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AVONDALE, AZ (November 12, 2007) - Hopes were high amongst the crew of the #11 FedEx Ground Chevrolet as they unloaded the same car they finished third with at Phoenix International Speedway in the spring, and were coming off back-to-back third place finishes at the one-mile track. Additionally, it was 11/11/07 and the #11 team felt they had a top-five car after happy hour on Saturday. But the stars didn’t align, and two pit road speeding violations and a car that wouldn’t respond to Hamlin were the issues that ultimately sent the #11 team into the last race of the season in twelfth-place in the 2007 Chase.
It didn’t take long for the handling to become an issue as Hamlin came on the radio on lap 12 to inform crew chief Mike Ford he was experience significant chatter in all four tires- a problem Ford and the #11 team were unable fix because it was strictly a tire issue. When the first caution flew on lap 25, Hamlin had climbed his way into the top-ten and was called down pit road for a track bar adjustment. A 15-second stop by the #11 team forced Hamlin to restart 13th.
Hamlin hovered just outside the top-ten and engaged in several laps of three-wide racing before the second caution of the day came out on lap 86. Hamlin, obviously frustrated with the car, informed Ford the car was tight in the middle and loose off the turns with no forward bite. Ford made the call for an air pressure and track bar adjustment, but a sub-par stop by the #11 team saw Hamlin lose five spots on pit road to restart 17th on lap 90.
Two cautions occurred over the next eighteen laps without Hamlin pitting, but he informed the crew the balance was getting better, but the car still had no grip. It wasn’t until lap 119 when Hamlin would pit again under caution as Dale Earnhardt Jr. wrecked and found the inside wall. Still tight in the center and loose off the turns, Hamlin came down pit road in 20th-place for a wedge adjustment but would be forced to the back of the field after being caught speeding entering the pits. He would restart 29th and become the last car on the lead lap on lap 125.
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Hamlin was able to gain a few spots before the sixth caution of the race flew on lap 138. Another attempt at fixing the handling issues brought the FedEx machine into the pits for another air pressure and wedge adjustment, along with only two right side tires. He would restart 21st.
Only four laps later Kasey Kahne brought out the caution as his day ended in a wreck entering turn one. Again, more handling issues brought Hamlin in for more adjustments and he would restart 25th on lap 155. With the help of new tires, Hamlin took matters into his own hands at picked apart the field as he gained ten spots in under twenty laps to move the FedEx Chevrolet into 11th by lap 187.
Hamlin enjoyed the longest green flag run of the day by moving into fifth-place by lap 218 as the leaders made their pit stops. He made his first green flag pit stop on lap 220 for a small track bar adjustment – he would cycle through in 15th.
Hamlin found himself in 14th position twelve laps later when the yellow flew once again. The track bar was adjusted once again when Hamlin made a thirteen second stop on lap 235. He restarted fifteenth, but the adjustments made the car extremely tight and hampered Hamlin’s ability to gain on the leaders. He was instructed to stay out during the next caution, but would pit 33 laps later for two tires and more adjustments to try and help the car’s handling. Unfortunately, Hamlin again was caught speeding exiting the pits and would be forced to the rear of the field to restart 23rd.
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He battled over the final 38 laps to gain a handful of positions, but would finish the day with a disappointing 16th-place finish. Hamlin dropped one spot to twelfth in the 2007 Chase standings with only one race remaining.
“Par for the course, really,” said Hamlin. I know I sound like a broken record, but it’s the same old story each week – we can’t put it all together and make a solid run. We thought we’d have a car to beat today, but the car never came around for us. In addition, I made some mistakes with the two speeding penalties, but I was battling our car all day long. We’ll take note of what we learned here today to hopefully return here in the spring with a different result.”
Jimmy Johnson won his tenth race of the season and takes an 86 point lead into the final week of the season.
Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and J.J. Yeley finished 4th and fourteenth respectively.
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series will wrap-up its 2007 campaign next week in Miami.