DENNY HAMLIN
#11 FedEx Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
BASS PRO SHOPS 500 – ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

RACE INFO:
Event: Bass Pro Shops 500
Date/Time: Oct. 29, 2006 /2:30 p.m. ET
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Length: 1.54 Miles
Shape: Oval
Distance: 325 laps/500 miles
Banking: 24 degrees
2005 winner: Carl Edwards
2005 polesitter: Ryan Newman

EXPRESS NOTES: Hamlin Second at Martinsville: Predicting that Martinsville might be his best chance to make up ground on the leaders in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, Denny Hamlin made good on his call. Battling engine trouble throughout the afternoon, and eventual winner Jimmie Johnson over the final six laps of the race, Hamlin brought the FedEx Chevrolet home second. The result catapults him into fourth place in the Chase standings, only 47 points behind new leader Matt Kenseth.

FedExCup Car Debuts at Atlanta: Hamlin visited AMS two weeks ago to unveil a special #11 FedExCup Chevrolet with PGA TOUR player Davis Love III. After giving Love III a brief on-track tutorial, Hamlin received his own driving lesson when the pair hit the AMS infield for an impromptu golf lesson. The car features a dimpled golf ball theme in honor of the inaugural 2007 FedExCup, a season-long competition where PGA TOUR member players will amass points based on their performance in eligible FedExCup events. At the end of the regular season, there will be a four-event playoff to determine the PGA TOUR FedExCup Champion.

Hamlin at Atlanta Motor Speedway: This will be Hamlin’s third start at Atlanta Motor Speedway in a NASCAR Nextel Cup car. Hamlin led the spring race on four occasions for 16 laps but handling and trouble on pit road relegated the rookie to 31st on the day. His only previous Cup experience at Atlanta came on Oct. 30, 2005 when, in only his fourth career Cup start, he started 25th and finished 19th. Hamlin finished 16th in the Busch Series race at Atlanta in March of 2005.

Atlanta Chassis JGR 115/140: The #11 FedEx Team will race car JGR 115 this weekend at Atlanta Motor Speedway. This car has run twice this season at Bristol Motor Speedway recording finishes of 14th and sixth. In its only other start this season, Hamlin qualified seventh and finished 11th at Dover. This car made one start in 2005 when Hamlin drove it to a seventh-place finish at Texas last November. Back up car JGR 140 has one start this season, placing ninth at Dover in the second race of the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

Hamlin on Atlanta: “Atlanta is incredibly fast and it seems things can go from really good to really bad there in a hurry. With the way the track changes it’s almost like a real fast Darlington where you’ve got to be on four tires and you’ve got to be on top of your handling. We witnessed just how fast things can change here in the spring when we led some laps but ended up finishing back in the pack.”

2006 Points: Hamlin’s second place finish at Martinsville gave the FedEx Racing team a substantial boost in the Chase for the Nextel Cup standings heading to Atlanta. The rookie jumped to fourth place and currently trails new leader Matt Kenseth by only 47 points.

2006 Rookie Race: With four races to go, Hamlin holds a 54 point lead (277-223) over Clint Bowyer in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings. Hamlin has been the Rookie of the Race award winner on 15 occasions this season.

Hamlin on the Chase – Back in it: “I really feel that we are back in it but I think any driver in this Chase will tell you that you are only as good as your last race. It’s very close so anything other than a great race can take a toll on you. Even with some of our bad luck we are in pretty good shape but it took a second-place run to get back in it. For me, as a rookie, I give these guys who I am racing against a ton of respect but I have been able to see up close just how good they are when the pressure is on.”

Hamlin on Unveiling the FedExCup Car with Davis Love III: “We were at Atlanta Motor Speedway two weeks ago to unveil this car and it was a cool experience. I took Davis for a couple laps around the track and then we went out to the infield and hit golf balls. It was fun to celebrate the coming FedExCup – Davis and the TOUR players see it the way we see the Chase for the Nextel Cup, a lot of added excitement at the end.”