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

RACE INFO:
Event: AMD at the Glen
Date/Time: Aug. 13, 2006 /1 p.m. ET
Track: Watkins Glen International
Length: 2.45 Miles
Shape: Road Course
Distance: 90 laps/225.5 miles
Turns: Eleven (7 right, 4 left)
2005 winner: Tony Stewart
2005 polesitter: Rained Out

EXPRESS NOTES:
Hamlin Prepared for Watkins Glen Cup Debut: This will be Hamlin’s first start at Watkins Glen in a Nextel Cup car. Hamlin started 14th but finished 39th last year in the Busch Series race at the Glen after transmission trouble forced him from the race. In addition to his Busch experience at the track, Hamlin has one road course start in the NASCAR Nextel Cup standings, finishing 12th at Infineon Raceway on June 25.

Most recently, Hamlin spent a test day at Virginia International Raceway prepping for the 11-turn Watkins Glen layout.

Hamlin on Watkins Glen: “I really like road courses and the style of driving they require. I think it comes back to my roots on flat tracks and having to learn car control through flat turns and I feel that has really helped me with these tracks. Watkins Glen is different than the other road courses we see in both the Cup and Busch series but I felt pretty comfortable here last year in the Busch car. Practice and qualifying will be very important here and on Sunday we’ll be doing our best to keep track position and preserving our equipment so we’re running at the end.”

On the JGR Road Course Program: “Joe Gibbs Racing has put a great deal of effort in their road course program and with Tony you have the best out there. Even though they make up only two of the 36 races on the schedule, the guys in the shop know how important performing at road races can be in the course of the season and they keep developing better and better equipment.”

Five Month Plan: After wrecking at Martinsville on April 2, 2006 and settling for a 37th place finish in the sixth race of the NNCS Season, Hamlin and team found themselves in 23rd in the standings, a far cry from Chase and Rookie of the Year contention. However, in fourteen races since leaving Martinsville, Hamlin has only finished outside of the top-30 on one occasion (Atlanta) and has driven his way up to seventh in the standings. In that time he has collected two wins, two poles and seven top-ten finishes while never dropping below 19th in the Cup standings.

2006 Points: Hamlin’s tenth place finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway moved him up one spot in the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings heading to Watkins Glen this weekend. Currently in seventh place, Hamlin sits 64 points behind Mark Martin in sixth and 21 points ahead of Jeff Gordon in eighth. With six races to go before the Chase cutoff, Hamlin is 36 ahead of Dale Earnhardt Jr. in tenth place.

2006 Rookie Race: With his ninth top-ten finish of the season at Indy, Hamlin maintains his lead in the Raybestos Rookie of the Year standings heading to Watkins Glen.

Watkins Glen International Chassis JGR 079 / 080: The #11 FedEx Team will roll out car JGR 079 this weekend at Watkins Glen. This car’s first start was an unscheduled one as it was forced into action at Infineon Raceway earlier this season after the primary car was damaged in practice. Hamlin, forced to start from the back of the field on account of the change, drove this car from 40th place to a 12th place finish. Prior to Infineon, this car had served as back up for JGR teams on six occasions dating back to the 2003 season. Chassis 080 raced at Watkins Glen last season when Terry Labonte posted a 37th place finish after transmission trouble. In two prior starts, Bobby and Terry Labonte posted finishes of ninth and 12th, in respective starts at Infineon during the 2003 and 2005 season.

FedEx Express Car at Watkins Glen: Hamlin’s #11 Chevrolet will sport the FedEx Express colors for the ninth time this season at Watkins Glen. 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.

Hamlin on the Countdown to the Chase Cutoff: “It feels like the standings just get tighter and tighter with each race. There might be some movement as far who is in what place but the points separating the drivers makes it almost impossible to keep a spot without running a really good race. It’s incredibly competitive and I don’t expect that to change until we get to Richmond. We’ll just keep doing what we can to run strong and finish races.”