Bobby Hamilton Jr. Returns to NASCAR Busch Series

Jamie McMurray posted two of the top three speeds in Sunday's morning qualifying testing session.

Bobby Hamilton Jr. (right) returned to DIS on Sunday. Photo courtsey: daytona500.com

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - - Bobby Hamilton Jr. believes he is right where he belongs.

Two weeks after his father and 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion Bobby Hamilton Sr. passed away from head and neck cancer, Hamilton Jr. was behind the wheel of the No. 35 Team Rensi Motorsports Ford during Busch Series testing at Daytona International Speedway.

"I'm glad to be back," Hamilton Jr. said. "I walked into the garage and told my wife (Stephanie), this is where I'm supposed to be. Pretty much my whole career has been in the Busch Series. With everything we've been dealing with I was glad to get to the race track where I don't have to answer phone and do everything else.

"It's silly to say you are at work and relaxing at the same time. There was no easier moment than putting up that window net. I was like, now I can go do my deal."

Hamilton Jr. also believes he is with the right team in the NASCAR Busch Series. Between 2002-04, the Team Rensi-Hamilton Jr. partnership produced five victories, four poles and two top-10 finishes in the championship standings.

Towards the end of the 2004 season, Hamilton Jr. made the move to the NEXTEL Cup Series with PPI Motorsports and the No. 32 Tide Ford.

But Hamilton Jr. never found any success with PPI Motorsports. In 2006, he filled in for his ailing father in the No. 18 Bobby Hamilton Racing Dodge for most of the season in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series.

"We had our best success together," Hamilton Jr. said of Team Rensi. "Of course after we separated, neither one of us have had success. We've tried to go back and rekindled that I guess."

Hamilton Jr. believes that he and Team Rensi can produce successful results again.

"Whether it's going to be a home run from the green flag at Daytona, it's like anything else, it's a building process," Hamilton Jr. said. "We will build it. I think after having the drought of success that I had the last two years, nothing burns more than to run good and take home trophies."

Wild ride for Almirola:

Aric Almirola cut a right rear tire on his No. 18B Chevrolet and took a wild ride down the Superstretch where he ended up on his roof. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver was not injured in the incident.

"Our right rear tire shredded apart and those things don't ride real good on the inner liner," Almirola said. "It got loose and got sideways. I don't know what happened after that. I closed my eyes and when I opened them again all I saw was sparks on the race track.

"We got upside down and I was fine. I was sliding around and I was talking to my guys on the roof telling them I was fine and then as soon as I hit the grass it just dug in and started flipping. I'm just really thankful for all the precautionary measures that NASCAR takes with all its safety equipment because I'm walking back to the trailer, probably going to clean up and go home."

Fastest of the day:

The second wave of Busch Series arrived on Sunday to kick off their first of three days of testing for the Feb. 17th Orbitz 300 season opener while the first wave of teams wrapped up their third and final day.

Jamie McMurray posted two of the top three speeds in Sunday's morning qualifying testing session. In the No. 37A Ford, McMurray turned the fastest lap of the morning session with a lap of 184.219 mph. He posted the third fastest lap in the No. 37B Ford with a lap of 183.206.

In the afternoon drafting session, Indy Racing League star Sam Hornish Jr. was the fastest in the No. 12B Penske Racing Dodge with a lap of 187.833 mph while Hendrick Motorsports driver Casey Mears was second fastest with a lap of 187.309 mph in the No. 24A Chevrolet.

"I feel pretty good about it," Mears said. "We got a good draft. We got a good run but I feel like we got the car working pretty good there by the end of the day and it sucked up real well. We seemed to be able to go to the front of the pack. There wasn't much of a pack. There were probably six or eight cars at most but it seemed like we were able to get up and through there pretty well. I'm excited about it."

NASCAR Busch Series Testing Speeds - Day 3

Sunday morning's NASCAR Busch Series testing session speeds:

