Junior in name only: Bobby Hamilton Jr. is fashioning a successful Busch Series career without leaning on his well-known father - NASCAR

Bobby Hamilton Jr. isn't the first fourth-generation racer to compete in the Busch Series, but right now, he's the best.

There's no doubt his father, Winston Cup veteran and current Craftsman Truck Series driver Bobby Hamilton, jump-started Junior's career in late models. But it wasn't long before the son was rising through the ranks under his own persistence. He moved up to ARCA with Sadler Racing and kept knocking on doors in the Busch Series until someone answered.

"My father has always been there for me, but he was never pushy about it," Hamilton Jr. says. "He always let me do my own deal. If I asked him for advice, then it was like, 'Pull up a chair, and I'll tell you where you need help.' But he would never get in anyone's way."

The Hamilton name has helped and hurt Junior. It has allowed him to share some of his father's fan base, but Hamilton Jr. knows there's a perception he didn't earn his position in motorsports. His accomplishments prove otherwise.

"The guys who are in this sport know I'm here because I can drive the hell out of a racecar," he says.

Hamilton Jr., who led 186 of 200 laps in winning last week at Chicago, raced for several Busch teams and even ran in two Winston Cup races in 2000 for his father and Chip Ganassi. The next season he continued with Carroll Racing in the Busch Series. He also ran three Cup races for his father's owner at the time, Andy Petree, and seven races for Morgan-McClure Motorsports. However, he knew that unless a competitive Winston Cup team was ready to ante up with a serious offer, his time was better spent in the Busch Series.

That eventually led him to Team Rensi. After Hamilton Jr. parted ways with Carroll Racing at the end of the 2001 season, he approached several owners, looking for the right fit. He knew Ed and Sam Rensi could provide the caliber of equipment necessary to win championships.

Last year, Hamilton Jr. won his first career Busch race, at New Hampshire, and finished a career-high eighth in points.

"He gets everything he can out of a car," says Winston Cup rookie Jamie McMurray, who has raced against Hamilton Jr. in the Busch Series. "He's very aggressive, and he's not afraid of anything or anyone."

Hamilton Jr., 25, says he prefers "an aggressive setup." He describes his ideal car as one in which he can "mash the pedal to the floor and carry it deep into the corners." Father and son never have liked the same type of setups, and Hamilton Jr. says his driving style varies dramatically from his dad's, which he describes as "smooth with a lot of finesse."

But the elder Hamilton accepts the responsibility--or blame--for creating this speed demon.

"I told him to drive like hell so he wouldn't be like me," Hamilton says. "I knew when he thought that Jimmy Spencer was his hero, I had done my job."

Despite Hamilton Jr.'s reputation as a hard charger, he completed 93.5 percent of all possible laps last season. This season, he's seventh in points, despite an engine failure at Las Vegas and consecutive wrecks, not of his making, at Texas and Talladega. The addition of veteran crew chief Harold Holly to the roster has given Hamilton Jr. and the team the guidance and stability that is necessary to win a championship. Two weeks after Holly's arrival, Hamilton won his first race of the season, at Kentucky.

"Having Harold here turned things around," Hamilton Jr. says. "Our goal is to win the title. If not, they'll sure know we're here. With the support of the Rensis, our objective is to build this program. Even if it takes three or four years, we just want to make it right."

Hamilton Jr. is in no hurry to move to Winston Cup. Sure, if Rick Hendrick called, he would listen, but he says the team he's with now will be able to make the move to Cup one day.

Holly, who won the Busch tide with Jeff Green in 2000, is equally committed, and says he sees similar championship qualities in Hamilton Jr.

"Bobby wants to win," Holly says. "He's all about being a team player. He has a lot to offer if you listen to what he has to say. A lot of drivers drive for the here and now; Bobby drives for the future. He's not worrying about what's going on on Lap 4; he's anticipating what's going to happen on Lap 50. That's the trait of a champion."

TSN's BUSCH POLL

Rank   Driver               TSN pts.   Busch Series pts.

  1.   David Green           1,636         2,568 (2)
  2.   Scott Riggs           1,630         2,591 (1)
  3.   Bobby Hamilton Jr.    1,518         2,434 (7)
  4.   Ron Homaday           1,511         2,534 (3)
  5.   Brian Vickers         1,501         2,522 (4)
  6.   Jason Keller          1,455         2,511 (5)
  7.   Todd Bodine           1,409         2,467 (6)
  8.   Johnny Sauter         1,190         2,292 (8)
  9.   Shane Hmiel           1,147         2,240 (10)
 10.   Mike Bliss            1,141         2,218 (11)

Through race No. 19, at Chicago. For a complete TSN Power
Poll rundown and an explanation of the points breakdown, go to

www.sportingnews.com/nascar/poll/busch/index.html.

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