Rain Slows Hamilton's Bristol Charge

Ten more minutes without rain may have been the different in Bobby Hamilton, Jr. finishing the Sharpie Mini 300 in 7th place versus 17th. With four fresh tires on his Curly's BBQ Ford Fusion, Hamilton was ready to charge to the front when the rain showers hit the half-mile Bristol Motorspeedway, ending a race whose start had been delayed by nearly two hours.

Once the race began, Hamilton kept pace with the field and worked his way through heavy traffic. The car was handling well and Hamilton and Crew Chief Chris Wright were planning for a strong second half of the event. Those plans ended on lap 163 when rain hit the speedway. With a forecast of hours of rain ahead, NASCAR called the race official, leaving Hamilton in 17th position.

"We ran well today and had are car ready for the second half of the race," Hamilton said. “We’re a top-10 car but we’re 17th because of the rain. I think we’re better than that. Overall, we put our tightest set (of tires) on right at the beginning just to get it out of the way and, of course, that was our longest run so that got us behind. I am proud of the effort of the Curly's Team today. We will take this finish and head to my home track, Nashville Superspeedway next Saturday."

Clint Bowyer won the race, earning his first victory of the season.

Saturday's race will be broadcast live on ESPN, check your local listing for broadcast time in your area.