1. 37A Jamie McMurray Ford 48.855 184.219

2. 32A Dave Blaney Toyota 49.040 183.524

3. 37B Jamie McMurray Ford 49.125 183.206

4. 88A Shane Huffman Chevrolet 49.213 182.879

5. 16B Todd Kluever Ford 49.237 182.789

6. 18A Aric Almirola Chevrolet 49.374 182.282

7. 6A David Ragan Ford 49.375 182.278

8. 20B Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 49.377 182.271

9. 06A Erik Darnell Ford 49.410 182.149

10. 99B David Reutimann Toyota 49.431 182.072

11. 21A Timothy Peters Chevrolet 49.432 182.068

12. 47A Jon Wood Ford 49.484 181.877

13. 60A Carl Edwards Ford 49.488 181.862

14. 24A Casey Mears Chevrolet 49.527 181.719

15. 21B Timothy Peters Chevrolet 49.570 181.561

16. 59A Marcos Ambrose Ford 49.572 181.554

17. 25A David Gilliland Ford 49.594 181.474

18. 0A Eric McClure Chevrolet 49.608 181.422

19. 38B Jason Leffler Toyota 49.619 181.382

20. 12A Sam Hornish, Jr. Dodge 49.663 181.221

21. 27A Ward Burton Ford 49.674 181.181

22. 2A Clint Bowyer Chevrolet 49.721 181.010

23. 24B Casey Mears Chevrolet 49.776 180.810

24. 7A Mike Wallace Chevrolet 49.799 180.727

25. 04A Regan Smith Chevrolet 49.800 180.723

26. 7B Mike Wallace Chevrolet 49.808 180.694

27. 16A Todd Kluever Ford 49.822 180.643

28. 17A Matt Kenseth Ford 49.826 180.629

29. 29B Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 49.856 180.520

30. 66B Steve Wallace Dodge 49.870 180.469

31. 14A Kyle Krisiloff Ford 49.884 180.419

32. 42B Kevin Hamlin Dodge 49.903 180.350

33. 9B Bill Elliott Dodge 49.908 180.332

34. 35B Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Ford 49.921 180.285

35. 17B Matt Kenseth Ford 49.932 180.245

36. 29A Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 49.969 180.112

37. 12B Sam Hornish, Jr. Dodge 49.992 180.029

38. 33B R. Hornaday/ C. Gale Chevrolet 50.007 179.975

39. 9A Bill Elliott Dodge 50.020 179.928

40. 41A Reed Sorenson Dodge 50.032 179.885

41. 66A Steve Wallace Dodge 50.037 179.867

42. 1A J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 50.046 179.835

43. 22A Chad Blount Dodge 50.221 179.208

44. 72A Randy MacDonald Chevrolet 50.245 179.122

45. 77B Kertus Davis Chevrolet 50.250 179.104

46. 35A Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Ford 50.260 179.069

47. 60B Carl Edwards Ford 50.443 178.419

48. 33A R. Hornaday/ C. Gale Chevrolet 50.578 177.943

49. 41B Reed Sorenson Dodge 50.848 176.998

50. 1B J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 50.998 176.478

51. 23B Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 52.572 171.194

Sunday afternoon's NASCAR Busch Series testing session speeds:

1. 12B Sam Hornish, Jr. Dodge 47.915 187.833

2. 24A Casey Mears Chevrolet 48.049 187.309

3. 20B Denny Hamlin Chevrolet 48.124 187.017

4. 25A David Gilliland Ford 48.124 187.017

5. 5A Kyle Busch Chevrolet 48.138 186.962

6. 27A Ward Burton Ford 48.151 186.912

7. 66B Steve Wallace Dodge 48.183 186.788

8. 37A Jamie McMurray Ford 48.287 186.386

9. 60B Carl Edwards Ford 48.354 186.127

10. 35A Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Ford 48.380 186.027

11. 23B Brad Keselowski Chevrolet 48.447 185.770

12. 59A Marcos Ambrose Ford 48.449 185.762

13. 60A Carl Edwards Ford 48.452 185.751

14. 7A Mike Wallace Chevrolet 48.503 185.556

15. 9A Bill Elliott Dodge 48.560 185.338

16. 1A J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 48.609 185.151

17. 5B Kyle Busch Chevrolet 48.673 184.907

18. 37B Jamie McMurray Ford 48.690 184.843

19. 7B Mike Wallace Chevrolet 48.858 184.207

20. 41B Reed Sorenson Dodge 48.901 184.045

21. 27B Ward Burton Ford 49.115 183.243

22. 17A Matt Kenseth Ford 49.254 182.726

23. 18B Aric Almirola Chevrolet 49.280 182.630

24. 6A David Ragan Ford 49.309 182.522

25. 06A Erik Darnell Ford 49.369 182.301

26. 16B Todd Kluever Ford 49.389 182.227

27. 21B Timothy Peters Chevrolet 49.492 181.848

28. 47A Jon Wood Ford 49.509 181.785

29. 04A Regan Smith Chevrolet 49.526 181.723

30. 24B Casey Mears Chevrolet 49.529 181.712

31. 29B Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 49.533 181.697

32. 14A Kyle Krisiloff Ford 49.621 181.375

33. 70B Justin Diercks Chevrolet 49.662 181.225

34. 04B Regan Smith Chevrolet 49.714 181.036

35. 42B Juan Pablo Montoya Dodge 49.805 180.705

36. 12A Sam Hornish, Jr. Dodge 49.824 180.636

37. 41A Reed Sorenson Dodge 49.883 180.422

38. 29A Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 49.914 180.310

39. 35B Bobby Hamilton, Jr. Ford 49.924 180.274

40. 9B Bill Elliott Dodge 49.933 180.242

41. 33B R. Hornaday/ C. Gale Chevrolet 49.995 180.018

42. 22A Chad Blount Dodge 50.001 179.996

43. 77B Kertus Davis Chevrolet 50.107 179.616

44. 1B J.J. Yeley Chevrolet 50.214 179.233

45. 77A Kertus Davis Chevrolet 50.469 178.327

46. 34B Randy LaJoie Chevrolet 50.530 178.112

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