McClure/Hamilton, Jr. Charlotte II notes

Bobby Hamilton, Jr., the 23 year-old son of veteran driver Bobby Hamilton, made his fifth career Winston Cup Series start on Sunday at Lowe's Motor Speedway. Behind the wheel of the No. 4 Kodak MAX Film Monte Carlo, Hamilton, Jr., finished the race with problems.

Morgan-McClure Motorsports started the race in a respectable 22nd position. By lap 10, Hamilton, Jr., had moved up six positions into the 16th spot. The team experienced a bad day in the pits beginning with lugnuts that fell off during a pit stop on lap 23. Then during a stop on lap 49, the jack fell. Following adjustments on shocks and changing shocks during pit stops, the No. 4 Kodak MAX Film team never recovered. With 26 laps to go a valve spring in the motor broke, taking the Chevrolet out of the race.

Larry McClure, owner of the No. 4 Kodak MAX Film Monte Carlo
"The team had some mishaps today in the pits. For whatever reason, several problems occurred during pit stops. "The brightest part of our day was our driver, Little Bobby or Cub as I like to call him. He stepped into this deal and did a heck of a job. I am proud of the way he drove, especially during the first of the race. He certainly proved he could get up there and run with the veterans. "We will begin preparing for Martinsville next week. Then we hope to have Bobby, Jr., back in the car for Talladega. "His communication is incredible for a driver of his age. The team looks forward to working with him. "I would like to mention that we talked to our 2002 driver today. Skinner begins his physical therapy on Monday. I think he is already going stir crazy. He indicated he is ready to return to the track, even as a spectator as soon as possible. His doctor told him that he is doing incredibly well. "On the day of his surgery, he was still a bit groggy. He told us that he has that fire back in his belly that he had when he won the NASCAR Truck Championship in 1995. Next year will be exciting."

Bobby Hamilton, Jr.
"I gained experience today and brought the car home in one piece. Scott Eggleston (crew chief) and I communicated with each other well for our first race together. "We had a great car to begin the race, but we had a few problems and then the car went away on us. I think we tried some new shocks and they did not work. "It feels good to get this race behind us. Now we can concentrate on the our next event together. I will compete at Memphis next week in the No. 26 Dr. Pepper Chevrolet in the Busch Series then move on to Talladega to compete in both divisions.

-MMM-