Hamilton Ready for Loudon

Hamilton ready to take on NHIS Brett Borden

LOUDON, N.H. (July 7, 1998) The flatter the track, it seems, the higher Bobby Hamilton finishes.

With Bud Pole Qualifying so important at flat tracks, Hamilton should be a lock to do well in Sunday's Jiffy Lube 300 at New Hampshire International Speedway. After all, Hamilton sat on the outside pole for both NASCAR Winston Cup Series events at NHIS last season.

Mechanical problems relegated him to a 31st-place finish in the Jiffy Lube 300, but he bounced back to take third in the CMT 300 in the fall. Hamilton led both races, and has historically finished well on the flat tracks, including this season with the No. 4 Kodak MAX Film Chevrolet team. With Hamilton at the helm, the team chalked up a victory in the Goody's Headache Powder 500 at Martinsville Speedway.

"I guess you wouldn't know it by looking at the races at New Hampshire last year but qualifying is going to be pretty important," Hamilton said. "The two winners from last season qualified in the top-15 (Jeff Burton was 15th in July; Jeff Gordon was 13th in September), but I know some guys came from pretty far back to have some pretty good finishes, too. There were some late cautions in the second race last year that probably helped some guys move up, though.

"Still, being up front -- track position -- is really important at any race but especially at New Hampshire. Track position on Sunday starts on Friday morning. That first practice and that pole qualifying session are going to be pretty important as far as Sunday is concerned."

But qualifying isn't the only story at New Hampshire. Hamilton says there are many factors to a successful run in New England.

"Brakes and chassis -- with a good, strong engine -- are the keys to getting around the place. You have to be able to run fast low and that's not always an easy thing to do. It can be a pretty tough place to pass sometimes so you have to be able to work the guy in front of you pretty well. The best way around someone is if they make a mistake in the turns - go in a little too hard or get a little high. But you have to be able to get into the turns well enough to pass without making a mistake yourself."

Source: NASCAR Online