Bobby Hamilton Atlanta report

Hamilton Holds Steady Top-15 in Points Race

HAMPTON, Ga., (March 11, 2001) - Bobby Hamilton, driver of the No. 55 Square D Chevrolet, finished 22nd in today's Cracker Barrel Old Country Store 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway - a finish to hold them steadily in 12th position in the NASCAR Winston Cup Series points race.

The pit crew once again made only minor adjustments to tire pressure and wedge to the during the 325-lap race. However, in an effort to turn a quick pit stop, a lugnut was inadvertently left off on lap 62 costing the No. 55 Chevy two laps. A determined Hamilton dug his way to the checkered flag earning a respectable top-25 position.

"I just feel like this racetrack today was very slick. There were so many blown motors in turns three and four that it placed a lot of oil on the track. Also, the temperature decrease in the track added to us being loose throughout the race.

"That is one of the reasons why I like to have happy hour practice after the Busch teams here," Hamilton explained. "This racetrack has all the grooves that seem to fill up quickly with oil and it makes it hard for us to judge our setup if we don't practice on that type of surface. Our Square D Racing Team did a great job turning this car around from Vegas and getting it ready for me to race here in Atlanta. I'm glad we had a strong finish here."

On another tire-related note, Goodyear put out a new Eagle to help the NASCAR Winston Cup Series teams with consistency at similar tracks. The change seemed to agree with the Square D pilot.

"I like these new tires put out by Goodyear," said Hamilton. "There's not a huge difference between these and what we've been using, but I think they will be a good addition for us."