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Hamlin, FedEx Racing Team Surge Late – Score Top-Ten in Atlanta
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HAMPTON, GA (October 30, 2006) - Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team once again showed that perseverance pays off as they fought back from early handling issues to earn a place on the lead lap, then climb their way into the top ten in and an eighth-place finish in the Bass Pro Shops 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
Hamlin, piloting a special #11 FedExCup Chevrolet, wrestled a very loose car during the middle of the race, and despite starting fourth, slowly lost ground to the lead cars. As the race neared the halfway point, Hamlin went a lap down and found himself mired in traffic and fighting for a spot back on the lead lap. The free pass finally came his way when the caution flag flew on lap 250 and from there Hamlin was able to drive the much-improved Chevrolet into the top-15.
With the caution out on lap 304, crew chief Mike Ford called Hamlin onto pit road for a two-tire stop and the move paid immediate dividends. Onto pit road in 13th-place, the crew got Hamlin out in seventh and he would hold his place in the top-ten to the end.
“We kind of took the long way to a top-ten finish but all in all, this is a good night for the FedEx team,” said Hamlin. “We weren’t very good all day, really, but we bounced back and that’s what you need to do when you are in the Chase and the competition is this tight. We took advantage of an opportunity during that last caution to take two tires and get some track position and it ended up working out really good for us.”
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The dramatic recovery from a rather inauspicious start keeps Hamlin and the FedEx Racing team very much alive in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup with three races to go. They head to Texas in third place in the Chase standings, 65 points behind leader Matt Kenseth and 39 points behind Jimmie Johnson in second.
Joe Gibbs Racing’s Tony Stewart led seven times for 146 laps on his way to another impressive win. Hamlin and Stewart’s JGR teammate finished 16th.
The Chase for the NEXTEL Cup continues next weekend at Texas Motor Speedway. Hamlin doesn’t hide his excitement when it comes to running at Texas. In his two Nextel Cup starts at the 1.5-mile quad oval he has recorded finishes of fourth and seventh.
With the qualifying rained out in Atlanta on Friday, the starting order was set by points and Hamlin lined up in the fourth position on the outside of row two. From the drop of the green Hamlin searched for a comfortable line around the extremely fast 1.56-mile track and when an early caution flag flew on lap five, Hamlin radioed the crew that he was tight through the middle of turns three and four.
Hamlin would run in the top five until he reached the first pit window and made his way on to pit road on lap 57. Ford called for a small wedge adjustment with four tires and fuel before sending Hamlin out to rejoin the pack and ultimately cycle through in seventh.
When the second caution of the day flew on lap 83 Hamlin was running in eighth-place when he turned onto pit road. As he made his way to the pit stall he slid out of the box and the crew had to push him back before making a wedge and air pressure adjustment. The delay would cost Hamlin five spots and he would line up to restart 13th on lap 86.
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Almost immediately following the restart Hamlin reported the car was growing really loose in traffic. The change in handling, brought on by the combination of changing track conditions and close quarters of running middle of the pack, caused Hamlin to drop back to 17th and ultimately surrender his place on the lead lap by lap 141.
Now chasing the #22 of Dave Blaney for a shot at the free pass back to the lead lap, the FedEx Crew called Hamlin on to pit road for a chance to tighten him up. Wedge and track bar adjustments were made to the car and by lap 167 Hamlin reported that the car was much improved. His lap times, consistently in the top-ten, supported his comments.
A caution on lap 170 again brought Hamlin onto pit road for the same set of wedge and track bar adjustments the crew made on the previous stop. He would restart 16th on lap 176 and set about the task of trying to work his way back on to the lead lap – a difficult job at Atlanta as the leaders continually pulled away from the pack quickly and threatened to put more cars one lap down.
With the caution flag out on lap 197, Hamlin narrowly missed the free pass but reported that, thanks to the changes, he was as comfortable as he had been all day. The crew performed yet another set of wedge and track bar adjustments and added tape to the grill before sending him out to restart 16th on lap 201.
Now in position for the “lucky dog” pass, Hamlin looked to have it locked up when the caution flag flew on lap 243 but leader Jeff Gordon passed Casey Mears moments earlier, giving Mears the pass.
The “lucky dog” would come to the #11 FedEx team, though, when the caution flew again on lap 249. With a place on the lead lap waiting for them, Ford called Hamlin onto pit road for four tires and fuel before Hamlin restarted 15th on lap 255.
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Racing close with Robbie Gordon and Mears for places 14 and 15, Hamlin would swap spots several times before taking the caution flag in 14th on lap 291. On pit road with an opportunity to gain postion, a dropped lug nut prolonged the stop and Hamlin would have to make up the spots on the track.
Running in 13th place when the final caution of the day flew on lap 304, Hamlin followed leader Tony Stewart on to pit road and Ford’s two tire call put the rookie back in the top ten for the first time since lap 82. Following the restart Hamlin raced hard with Joe Nemechek before taking the checkered in eighth.
Hamlin’s 17th top ten finish of the season earned him the Raybestos Rookie of the Race award for the 16th time in 33 races and keeps the team within striking distance of the championship with three races remaining.
Hamlin on the Atlanta Finish and Points Race:
“It was big for us to get those positions at the end and it keeps us in the hunt. We just need some good runs here coming up. We just have to get back to that form when we were running consistently good. I think at the moment we’re maybe finishing better than we’re running and that isn’t like this team. We know we’re capable of running good and finishing strong – we’ve been doing it for most of the season. If we get back to that, we’ll end the year on a good note regardless of where we are in the points.”
Mike Ford on Atlanta Race:
“We knew it was going to be a fight. This style of racetrack, and this racetrack in particular, I knew it threw us curveballs the first race so we really knew that we were going to have to work on it. We were fortunate enough to be able to pinpoint some things and be able to work on them and get better. I think we could have been better yet if we had more time to work on it. We’re very happy. It felt like at times we were a little better than eighth but that’s the highest we ran all night. We’re happy with that, and keeping things in perspective, to still be able to come out of here moving up in points and be one of the few cars legitimately that has a shot at winning this whole thing, this was a major step for us. Next week is similar to this place. We had a top-five run at Texas our first time so we’re looking forward to going there and maybe apply some of the things that we learned here. So we’re happy with this. We just need to keep our heads down and continue to knock out some more top-10s and top-fives.”