Raybestos Rookie Happy Hour speeds:
Hamlin 7th
Sorenson 15th
Stremme 19th
Truex Jr. 21st
Bowyer 28th
Yeley 34th
DENNY HAMLIN IN THE No. 11 FEDEX EXPRESS CHEVROLET WAS THE TOP RAYBESTOS ROOKIE TODAY’S FINAL PRACTICE.
Notes:
Hamlin posted the seventh-best overall speed in Happy Hour and will start 33rd in Sunday’s Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Hamlin leads Clint Bowyer by 60 points (294-234) in the Raybestos Rookie standings entering the tomorrow’s race.
Hamlin is fourth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 90 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson. He is 27 behind second-place Matt Kenseth and leads fifth-place Dale Earnhardt Jr. by 25.
WIX Filters is an associate sponsor for Joe Gibbs Racing. WIX Filters and Raybestos brand brakes are members of the Affinia family of brands.
DID YOU KNOW? Hamlin and Jeff Gordon are the only Chase drivers to score six top-10 finishes in the nine races in the Chase.
HAMLIN: HOW IS YOUR RACE CAR? “The car is really, really good. I’m not going to be stretching my neck to think we’re a top-two car. I think we’re one of the best cars here. We’ve got a long way to go by no short imagination but I think our car is good enough on the bottom where we can pass.” HAVE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO RELAX AND HAVE RUN WHILE RACING FOR THE NEXTEL CUP SERIES CHAMPIONSHIP? “I’m definitely having a lot of fun. You don’t get to this level and not enjoy it for sure. It’s definitely been a tough year running both series and then you throw the championship in there. It adds to a lot of pressure but I think as a team we’re handling it pretty good.” WHAT WOULD BE A GOOD NIGHT FOR YOU
TOMORROW? “For us it’s a top-five finish. We’re not going to expect anything less, especially with the way we’re running right now. I feel like we have a car that can contend for a win if we get the right track position. For us, top-five and nothing less.” HOW DO YOU TAKE THIS SEASON AND IMPROVE ON IT? YOU HAVE RACED FOR A CHAMPIONSHIP IN YOUR RAYBESTOS ROOKIE SEASON. DOES THAT CREATE A LOT OF PRESSURE? “It kind of gives you high expectations, for sure, and I felt like we started getting to that point right as the Chase started, when we started running top-10 and we were disappointed. I think we were kind of getting too down on ourselves and expecting too much too early because of the success we had early in the season. We’ve got to keep all that in mind next year and still realize that a top-15, top-10 finish in the points is still a good year for us. We’re going to keep that in mind.” WHAT IS THE BIGGEST THING THAT YOU’VE LEARNED THIS SEASON, ON OR OFF THE TRACK? “That there’s nothing to prove. These guys that are coming in, they’ve got here because they have talent and obviously there’s car owners that believe in ‘em, and big car owners. These kids are stepping into rides just like I did and there’s nothing to prove. You’ve got to have fun if you’re at this level and if you don’t have fun with it you’re going to end up finding yourself in trouble.”
