But Hamilton retained the tears -- and his humor.

"It's called head-and-neck cancer. I don't have anything wrong with my head, but [Ken] Schrader said a lot of people would doubt that," said Hamilton.

Hamilton, 48, will begin radiation and chemotherapy treatment on Monday at Vanderbilt Medical Center in his hometown of Nashville, Tenn.

Hamilton considered racing while undergoing treatment, but when he starting studying the side effects, he changed his mind.

"Out of respect for everyone I race against, I didn't think it was fair for my competitors to even think there was a problem," said Hamilton.

His son, Bobby Hamilton Jr., will drive the No. 18 Dodge for the remainder of the season, but the elder Hamilton said that he is aiming to return to racing by November.

"The situation to come back home and race is exciting, but the way the situation turned out just sucks," said Hamilton Jr. "It is not what we want to experience, but it is what we are dealt with."

Despite the grim diagnosis, Hamilton was defiant, labeling himself as a "survivor, not a victim."

Ironically, Hamilton went to his dentist with wisdom tooth pain last fall, but even after the tooth was removed, the swelling in his neck didn't recede.

Wow... what a shock. I hope everything goes ok for him  so that he can recover from this disease and be back in the Truck Series next year.