Carlsbad:

Okay, last nite on the Speed tv recap of the truck testing at Daytona, both Chase Miller and Kenny Schrader, driving trucks for Bobby Hamilton Racing, were interviewed, but neither one was asked exactly who owns Bobby Hamilton Racing at this point, or who is running it now, or if it will even continue to be a viable truck team after Daytona.  Anybody have any idea what is going on there?  I see that Bobby apparently managed to marry that Lori before he died, so will she inherit it and run it? (His X-wife, Debbie, used to be listed as the owner of the truck Bobby drove....)

Hamilton Jr.: 'Washed my hands and dried them' of BHR

SCENEDAILY - 5:06PM ET SUNDAY JANUARY 21, 2007 - BY LEE MONTGOMERY - ASSOCIATE EDITOR

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DAVID GRIFFIN / NASCAR SCENE

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - In his first public comments since the death of his father, an emotional Bobby Hamilton Jr. lashed out at some of the people leading Bobby Hamilton Racing, saying he has "washed my hands and dried th" of the team.

Hamilton Jr. rejoined his father's truck team in 2006 after Bobby Hamilton Sr. announced he had cancer. Hamilton Sr. died of cancer Jan. 7.

The younger Hamilton says he knew after joining the team that things weren't quite right at BHR, and he soon began to wonder if he should stay there.

"Our leader at BHR wasn't around, he was sick, he wasn't up to par," Hamilton Jr. said. "It was almost like the Titanic. I was looking for a lifeboat."

Hamilton Jr. says he talked to his father about their future and about his own career, knowing many expected Hamilton Jr. to be part of BHR. But that doesn't appear likely now.

"I washed my hands and dried them," Hamilton Jr. said Sunday after stopping to collect his thoughts. "I'm done."

Bobby Hamilton Sr. told his son that his legacy wasn't BHR, Hamilton Jr. said.

"He patted me on the back and said, 'Your name is my legacy. Winning races is what I need you to do,'" Hamilton Jr. said before pausing again. "That's what I'm trying to do. With everything going on down there, it doesn't make a lot of sense to me.

"When I informed him that I wasn't really happy with the way things were going, he said it's not that important. He said, 'I won my championship. I did what I wanted to do. I built it from the ground up, won the championship. At the end of the rainbow, it's your deal. You do what you want with it.'"

Without naming names, Hamilton Jr. spoke critically about some of the management of BHR.

"There are some other people who [have a] recent involvement into the family and BHR, about six or seven months ago, they're just kind of sinking it," Hamilton Jr. said. "I just can't be part of that. I think I need to separate."

Hamilton Jr. said some of the team's troubles can be traced to his father's absence. Hamilton Sr. underwent aggressive cancer treatment last year.

"With him not being active at BHR, I just kind of let the powers that be run the deal down there. I just wasn't 100 percent into or agreed with it, and still not. Even to this day, I haven't been down there since a week prior to his death, and I refuse to.

"The way it is now, it's not the way my dad was running it. You could see that, because in his absence, it was starting to falling apart."

Sunday afternoon, BHR issued a statement in response to Hamilton Jr.'s comments. In part, it said the team would continue to run "with a team of people hand-selected by Bobby Hamilton Sr."

"This is the same team of people who helped Bobby Sr. win his NCTS championship title in 2004," the statement read. "The teams and our sponsors' ... continued commitment is evident by the recent successful performance during testing in Daytona. During the past season, we have had the full support from Fastenal and Dodge, who were supportive during Bobby's battle with cancer as well as his plan for continuing operations at BHR in his absence.

"We have so many members of the NASCAR, Fastenal and Dodge family, as well as personal friends and family members who have confidence in Bobby Hamilton Racing's success in 2007 and beyond. We wish that same success to Bobby Jr."

Hamilton Jr. joined Team Rensi Motorsports Busch Series team for this year, replacing Regan Smith.

http://www.scenedaily.com/stories/2007/01/15/scene_daily194.html?from_rss=1

Schrader sticks by BHR

CONCORD, N.C. — Ken Schrader said the recent death of Nashville's Bobby Hamilton and some "surprising" remarks by his son do not alter his commitment to drive several NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series races for the Mt. Juliet-based team.

"Bobby called and asked for my help," Schrader said during a Thursday visit with the NASCAR Nextel Cup Media Tour. "I agreed to do it — I'd do anything to help Bobby — and that's still my position."

Hamilton died earlier this month after a year-long battle with cancer, and his wife, Lori, said she intended to continue to operate Bobby Hamilton Racing.

During Busch Series testing this week at Daytona, Bobby Hamilton Jr. told reporters he has "washed my hands" of the team. Hamilton Jr., who drove for BHR last year, had planned to return to the Busch Series this season but was expected to maintain ties with his late father's team.

Schrader said Hamilton Jr.'s remark was "a little surprising. Anytime you combine business and family matters. … I don't think I want to go very far there."

Schrader said he agreed to drive 17 truck races for BHR, starting with next month's season opener at Daytona. Lori Hamilton has not announced who will drive the truck for the remaining races.

Schrader, one of the sport's veteran racers, will run a full Nextel Cup schedule for Wood Brothers Racing.

He said he took on the additional truck racing duties "just to help Bobby out. We'd been friends forever and I knew he was going through a rough time. I was willing to do anything I could to help him out."

http://tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070126/SPORTS09/701260428/1041

I read in the Scene magazine a couple a weeks ago that he had marry Lori after he started his treatments and that they had met the year before as she was working as his publist and started dating.I think her last name was Schuler or close to that..

I don't think that Lori has solely inherited the race team from Bobby Sr. Bobby Jr. has washed his hands of any financial obligation and managing of the team. The team may be owned by the estate of Bobby Sr. with all profits being reinserted back in the team.

I just hope that what happened to Dale Sr.'s children doesn't happen to Bobby Jr. The children should inherit the teams and not be left out of their rightful inheritance especially when the stepmother has only been married to the father for a couple of months.

It will be interesting to see the planned press conference with Lori and BHR during Daytona speed weeks. Maybe then these questions will be answered with honesty and not a p.r. spin on things.

I am not trying to slam his wife, but I just feel that Bobby Jr. deserved more than this.