FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
HOMESTEAD-MIAMI SPEEDWAY

RACE INFO:
Event: Ford 400
Date/Time: Nov. 19, 2007 / 3:30 p.m. E.T.
Length: 1.5-mile
Shape: Oval
Banking: 18-20 degrees
Distance: 267 laps/400.5 miles
2006 winner: Greg Biffle
2006 polesitter: Kasey Kahne

EXPRESS NOTES:
Frustration in Phoenix: After having the car to beat at the spring event at PIR but falling victim to a pit road speeding penalty, the #11 team’s expectations for success were high heading back for the fall race. Unfortunately, a combination of ill handling and more pit road penalties added up to a 16th place finish for Denny Hamlin and the FedEx Racing team. Having worked into the top-ten by the midway point, it appeared that Hamlin had found the handling he was looking for, only to have the progress erased by two pit road speeding penalties. Hamlin ran out the race in the teens, ultimately crossing the line 16th. He drops to twelfth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup standings heading to the season finale in Miami.

Last Race for the 2007 Wear Your Heart on Your Helmet Program: Hamlin will wear a helmet designed by 10-year-old Jordan K. from Greenfield Center, NY this weekend at Homestead. It’s the last of eleven helmets designed for Hamlin by patients at race-market children’s hospitals and children granted wishes by the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Following the season, all eleven race-worn helmets go on the auction block to benefit the Victory Junction Gang Camp. Information about the helmet and auction can be found at www.fedexracing.com.

Hamlin at Homestead: Hamlin’s experience at Homestead-Miami Speedway has been a tale of two seasons. In 2005, fresh off of being named driver of the #11 FedEx Chevy for 2006, Hamlin came to Homestead with only six Cup starts under his belt. It ended up being the ultimate learning experience as he found the wall both in practice and qualifying then fought handling to bring the car home in 33rd. 2006 was a completely different story. Coming to South Florida in the thick of the Chase for the Nextel Cup and looking to put an exclamation point on record-setting rookie season, Hamlin drove an excellent race, bringing the #11 home in third place and locking up third place in the 2006 championship standings.

Homestead Chassis – JGR 121 and JGR 183: JGR 121, the workhorse in the FedEx Monte Carlo fleet over the past three seasons, will be on track this weekend for the #11 team. This car has made six starts this season and only finished outside of the top ten on one occasion – a 19th place finish at California in September. This car has 12 top-ten finishes in 17 total starts dating back to the 2006 season. Chassis 183 is the back up this weekend. This car has started two races this season; posting top-twenty finishes at Michigan and Chicago.

FedEx Express Fact: Hamlin will turn 27 on Saturday, Nov. 18 – the day he makes his 79th career NASCAR NEXTEL Cup start.

Q&A with Denny Hamlin:
Looking back at the 2007 season, what stands out?: “This season taught me a lot, really. It really reinforced just how hard it is to sustain success in this sport and it gives you an appreciation for what it takes to be competitive. You basically have to remove as much chance for error as you can if you want to compete for a championship. You have to have good equipment, you have to run mistake free races, and you have to be good on pit road. Bad luck will happen, and we had more than our share this season, but outside of that you just can’t make mistakes because chances are the guy next to you won’t and in this sport you can’t give away wins or top-tens if you want to be there at the end. You can put yourself in a hole pretty quick.”

You experienced the good, the bad, and everything between this season. Are you happy to put 2007 behind you?: “To be honest, I would much rather be here running for the championship but I know I’ll be happy to put this season behind me and look ahead to next season. As much as I am looking forward to a little downtime, I am also excited about next season. Knowing that we are going into the COT next year and that I’ll have another year of experience to call upon, I think we have every reason to be optimistic about 2008. The only reason I don’t want to put 2007 behind me is that we really ran so consistently to start this season that part of me hates to pack it up for a season without getting back to that level. Winning a race to close it out would be a good ending to this season and certainly give us some motivation as we look ahead to next season.”

This marks the last race in a Chevrolet for you and the #11 team. Do you have a best memory?: Probably winning the Shootout in 2006 because it was so unexpected. It’s an honor to win that race and I had a great car, but I also had a lot of help from Tony and Dale Jr. so it stands out to me. We had one car, chassis 121 that we are running this weekend, that won at Pocono twice and certainly should have won more. It was beat up and had to be rebuilt a bunch of times, but we always felt like with that car on the track we had a chance. I know I’ll miss that car, but I also know it’s only a matter of time until we find that kind of performance and comfort level in the Toyota’s as well. I can’t thank Chevy enough for all they have done to help me as I started my career in NASCAR and I wish them all the best.”