgan-McClure Motorsports, driving the No. 4 Kodak Chevy to three Top 20 finishes.

### 2002–2006

In 2002, Hamilton joined Team Rensi Motorsports to drive the No. 25 United States Marine Corps-sponsored Ford Taurus. He won his first career race at New Hampshire and finished eighth in points. He also had his first Top 5 finish in the Truck Series at Nashville Superspeedway, finishing seventh in his father's Square D entry. He had his statistically career-best season in 2003, where he won four Busch Series races and finished fourth in the final standings. He also partnered with Rensi to run some races at the Winston Cup level, his best finish being a 14th at Kansas Speedway in the No. 35 Marines Ford.
Hamilton returned to Rensi in 2004, but did not win a race. He competed in six Nextel Cup events for Phoenix Racing in the No. 09 Miccosukee Indian Gambling-sponsored Dodge and had a best finish of 17th. He also drove three times in the Truck Series, winning a pole in his father's No. 04 truck, as well as running twice for HT Motorsports. After 23 Busch races, he left Rensi to move up to the Nextel level, driving the No. 32 Tide-sponsored Chevrolet for PPI Motorsports. He was given the full-time ride for 2005, but struggled immensely, failing to qualify three times and not finishing any higher than 11th. After driving two events in equipment leased from Front Row Motorsports, Hamilton was let go from PPI at the end of the season.
Without a full-time ride, Hamilton moved to the Truck Series, leasing equipment from the No. 08 team owned by Green Light Racing and running with Corky's Ribs and BBQ sponsorship. After three races, it was announced that his father had been diagnosed with head and neck cancer, and Hamilton was deemed his replacement in the No. 18 Fastenal-sponsored Dodge. He won the pole in his first race in the truck but only mustered a 16th-place finish in points, as well as dealing with conflicts within the family-run organization. His attempt to run the 2006 Allstate 400 at the Brickyard at the Cup level also failed.
Following his father's death on January 7, 2007, Hamilton was expected to take over ownership of the team; however, he was not part of the management named by the team's backers the following month. The team eventually closed down in 2008.

### 2007–present

In 2007, Hamilton returned to the Busch Series and Team Rensi, this time driving the #35 McDonald's Ford. He had three Top 10 finishes and finished sixth in the final standings. After his #35 team folded in 2008, he moved back to the #25 car with Smithfield Foods sponsoring for thirty races. Despite missing two road course events, Hamilton had two Top 10s and finished 15th in points. The team was ready to close near the end of the season when Smithfield's sponsorship ended, but Hamilton funded the team out of his own pocket for the final few races of the season to keep the team going. He also purchased a small portion of the Sadler Brothers team for whom he had begun his career, allowing them to run a limited schedule in the Nationwide and ARCA RE/MAX Series.
Before the 2009 season, Hamilton purchased a small portion of Rensi Motorsports and merged his own operation with the team, forming the new Rensi-Hamilton Racing operation. The #25 team lacked the sponsorship to run Hamilton, and he subsequently drove Randy MacDonald's #81 Dodge for a limited schedule. Hamilton returned to the Truck Series in 2010 for Rick Ware and also ran at Nashville Superspeedway in 2011 with Ware in their #1 truck.
After two years away from major-league racing, Hamilton returned to the track in 2014, signing with Carter 2 Motorsports to drive the team's No. 40 Dodge full-time in the ARCA Racing Series; however before his first race with the team, he was released. In 2015, Hamilton resigned with Carter 2 Motorsports to compete in the 2015 ARCA season.
In 2016 Bobby started Hamilton-Hughes Racing, with none of the three cars entered at Daytona making the field. By the end of May, cars from Hamilton-Hughes Racing were no longer showing up to the track. Most recently Bobby is facing lawsuits from multiple drivers and the team has been evicted from its Russellville, KY shop.

## Other ventures

In December 2009, Hamilton purchased Highland Rim Speedway, located in Ridgetop, Tennessee. In late 2010, Hamilton was accused of pulling a gun on a competitor at the track during a dispute; Hamilton stated he legally possessed the weapon and believed he was being threatened. No charges were filed in the case. In April 2011, Hamilton and fellow driver Chad Chaffin acquired a two-year contract for the rights to operate Nashville Fairgrounds Speedway in Nashville, Tennessee. In November 2011, however, they were found by the Nashville State Fair to be in default on their obligations, and in April 2012, Hamilton was named in a lawsuit by Nashville for unpaid obligations related to the contract. Hamilton had declared bankruptcy that January, and the Highland Rim track was sold at public auction in February.

## Personal life

Hamilton currently resides in Greenbrier, Tennessee, with his wife Stephanie and a daughter named Haley.

