NASCAR WCUP: Bobby Hamilton recounts life story in 'Up to Speed'

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

June 29, 2001

Petree, Elledge, Hamilton Jr. contribute chapters as well as readers are taken behind the scenes of a Winston Cup team

CHARLOTTE, N.C. ­ Bobby Hamilton has gone from taking a turn behind the wheel to behind the keyboard, and his life story "Up to Speed" is scheduled to be pitting in bookstores July 27, 2001.

His book, "Up to Speed," written with co-author Bob Schaller (ISBN 1-929478-28-3, $12.95, 224 pages, 16-page photo section, CrossTraining Publishing, 1-800-430-8588) tells Hamilton¹s story of growing up under less than ideal conditions in Tennessee before making it to NASCAR¹s top racing circuit.

Hamilton recounts a near fatal accident at Highland Rim in Tennessee, one that kept him out of racing for several months and almost ended his career. Included in Hamilton¹s book are personal stories about Bobby¹s trials and tribulations, including a span of living on his own as a 13-year-old.

"I hit the streets," Hamilton writes. "I stayed at friends¹ houses sometimes. Heck, depending on how late we were out, I¹d sleep in cars at times. It wasn¹t a bad thing to me at that age, because I didn¹t have to answer to anybody."

Hamilton, who gave Petree his first win as a Cup owner, also gave "King" Richard Petty his first win as a car owner in the legendary Number 43 car. Hamilton recreates the dialogue in his book from several key interactions with Petty.

Additionally, Hamilton¹s owner of the Square D Number 55 car, Andy Petree, recounts his own circuitous route to Winston Cup, and shares stories of what it was like being Dale Earnhardt¹s crew chief for two Winston Cup Championships, which turned out to be Earnhardt¹s final two titles.

"That man enjoyed winning like nothing else," Petree says in the book. "Look at him hugging those championship trophies, and look at his face. He loved going to New York for the Winston Cup championship banquet and all that, going out to the nice restaurants. He was really into that, more than anyone ever knew."

And crew chief Jimmy Elledge discusses his rise in the Winston Cup ranks, and the challenge of continuing his climb.

"Winston Cup is so competitive," Elledge writes. "There¹s such a fine line between being competitive and being great. You learn not to panic. You have to remain consistent. There will be lulls and lows ­ trouble you work through. You don¹t have extreme reactions and go cutting snouts off of cars, moving bodies around or panicking. You compound the problems when you do that, and you don¹t move forward. When I went other places, I saw people going off the deep end when things didn¹t go well. But that would just put them back even further. If you¹re on the right track, the adjustments and changes are just so small it¹s unbelievable. You have to know why you are making a change and what it is supposed to produce or you don¹t make that change."

Bobby Hamilton Jr. also lent his thoughts to the book, writing about the danger of the sport. Hamilton Jr. and his father competed as teammates in 2001, and Hamilton Jr. will likely be moving up to Winston Cup full-time in the future.

"Look at the success he has had in racing," Bobby Jr. says in the book. "People see that and all the money he¹s made. But the man I see is the one at home in Tennessee. If you saw him at the country store getting breakfast, you¹d be shocked because he fits right in. I mean, with the untucked T-shirt and jeans, you wouldn¹t know the guy has a dime to his name. He¹s not the kind of person who will show you what he has or what money has done for him. Same thing when he¹s out with my (step) mom, (Debbie). They¹re just two country folks who race for a living. They¹d be doing it on short tracks for next to nothing if he could make a living that way. It just so happens he¹s a great driver and that got him an opportunity to do it at the highest level, where maybe the money is a little better. But don¹t ever expect to see him living life like he has more than a dime to his name."

In an effort to take racing fans "behind the scenes," co-author Bob Schaller was allowed complete access to Andy Petree Racing, spending time with engine and chassis builders as well as fabricators and the other shop members.

Square D, sponsor of the 55 Chevy, discusses the plusses and minuses of Winston Cup sponsorship, and what it hopes to get out of the big investment. The Motorsports Decisions Group talks about the challenge of properly marketing a Winston Cup team so a sponsor can get the most out of its involvement in the sport.

Text provided by Gordon Thiessen

Editors Note: To view hundreds of hot racing photos and art, visit The Racing Photo Museum and the Visions of Speed Art Gallery.