Denny Hamlin - Phoenix Express Notes
RACE INFO:
Event: Checker Auto Parts 500
Date/Time: November 11, 2007 / 3:30 p.m. ET
Length: 1.0 mile
Shape: Tri-Oval
Banking: 11/9 degrees
Distance: 312 laps/312 miles
2006 winner: Kevin Harvick
2006 polesitter: Jeff Gordon
EXPRESS NOTES:
Chase Misfortunes Continue at Texas: Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team had the car they needed to compete for a win in Sunday’s Dickies 500, but contact with Matt Kenseth during the late stages of the race forced Hamlin in for repairs, ultimately finishing 29th. Hamlin and Kenseth battled each other for the lead during ten laps of some of the most competitive racing of the day. Unfortunately, after a hard fought run for the top spot, Hamlin snuck up the track and made contact with Kenseth before hitting the outside wall and sustaining substantial damage to the #11 FedEx Kinko’s Chevrolet. The 29th-place finish moves Hamlin down two spots to eleventh in the 2007 NASCAR NEXTEL standings with only two races remaining.
Hamlin Launches Online Auction of Eleven Race-Worn Helmets: Denny Hamlin and FedEx Racing announced this week the auction of eleven of Hamlin’s race-worn helmets designed by children’s hospital patients and Make-A-Wish® participants® as part of the 2007 FedEx “Wear Your Heart on Your Helmet” program. All eleven 2007 race-worn helmets, including the helmet Hamlin wore to a win at New Hampshire International Speedway on July 1, will be auctioned off at the conclusion of the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup season with all net proceeds from the auction donated by FedEx to the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Bidding on the race-worn, autographed helmets will begin on Dec. 1, 2007 and extend through Dec. 10, 2007. Information on each of the helmets and direction on how to bid can be found at www.fedexracing.com.
Hamlin at Phoenix International Raceway: This will be Hamlin’s fifth start in a Cup car at PIR – one of his most successful tracks. In the spring race earlier this year at Phoenix, Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team had the car to beat. Hamlin pushed the #11 out front to lead 70 laps and looked ready to run away with the race before a pit road speeding penalty sent him to the back of the field. Hamlin fought his way back up to the leaders, but ran out of time and had to settle for a third-place finish. In the fall race of 2006, Hamlin maneuvered his way through the field, gaining 19 spots from his starting position to capture a third-place finish as well. He made his debut at PIR in November of 2006 when he turned some heads by winning his first ever Cup pole award. Hamlin spent most of the day battling in the top-five before an error in the pits relegated him to a 13th-place finish.
FedEx Express Fact: Hamlin has two top-five finishes and one pole award in four NNCS starts at Phoenix International Raceway. He has led a total of 93 laps in a Cup car at PIR.
Phoenix International Raceway JGR Chassis 154 and 162: Chassis 154 will be making its sixth start of the 2007 NNCS season. Hamlin has driven chassis 154 to two top-five finishes in 2007, including a third-place finish at PIR earlier this year. Most recently, Hamlin drove JGR 154 to a sixth-place finish at Martinsville in October. JGR 154 also has served as a backup on three other occasions this season. Backup car JGR 162 has one win (New Hampshire-July 2007) and one pole award (Martinsville-April 2007) to its credit in only three NNCS starts.
Hamlin on Phoenix International Raceway: “I always enjoy running here at Phoenix and I’m looking forward to putting Texas behind us and competing for a win here this weekend. This place always brings me back to my Late Model days, and continues to be one of my favorite tracks on the circuit. We’ve managed to have good setups here in the past – something that’s very important on these flat tracks, but we haven’t necessarily had the finishes to show for it for one reason or another. We really have nothing to lose in these final two races of the Chase, so maybe we can finally receive some good fortune and pull out a win here. I’m racing for wins now, and I feel confident we can take one more trip to victory lane this year.”
