Longtime NASCAR driver Bobby Hamilton -- winner of the 2001 Talladega 500 and champion of the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series -- died Sunday of cancer. He was 49.

Hamilton was diagnosed with head and neck cancer in February 2006 after a malignant growth was found when swelling from dental surgery did not resolve.

Despite his diagnosis, Hamilton went on to race in the year's first three events, with a best finish of 14th at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

"I love what I do; I love this business," Hamilton said. "NASCAR has been good to me, and I just don't feel comfortable when I am not around it."

Hamilton did turn over the wheel to his son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., for a short time while undergoing chemotherapy and radiation -- and then he was back to the races in August when CAT scans revealed he looked healthy.

But he learned all too quickly that microscopic 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," Hamilton said. "It is the worst thing you could ever imagine."

Hamilton, who drove in all of NASCAR's top three divisions, had four wins under his belt in what is now the Nextel Cup series. His wins came at Talladega, Phoenix, Rockingham, and Martinsville, and his best ever season was in 1996 when he finished ninth in the points standings. Also winner of 10 truck races and one Busch Series race, Hamilton boasted earnings of $14.3 million, raced to 20 top-five finishes, and became a full-time driver-owner in the truck series in 2003.

Another NASCAR favorite, Benny Parsons -- 1973 Winston Cup champion -- was diagnosed with lung cancer in July. He was admitted to intensive care last week at a North Carolina hospital.