Bobby Hamilton Racing responds to Hamilton Jr. comments

“We at Bobby Hamilton Racing are continuing operations 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 teams and our sponsors, Fastenal and Dodge, 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." Bobby Hamilton Racing

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 them" 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.'"