Birthdate: November 18, 1980
Hometown: Chesterfield, VA
Resides: Cornelius, NC
Marital Status: Single
Height: 6'0"
Weight: 170

 

Denny Hamlin takes the wheel of #11 FedEx Toyota Camry in 2008 for his third full NASCAR Sprint Cup season, and with every intention of building on the successful foundation of two Chase for the Cup runs.

Hamlin’s rise to his position as one of NASCAR’s brightest young stars has been nothing short of meteoric. Through 79 career Cup starts, Hamlin has amassed a total of three wins, five poles and has finished in the top-ten in over half of his starts. Perhaps his most impressive statistic, though, is the fact that in that time he has recorded only two DNF’s – his commitment to preserving his equipment firmly rooted in his formative years of racing.

Hamlin’s 2007 NASCAR Nextel Cup season built on a wildly successful 2006 campaign and helped solidify the #11 team’s status as a perennial championship contender. Hamlin quickly allayed fears that he would fall victim to the dreaded “sophomore slump” by kicking off the season with a string of solid results that catapulted him into the top-five in points. Hamlin’s lone win of the 2007 came at New Hampshire International in July, however on several occasions in 2007, dominating performances by Hamlin and the team were nullified by pit road mishaps, mechanical problems or penalties, yet the #11 team still maintained championship aspirations and a place near the top of the standings. Though he didn’t win another race in 2007, Hamlin recorded 12 top-five and 18 top-ten finishes and qualified easily for the Chase for the Nextel Cup before ultimately settling for 12th place in the points. Hamlin also showed that both he and the team were ready to make the transition to the Car of Tomorrow.

In 2006 Hamlin burst on the scene with his win at the prestigious Bud Shootout at Daytona and carried that early momentum into one of the most successful rookie campaigns in NASCAR history. On his way to becoming the first ever rookie to earn a spot in the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup, Hamlin posted his first career Nextel Cup win in dominating style at Pocono Raceway. He captured three Bud Pole awards in 2006 – taking the honors at both Pocono races and then made the Chase in grand fashion by winning the pole in front of his hometown fans at Richmond International Raceway. At the same time Hamlin was named the 2006 Raybestos Rookie of the Year, he was sealing an impressive third place finish in the 2006 season standings and earning a place in the record books alongside notable rookies like Earnhardt, Allison, Stewart and Johnson.

In 2005, with Hamlin on his way to a fifth place finish in his rookie Busch campaign, he was offered the unexpected opportunity to run the #11 FedEx Chevrolet at the end of the Nextel Cup Series schedule. Hamlin wasted no time in displaying his talent and comfort in the Cup cars, posting three top-ten finishes in seven starts and winning the pole at Phoenix. His performances over the seven races he ran at the end of 2005 made him an easy choice for the #11 FedEx Chevy for 2006.

In addition to his success at the Cup level, Hamlin has put together an impressive resume in the Busch Series as well. Hamlin spent nearly three full seasons behind the wheel of the #20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet, racking up five wins and eleven poles. He’ll return to the Nationwide Series for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2007 on a limited schedule.

Hamlin’s knack for making a good early impression was not limited to the Cup Series. In his first Craftsman Truck Series race, Hamlin drove the Gibbs Performance Chevrolet to a tenth-place finish in the Power Stroke Diesel 200 at Indianapolis Raceway Park on Aug. 6, 2004. Three months later, Hamlin made his Busch Series debut in the BI-LO 200 at Darlington Raceway, turning heads with an eighth-place finish in the #18 Joe Gibbs Racing Performance Racing Oil Chevrolet

While Hamlin now finds himself racing at the highest level of NASCAR, he has been winning races since the early age of seven when he began his career racing karts in the Junior Sportsman League. From the cart tracks of Virginia to the Nextel Cup, Hamlin has proven he can succeed at any level.

In 2000, Hamlin was named Rookie of the Year at Southside Speedway in Richmond, Va., posting 18 top-ten and 11 top-five finishes that season, ranking him among the top-five in final point standings. Just three years later in 2003, Hamlin celebrated his finest season, posting 25 wins, 30 poles and 33 top-five finishes. His performances caught the eye of Joe Gibbs Racing and he was among the first drivers to sign with JGR in a developmental capacity.

In 1997, at age 16 and on the same day he received his drivers license, Hamlin hit the track for his first season driving a Mini Stock car. The year was a resounding success as Hamlin became the youngest driver to win a NASCAR Mini Stock track championship at Langley Speedway and he was subsequently named the 1997 NASCAR Mini Stock Rookie of the Year. Hamlin still holds the NASCAR Mini Stock track record at Langley Speedway with a time of 18.025.

At age 12, he was dominating in the Junior Restricted League, over time earning the titles Amelia Motor Raceway Track Champion (Junior Restricted), Virginia Dirt Karting Association State Champion (Junior Champ) and World Karting Association Virginia Dirt Series State Champion (Junior Champ). Hamlin finished an eight-year Kart career at age 15 with 127 feature wins and five championships in three classes.

Away from the track Hamlin enjoys spending time with friends, following Washington Redskins and Virginia Tech football, boating, traveling, skiing, playing cards and competing in online racing leagues.