Race 2 Win: NEXTEL Cup Series Race Notes

Nextel Cup Series

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER NOTES FOR THE DODGE AVENGER 500 NASCAR NEXTEL CUP SERIES RACE AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY, MAY 13, 2007.

Denny Hamlin led five times for 179 laps to earn WIX Filters Lap Leader of the Race honors in the Dodge Avenger 500. Hamlin claimed the award for the first time this season. He has led 611 total laps this season and has led at least one lap in each of the last four races.

Hamlin scored a second-place finish in today’s race at Darlington, .978 seconds behind race winner Jeff Gordon. Hamlin claimed his second consecutive top-five finish and fifth in 11 races this season.

Hamlin is fourth in the NEXTEL Cup Series championship standings, 43 points behind third-place Matt Kenseth. He scored his fifth top-five and sixth top-10 in 11 races this season.

Gordon leads Tony Stewart (4-3) in the overall WIX Filters Lap Leader standings.

HAMLIN QUOTES: “We had a really good car right from the get-go. We started off strong, were good through the midpoint. We got off on one green flag run where we fell back to third or so. But we fixed it on that pit stop and our car, really, just seemed like the best car all day. We just made a mistake there on pit road. I went back to 15th with about 50 to go and that kind of wrote our race off.”

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD STANDINGS
Jeff Gordon 4
Tony Stewart 3 
Matt Kenseth 1 
Jimmie Johnson 1
Dale Earnhardt Jr. 1
Denny Hamlin 1

WIX FILTERS LAP LEADER AWARD WINNERS BY RACE
EVENT DRIVER
Daytona 500 Tony Stewart (35 laps) 
Auto Club 500 Matt Kenseth (133 laps)
UAW-DaimlerChrysler 400 Jeff Gordon (111 laps)
Kobalt Tools 500 Jimmie Johnson (135 laps)
Food City 500 Tony Stewart (257 laps)
Goody’s Cool Orange 500 Dale Earnhardt Jr. (137 laps)
Samsung 500 Jeff Gordon (173 laps)
Subway Fresh Fit 500 Tony Stewart (132 laps)
Aaron’s 499 Jeff Gordon (71 laps) 
Crown Royal 400 Jeff Gordon (114 laps)
Dodge Avenger 500 Denny Hamlin (179 laps)