DENNY HAMLIN
#11 FedEx Chevrolet Monte Carlo
FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
GOLDEN CORRAL 500 – ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

RACE INFO:
Event: Golden Corral 500
Distance: 325 laps/500.5 miles
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Date/Time: March 19, 2006 / 1 p.m. ET
2005 winner: Carl Edwards
2005 polesitter: Ryan Newman

TRACK INFO:
Length: 1.54 miles
Shape: Oval
Banking: 24 degrees

EXPRESS NOTES:
Hamlin Scores Top-Ten at Las Vegas: In his brief NASCAR Nextel Cup debut during the 2005 Season, Denny Hamlin recorded three top-ten finishes in his first seven Cup races. On Sunday in Las Vegas he returned to familiar territory by placing in the top-ten for the first time in 2006. Great pit stops by the FedEx Racing team consistently earned Hamlin position on pit road and he overcame handling issues to bring the FedEx Freight Monte Carlo home a well-deserved 10th. Through ten total Nextel Cup starts Hamlin’s average finishing position in 17th. He has completed all but seven of a possible 2964 laps.

2006 NNCS Points: Hamlin’s 10th-place finish at Las Vegas continued his rise in the 2006 standings and he will head to Atlanta sitting in 16th overall. Hamlin opened the season with a 30th-place finish at Daytona but rebounded in the standings with a 12th-place finish at California. His top-ten finish Sunday moved him up four more places to 16th, 39 points out of 10th and 206 points behind season leader Jimmie Johnson.

2006 Rookie of the Year Race: Following his top-ten finish, Hamlin moves into a tie for second place in the Raybestos Rookie Contender standings with 28 points. Hamlin and his JGR teammate J.J. Yeley trail rookie leader Clint Bowyer by three points.

Hamlin at Atlanta Motor Speedway: This will be Hamlin’s second start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a NASCAR Nextel Cup car. His previous Cup experience at Atlanta came on Oct. 30, 2005 in only his fourth career Cup start when he started 25th and finished 19th. Hamlin finished 16th in the Busch Series race at Atlanta in March of 2005.

Atlanta Motor Speedway Chassis JGR 127/JGR 092: The Golden Corral 500 will be the first race for Chassis 127. Chassis 092, which Hamlin drove to a 12th-place finish in the second race of the season, will serve as the backup. Chassis 092 has made a total of seven NNCS starts dating back to May of 2005.

Hamlin, Operation FedEx Special Delivery to Visit Healthcare of Atlanta Children’s Hospital: Denny Hamlin will visit the Heathcare of Atlanta Children’s Hospital ahead of the Atlanta race in support of the Operation FedEx Special Delivery program. Operation FedEx Special Delivery, a year-round program designed to bring help and hope to local towns across the country, will share the NASCAR racing experience with patients during a special “racing camp” at the hospital. FedEx also will present the Children’s Hospital with a $25,000 donation. For more information or images from the event, please contact Jon Mason at 612.387.8780.

First Run for FedEx Ground Car: Hamlin will debut another FedEx Racing paint scheme when the FedEx Ground car takes the track this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. Throughout the season, Hamlin and FedEx Racing will feature schemes representing four of the FedEx operating companies; FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Kinko’s.

QUOTES:
Hamlin on Atlanta Motor Speedway: “I feel pretty lucky that I was able to run the fall race at Atlanta last year and get that experience under my belt. This place can be pretty intimidating but we had a good run here last year and that gave me a much better idea about what to expect coming back here for a second time. This is a track where running the Busch cars and spending as much time on the track will help a great deal come Sunday."

Hamlin on the 2006 Season: “More than anything I am realizing how valuable it was to run those seven Cup races at the end of last season. It gave me some confidence for sure, but more importantly I was able to work with this team and we built some good momentum heading into 2006. We were unlucky to miss out on a good finish at Daytona, but I think we are on the right track with a top-fifteen finish at California and now a top-ten at Las Vegas. We are getting closer to where want to be in points by improving every weekend.”