DENNY HAMLIN
#11 FedEx Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS

RACE INFO:
Event: GFS Marketplace 400
Date/Time: Aug. 20, 2006 /2 p.m. ET
Track: Michigan International Speeedway
Length: 2.0 Miles
Shape: Tri-Oval
Distance: 200 laps/400 miles
Banking: 18 degrees
2005 winner: Tony Stewart
2005 polesitter: Rained Out

EXPRESS NOTES:
Denny Hamlin at Michigan International Speedway: The 3M Performance 400 will mark Hamlin’s second Cup appearance at Michigan International Speedway. Hamlin’s only previous Cup start came in the 3M Performance 400 on June 18, 2006, where he scored a 12th place finish when the race was called on account of rain after 120 laps. Adding to Hamlin’s Michigan experience is one start in the Busch Series at the 2-mile track - he started seventh and finished eighth in August of 2005.

Hamlin on Michigan: “As we saw here in June, just about anything can happen. We started out with a car that just didn’t want to turn and just when we had something to work with and were able to pass, it started to rain and the race was over. We are running a car that has been very good for us recently with great downforce and that will give us a good place to start from.

Michigan is known for not having a lot of cautions so you usually get a lot of chances to work on the car once the race starts. We’ll work from the start of practice to find the balance we had here at the end of the race in June. If we can start with that same feel in the car, there is no reason we can’t have a good day.”

Hamlin Up Early at Michigan: Denny will join fellow Raybestos Rookie Contenders Reed Sorenson and Clint Bowyer for the Nextel Wake-Up call on Friday morning at the Michigan International Speedway media center. The media availability starts at 9:30 a.m. and will last until 10 a.m.

Top Ten Streak Continues at The Glen: With a tenth-place finish at Watkins Glen International, Denny Hamlin builds on his streak of top-ten finishes that has him in eighth place in the Nextel Cup standings. Starting with a sixth-place finish at New Hampshire, Hamlin has recorded a win (Pocono) and consecutive tenth-place finishes at Indianapolis and Watkins Glen. Hamlin has recorded ten top-ten finishes through the first 22 races of the season.

2006 Points: Despite Hamlin’s 10th place finish at Watkins Glen International, he dropped one spot in the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings heading to Michigan this weekend. Currently in eighth place, Hamlin sits 12 points behind Tony Stewart in sixth and 26 points ahead of Jeff Gordon in ninth. With four races to go before the Chase cutoff, Hamlin is 66 points ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in tenth and 110 points ahead of Kasey Kahne in eleventh place.

2006 Rookie Race: With his tenth-place finish at Watkins Glen, Hamlin maintains his lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings heading to Michigan this weekend. He currently leads second-place Clint Bowyer by 44 points (233-189).

Michigan Chassis JGR 121/127: The #11 FedEx Team will roll out a favorite car at Michigan International Speedway. JGR 121 suffered extensive damage after driving through the debris left from the last lap accident at Indianapolis but has been repaired and is ready to race this weekend. This is the car that twice dominated the field at Pocono Raceway, leading 234 of a possible 400 laps, to give Hamlin his two career Cup wins. In two starts before winning at Pocono this car posted two finishes of tenth place (Las Vegas 3/06 & Darlington 5/06). Back up car 127 raced at Atlanta and Charlotte this spring posting finishes of 31st and ninth, respectively.

FedEx Express Car at Michigan: Hamlin’s #11 Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS will sport the FedEx Express colors for the tenth time this season at Michigan. 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.

Crew Chief Mike Ford on Michigan: “Michigan is one of my favorite tracks on the schedule, has been since we started coming here. It’s a track that demands really good equipment to compete for a win and that means we need to be at our best both in preparation and on race day. Also, being close to the home of the manufactures gives this race a little added prestige and it means a lot to the teams to come here and run well.”