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NASCAR driver to undergo treatment for cancer

2 min read

HAMPTON, Ga. (AP) – Former NASCAR trucks champion Bobby Hamilton has a cancerous growth in his neck and will miss most if not all of the season while undergoing treatment. The 48-year-old driver said Friday the malignant growth was discovered last month when swelling from dental surgery did not go down.

“A wisdom tooth saved my life,” he said.

Hamilton will receive chemotherapy, take a two week break and then have both chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

He said his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., will step into the No. 18 Dodge truck until he returns. He hopes to return by the season finale in Homestead, Fla., in November or the season-opening race in Daytona Beach, Fla., next February.

“Nobody wants to go through this and the word cancer is a stout word to hear,” said Hamilton, the 2004 NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series champion who was entered in Friday night’s race at Altlanta Motor Speedway. “But I will be starting my treatment right after this race, so I have to take care of me for a while.”

The elder Hamilton has driven in all of NASCAR’s top three divisions, including 371 starts and four victories in what is now the Nextel Cup series.

Hamilton Jr., who has won five Busch Series races, spent parts of the past two seasons driving in the Cup Series. But he returned part-time to trucks this season with his father’s Bobby Hamilton Racing team.

“These are not the circumstances I wanted to race in my dad’s truck,” the 29-year-old driver said. “But I will do it without hesitation. I’m glad that I’m available to do this for him. It means a lot for me to be there right now.

“On top of racing, he is my dad, so first and foremost I want him healed. We enjoy racing together, so if I can help him take time to heal, then we’ll race against each other sooner.”

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