## Motorsports career results
### NASCAR

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)

#### Nextel Cup Series

NASCAR Nextel Cup Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | NNCC | Pts | Ref |
| 2000 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 57 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | MAR | TAL | CAL | RCH | CLT | DOV | MCH | POC | SON | DAY | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | NHA | DOV | MAR | CLT | TAL | CAR | PHO | HOM 33 | | | | 60th | 134 | |
| 2000 | Team SABCO | 01 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ATL 31 | | | | 60th | 134 | |
| 2001 | Andy Petree Racing | 33 | Chevy | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | MAR | TAL | CAL | RCH | CLT 39 | DOV 42 | MCH 24 | POC | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | DOV | KAN | | | | | | | | | 47th | 748 | |
| 2001 | Morgan-McClure Motorsports | 4 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CLT 33 | MAR | TAL 14 | PHO 38 | CAR 17 | HOM 35 | ATL 15 | NHA 37 | 47th | 748 | |
| 2003 | Team Rensi Motorsports | 35 | Ford | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL DNQ | DAR | BRI | TEX | TAL | MAR | CAL | RCH | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC | IND | GLN | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH | NHA | DOV | TAL | KAN 14 | CLT | MAR | ATL 27 | PHO | CAR | HOM | 55th | 264 | |
| 2004 | Phoenix Racing | 09 | Dodge | DAY | CAR | LVS | ATL | DAR | BRI | TEX | MAR | TAL | CAL | RCH 17 | CLT 42 | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY 42 | CHI 41 | NHA 19 | POC | IND | GLN | MCH 38 | BRI | | | | | | | | | | | | | 39th | 1271 | |
| 2004 | PPI Motorsports | 32 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CAL 38 | RCH 11 | NHA | DOV 29 | TAL 43 | KAN 23 | CLT 15 | MAR 36 | ATL 38 | PHO 16 | DAR 31 | HOM 21 | 39th | 1271 | |
| 2005 | PPI Motorsports | 32 | Chevy | DAY 35 | CAL 20 | LVS 11 | ATL 38 | BRI 39 | MAR 40 | TEX 39 | PHO 35 | TAL 40 | DAR 30 | RCH 36 | CLT DNQ | DOV 21 | POC 23 | MCH 31 | SON | DAY 38 | CHI 21 | NHA 28 | POC 23 | IND 39 | GLN | MCH 35 | BRI 35 | CAL 23 | RCH 43 | NHA 29 | DOV 33 | TAL DNQ | KAN 43 | CLT 41 | MAR 30 | ATL DNQ | TEX 38 | PHO 35 | HOM 36 | 36th | 2183 | |
| 2005 | Front Row Motorsports | 32 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | TAL 20 | | | | ATL 39 | | | | | | 36th | 2183 |
| 2006 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 04 | Dodge | DAY | CAL | LVS DNQ | ATL | BRI | MAR | TEX | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV | POC | MCH | SON | DAY | CHI | NHA | POC DNQ | IND DNQ | GLN | MCH | BRI | CAL | RCH | NHA | DOV | KAN | TAL | CLT | MAR | ATL | TEX | PHO | HOM | NA | - | |

##### Daytona 500

| Year | Team | Manufacturer | Start | Finish |
| 2005 | PPI Motorsports | Chevrolet | 22 | 35 |

