Bobby Hamilton 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Champion died Sunday from
complications from head and neck cancer. He was only 49.He died
Sunday, said Liz Allison, a family friend who co-hosted a radio show
with Hamilton. She also said he was at home in Nashville, Tenn., with
his family when he died.
Hamilton was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in February. A
malignant growth was found when swelling from dental surgery did not go
down.
Hamilton raced in the season's first three events, with a best finish
of 14th at Atlanta Motor Speedway, before turning over the wheel to his
son, Bobby Hamilton Jr. The senior Hamilton then started chemotherapy
and radiation treatment.
By August, he had returned to work at Bobby Hamilton Racing, and
doctors indicated his CAT scans looked good. But microscopic cancer
cells remained on the right side of his neck.
"Cancer is an ongoing battle, and once you are diagnosed you always
live with the thought of the disease in your body," said Hamilton
just last month in an article posted on NASCAR's Web Site. "It is the
worst thing you could ever imagine."
Hamilton, born in Nashville, drove in all of NASCAR's top three
divisions, making 371 starts and winning four times in the Nextel Cup
Series.
He won 10 NASCAR Craftsman truck races and one Busch race.
