NASCAR WCUP: Hamilton gets back to his roots at Bristol

Posted By Terry Callahan
Motorsports Editor, The Auto Channel

August 21, 2001

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Tennessee native Bobby Hamilton can't help but think back to his roots when he heads to Bristol Motor Speedway in his native state. Hamilton compares racing at Bristol to Highland Rim Speedway, the track where he cut his teeth near his hometown in Nashville. The Sharpie 500 night race at the high-banked, half-mile Bristol oval will provide teams and fans with the same type of exciting door-to-door racing that Hamilton remembers at Highland Rim.

"I always look forward to coming back to Bristol," Hamilton said. The Square D driver has three top-10 finishes at Bristol, including an eighth-place finish in the spring race. "It takes us back to old-time racing. When I first started racing at Highland Rim, we used to beat and bang on each other the whole time. That was how racing was. Now we're running on a bunch of larger oval tracks, making the opportunity to race door-to-door really limited.

"I'm one of those drivers who enjoys door-to-door racing. Oval racing can sometimes go on for what seems like forever. This place just takes us back to our roots. The fans always get to see a good race." Hamilton said. "That's why I appreciate Bristol. We're almost always racing someone instead of just trying to get around the racetrack the fastest way we can.

"When most people talk to me about Bristol, they always ask, 'How is it to stay at home for a weekend?" Hamilton continued. "I live in Nashville and still fly to this race, but it's pretty close for Andy Petree Racing" near Asheville, N.C. "It's a nice break for our team to be close to home."

The 36-degree banked turns of the half-mile track at Bristol guarantees action-packed excitement. The close-quarters racing provides the same challenge for every team - keep the car in one piece until the end of the 500-lap event.

"Oh, it's definitely hard to finish at that track," Hamilton said. "I remember getting to the checkered flag at some events there and thinking, 'How did I get around that wreck?' It's not really something that you think about during the race. You just react. There's not a lot of room to get out of the way. We had a good race there with the No. 55 Square D Chevrolet in the spring. We had one of our better races there, so we have a lot of pretty good notes to go from."

"Bristol takes you back to where we established all our roots," Hamilton concluded. "It's night-time racing - Saturday night, short-track beating and banging. We'll be giving the fans a real race."

The Sharpie 500 gets underway on Sat., Aug. 25 at 8 p.m. EST. The 500-lap race will air live on TNT.

Text provided by Lori Shuler

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