#### Nationwide Series

NASCAR Nationwide Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | NNSC | Pts | Ref |
| 1998 | Sadler Brothers Racing | 95 | Pontiac | DAY | CAR | LVS | NSV | DAR | BRI | TEX | HCY | TAL | NHA | NZH | CLT | DOV | RCH | PPR | GLN | MLW | MYB | CAL | SBO | IRP | MCH | BRI | DAR | RCH DNQ | DOV | CLT | GTY | CAR 37 | ATL 20 | HOM | | | | | 83rd | 160 | |
| 1999 | Sadler Brothers Racing | 95 | Chevy | DAY 30 | CAR 27 | LVS DNQ | ATL DNQ | DAR 27 | TEX DNQ | NSV DNQ | BRI | TAL 33 | CAL | NHA | RCH DNQ | NZH | CLT | DOV | SBO | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 39th | 1351 | |
| 1999 | HVP Motorsports | 63 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | GLN 26 | MLW 39 | MYB DNQ | PPR 21 | GTY 28 | IRP 42 | MCH 23 | BRI DNQ | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 39th | 1351 |
| 1999 | Carroll Racing | 22 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | DAR 42 | RCH 41 | DOV 21 | CLT 30 | CAR 39 | MEM 22 | PHO 30 | HOM 9 | | | | | | 39th | 1351 |
| 2000 | Carroll Racing | 26 | Chevy | DAY 28 | CAR 21 | LVS 41 | ATL 38 | DAR 30 | BRI 36 | TEX 29 | NSV 19 | TAL 4 | CAL 35 | RCH 14 | NHA 11 | CLT 23 | DOV 37 | SBO 14 | MYB 18 | GLN 21 | MLW 13 | NZH 33 | PPR 17 | GTY 19 | IRP 24 | MCH 18 | BRI 38 | DAR 43 | RCH 33 | DOV 13 | CLT 7 | CAR 25 | MEM 7 | PHO 24 | HOM 22 | | | | 19th | 2968 | |
| 2001 | Carroll Racing | 26 | Chevy | DAY 33 | CAR 5 | LVS 37 | ATL 36 | DAR 6 | BRI 23 | TEX 19 | NSH 26 | TAL 23 | CAL 14 | RCH 24 | NHA 7 | NZH 7 | CLT 14 | DOV 28 | KEN 12 | MLW 34 | GLN 29 | CHI 41 | GTY 18 | PPR 15 | IRP 19 | MCH 21 | BRI 32 | DAR 5 | RCH 33 | DOV 13 | KAN 34 | CLT 12 | MEM 15 | PHO 36 | CAR 21 | HOM 26 | | | 17th | 3267 | |
| 2002 | Team Rensi Motorsports | 25 | Ford | DAY 30 | CAR 16 | LVS 11 | DAR 12 | BRI 13 | TEX 8 | NSH 3 | TAL 22 | CAL 37 | RCH 25* | NHA 1* | NZH 6 | CLT 7 | DOV 3 | NSH 2 | KEN 36 | MLW 7 | DAY 33 | CHI 9 | GTY 17 | PPR 12 | IRP 31 | MCH 5 | BRI 32 | DAR 6 | RCH 14 | DOV 30 | KAN 8 | CLT 9 | MEM 37 | ATL 8 | CAR 29 | PHO 24 | HOM 5 | | 8th | 4058 | |
| 2003 | Team Rensi Motorsports | 25 | Ford | DAY 7 | CAR 13 | LVS 34 | DAR 12 | BRI 6 | TEX 40 | TAL 35 | NSH 10* | CAL 18 | RCH 10 | GTY 5 | NZH 9 | CLT 13 | DOV 6 | NSH 5 | KEN 1* | MLW 10 | DAY 22 | CHI 1* | NHA 6 | PPR 25 | IRP 35 | MCH 3 | BRI 34 | DAR 4 | RCH 3 | DOV 2 | KAN 19 | CLT 7 | MEM 1 | ATL 3 | PHO 1* | CAR 3 | HOM 3 | | 4th | 4588 | |
| 2004 | Team Rensi Motorsports | 25 | Ford | DAY 13 | CAR 8 | LVS 5 | DAR 19 | BRI 24 | TEX 5 | NSH 27 | TAL 24 | CAL 10 | GTY 4 | RCH 4 | NZH 2* | CLT 13 | DOV 4 | NSH 23 | KEN 28* | MLW 5 | DAY 12 | CHI 43 | NHA 9 | PPR 10 | IRP 6 | MCH 29 | BRI | CAL | RCH | DOV | KAN | CLT | MEM | ATL | PHO | DAR | HOM | | 22nd | 2896 | |
| 2007 | Team Rensi Motorsports | 35 | Ford | DAY 24 | CAL 29 | MXC 17 | LVS 14 | ATL 24 | BRI 18 | NSH 9 | TEX 14 | PHO 34 | TAL 12 | RCH 22 | DAR 20 | CLT 33 | DOV 10 | NSH 13 | KEN 36 | MLW 13 | NHA 20 | DAY 12 | CHI 29 | GTY 13 | IRP 13 | CGV 24 | GLN 22 | MCH 27 | BRI 12 | CAL 21 | RCH 16 | DOV 12 | KAN 20 | CLT 16 | MEM 38 | TEX 14 | PHO 24 | HOM 8 | 6th | 3667 | |
| 2008 | Team Rensi Motorsports | 25 | Ford | DAY 22 | CAL 20 | LVS 12 | ATL 23 | BRI 17 | NSH 10 | TEX 23 | PHO 13 | MXC | TAL 3 | RCH 17 | DAR 30 | CLT 18 | DOV 14 | NSH 30 | KEN 21 | MLW 15 | NHA 16 | DAY 15 | CHI 19 | GTY 20 | IRP 14 | CGV | GLN 16 | MCH 18 | BRI 18 | CAL 19 | RCH 14 | DOV 15 | KAN 25 | CLT 37 | MEM 21 | TEX 16 | PHO 18 | HOM 21 | 15th | 3566 | |
| 2009 | MacDonald Motorsports | 81 | Dodge | DAY | CAL | LVS | BRI | TEX | NSH | PHO | TAL | RCH | DAR | CLT | DOV 15 | NSH 14 | KEN 27 | MLW 19 | NHA 29 | DAY | CHI | GTY | | | | | | | ATL 30 | RCH 23 | DOV 28 | KAN | CAL | CLT | MEM | TEX | PHO | HOM | 53rd | 846 | |
| 2009 | Rensi-Hamilton Motorsports | 25 | Ford | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | IRP 22 | IOW | GLN | MCH | BRI | CGV | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 53rd | 846 | |

