CENTERVILLE, Tenn. — Rackley W.A.R., the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team co-owned by Willie Allen and Curtis Sutton, will pay tribute to Tennessee-native Bobby Hamilton at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on May 7.
The No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado driven by Timothy Peters will feature a paint scheme similar to the one campaigned by Hamilton when he won the 2004 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championship.
Hamilton became a full-time driver-owner in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series in 2003 with Bobby Hamilton Racing, which was based about 20 miles east of Nashville, Tenn.
“Our team is honored to run this Bobby Hamilton throwback paint scheme,” Allen said. “He is a NASCAR icon – especially, in the middle Tennessee-area. I looked up to Bobby, big time. He was a hardcore racer that worked hard to be the best. Not only was he a great driver, but he was an industry innovator who was always looking for a way to improve his race car. A lot of the time he found speed in areas that other teams didn’t. He thought outside of the box.
“Our team reminds me a lot of the original Bobby Hamilton Racing team. A small team with a ton of passion.”
The Rackley W.A.R. No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado will feature the iconic blue-and-yellow colors of the Bobby Hamilton Racing No. 4. Hamilton collected a victory on March 14, 2003 at the Darlington Raceway with this paint scheme. It was his second series victory at the Darlington Raceway.
The team sought the approval from Lori Hamilton Rollins for the tribute paint scheme to her late husband.
“It is so great that people who were friends with Bobby Sr. would want to honor him,” said Rollins, former co-owner of Bobby Hamilton Racing. “To know him was to love him. Bobby built his business by treating people like family. We all joke that ‘Bobby Hamilton Racing was not a job; it was a way of life.’ Many people viewed him as a second dad or a brother they never had. He treated people the way he wanted to be treated in return. To honor him with this paint scheme at one of his favorite tracks, Darlington Raceway, is so special.
“The years building his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team into the program it was, took a lot of endless hours from everyone involved. He never liked the spotlight and always pointed it towards his employees. It is a blessing to remember one of the greats and honor him in this way. I know all of his Bobby Hamilton Racing team members would definitely agree.”
Chad Kendrick, crew chief of the No. 25 Rackley Roofing Chevrolet Silverado, worked at Bobby Hamilton Racing from 2004 to ’07. Kendrick held various titles at Bobby Hamilton Racing including jackman, engine tuner, and underneath mechanic.
“As soon as I heard the team was paying tribute to Bobby Hamilton with this throwback, I got goosebumps,” Kendrick said. “I have never been on a team that has done a throwback paint scheme. This tribute was on a truck that I was able to physically touch and be around, which is very special. Then, to factor in the man who was like a second father and a mentor, someone that has shaped me so much, that makes it extra special for me.
“Bobby Hamilton was a class act, and I miss him every day.”
Peters made his NASCAR Camping World Truck Series debut with Bobby Hamilton Racing on April 9, 2005 at the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. He earned three top-10 finishes in 33 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts with Bobby Hamilton Racing in 2005 and ’06.