DENNY HAMLIN
#11 FedEx Chevrolet Monte Carlo SS
FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
CHEVY ROCK & ROLL - RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

RACE INFO:
Event: Chevy Rock and Roll 400
Date/Time: Sept. 9, 2006/7 p.m. ET
Track: Richmond International Raceway
Length: .75 Miles
Shape: Oval
Banking: 14 Degrees

EXPRESS NOTES:
Hamlin Homecoming in Richmond: Denny Hamlin returns to Richmond this weekend with Chase qualification at stake, appropriate given his racing history in the Richmond area that dates back nearly twenty years ago. Starting his career in karts at the local tracks, it didn’t take long before Hamlin rose through the ranks at Southside Speedway in nearby Amelia Motor Raceway in Amelia, Va. and Langley Speedway near Hampton, Va. Hamlin took home multiple championships in karts, mini-stocks and stock cars at the local tracks before his success catapulted him into a record-setting late model career and into a ride with Joe Gibbs Racing. In addition, Hamlin’s spotter and former NASCAR driver, Curtis Markham, hails from nearby Fredericksburg, Va.

Sunday’s race will mark Hamlin’s second Cup start at the ¾-mile track but he also has three Busch starts and one Craftsman Truck Series start to his name. Most recently, Hamlin led for 19 laps at RIR in May and pushed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for the win before settling for second in his RIR Cup debut.

Race                    Series          Date            Start   Finish  Laps            
2006 Crown Royal 400    Nextel Cup      May 6, 2006     7       2       400/400 
2006 Circuit City 250   Busch           May 5, 2006     15      10      250/250 
2005 Emerson Radio 250  Busch           Sept. 9, 2005   11      34      176/253 
2005 Funai 250          Busch           May 13, 2005    30      13      253/253 
2004 Kroger 200         Craftsman       Sept. 9, 2004   28      16      209/209 

2006 Points: Despite finishing sixth at California, Hamlin dropped one spot in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings. He currently sits in seventh-place, one point behind Dale Earnhardt Jr. in sixth, 31 points in front of teammate Tony Stewart in eighth, and 76 points in front of Kasey Kahne in 11th. Hamlin needs a 16th place finish or better to automatically qualify for the Chase for the Nextel Cup.

2006 Rookie Race: Hamlin maintains his lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings with 11 races to go in Nextel Cup schedule. He currently leads second-place Clint Bowyer by 47 points (250-203) heading to Richmond where he won Rookie of the Race honors in May.

Richmond International Raceway Chassis JGR 105 / 044: This car finished second at RIR in May after qualifying seventh. Since then this car ran very well at Loudon where Hamlin seemingly had a top-three finish locked up before the late race cautions caused him to run out of fuel on the final lap.

Hamlin on Returning to Richmond: “We had a great night here in the Spring and the fans were incredible all night so to be back in Richmond with this team doing so well and with a place in the Chase there for the taking means a lot to me. It seems like every week I meet fans from the Richmond area at the track and they are really supportive and proud and to me that encouragement means everything. I feel like I am racing for everyone that helped me get to this stage every time I take the track. If it’s a good night for us and we make the Chase it will be that much better to celebrate with my hometown fans."

Hamlin on the Race for the Chase: “This entire FedEx Racing team feels like we have done, and are doing, all we can to make this Chase. We are running really well at the moment, turning in top-tens and finishing races. We’ll approach this week like any other race in our preparation and the goal is to continue this momentum through Richmond and see where it takes us. If we make the Chase we’ll look to compete each and every week for the final ten races. If we don’t make it, we’ll be disappointed but we’ll be satisfied knowing we more than met the expectations we set for ourselves.”