#### Camping World Truck Series

NASCAR Camping World Truck Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | NCWTC | Pts |
| 2001 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 4 | Dodge | DAY | HOM | MMR | MAR | GTY | DAR | PPR | DOV | TEX | MEM | MLW 33 | KAN | KEN | NHA | IRP | NSH | CIC | NZH | RCH | SBO | TEX | LVS | PHO | CAL | | 126th | - |
| 2002 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 4 | Dodge | DAY | DAR | MAR | GTY | PPR | DOV | TEX | MEM | MLW | KAN | KEN | NHA | MCH | IRP | NSH 4 | RCH | TEX | SBO | LVS | CAL | PHO | HOM | | | | 70th | 165 |
| 2004 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 04 | Dodge | DAY | ATL | MAR | MFD | CLT | DOV | TEX | MEM | MLW | KAN | KEN | GTW | MCH | IRP | NSH 4 | BRI | RCH | NHA | LVS | CAL | TEX | | | | | 46th | 395 |
| 2004 | HT Motorsports | 59 | Dodge | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | MAR 9 | PHO | DAR 27 | HOM | 46th | 395 |
| 2006 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 08 | Dodge | DAY 7 | CAL 22 | ATL 19 | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 16th | 2671 |
| 2006 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 18 | Dodge | | | | MAR 10 | GTY 7 | CLT 21 | MFD 18 | DOV 13 | TEX 25 | MCH 28 | MLW 31 | KAN 15 | KEN 24 | MEM 35 | IRP 31 | NSH 13 | BRI 9 | NHA 26 | LVS 26 | TAL 13 | MAR 32 | ATL 9 | TEX 12 | PHO 32 | HOM 4 | 16th | 2671 |
| 2010 | Rick Ware Racing | 6 | Chevy | DAY | ATL | MAR | NSH | KAN | DOV | CLT | TEX | MCH | IOW | GTW | IRP | POC 32 | NSH 24 | DAR | | | | | | | | | | | 42nd | 679 |
| 2010 | Rick Ware Racing | 47 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | BRI 13 | CHI | KEN | NHA 10 | LVS | MAR | TAL | TEX 13 | PHO 10 | HOM | 42nd | 679 |
| 2011 | Rick Ware Racing | 1 | Chevy | DAY | PHO | DAR | MAR | NSH 22 | DOV | CLT | KAN | TEX | KEN | IOW | NSH | IRP | POC | MCH | BRI | ATL | CHI | NHA | KEN | LVS | TAL | MAR | TEX | HOM | 64th | 22 |

### ARCA Racing Series

(key) (Bold – Pole position awarded by qualifying time. Italics – Pole position earned by points standings or practice time. * – Most laps led.)
ARCA Racing Series results :
| Year | Team | No. | Make | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | ARSC | Pts | Ref |
| 1998 | Bobby Hamilton Racing | 43 | Pontiac | DAY | ATL | SLM | CLT | MEM | MCH | POC 5 | SBS | TOL | PPR | POC 25 | KIL | FRS | ISF | ATL | DSF | SLM | TEX | WIN | | | | N/A | - | |
| 1998 | Sadler Brothers Racing | 95 | Chevy | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | CLT 3 | TAL 5 | ATL 2* | N/A | - | |
| 1999 | Sadler Brothers Racing | 95 | Chevy | DAY 3 | ATL | SLM | AND | CLT 16 | MCH 23 | POC DNQ | TOL | SBS | BLN | POC | KIL | FRS | FLM | ISF | WIN | DSF | SLM | CLT | TAL | ATL | | 56th | 505 | |
| 2015 | Carter 2 Motorsports | 97 | Dodge | DAY 26 | MOB 13 | NSH 12 | SLM 18 | TAL 22 | TOL 8 | NJE 13 | POC 19 | MCH 19 | CHI 15 | WIN | IOW | IRP | POC | BLN | ISF | DSF | SLM | KEN | KAN | | | 14th | 1975 | |
| 2016 | Hamilton-Hughes Racing | 4 | Dodge | DAY DNQ | NSH | SLM | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | 120th | 130 | |
| 2016 | Hamilton-Hughes Racing | 64 | Dodge | | | | TAL 25 | TOL | NJM | POC | MCH | MAD | WIN | IOW | IRP | POC | BLN | ISF | DSF | SLM | CHI | KEN | KAN | | | | 120th | 130 |
$^*$ Season still in progress $^1$ Ineligible for series points