FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

RACE INFO:
Event: Crown Royal presents the Jim Stewart 400
Date/Time: May 5, 2007 / 7 p.m. ET
Length: .75 miles
Shape: Oval
Banking: 14 degrees
Distance: 400 laps/300 miles
2006 winner: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
2006 polesitter: Greg Biffle

EXPRESS NOTES:
Late-Race Cautions, Fuel Gamble Earn Hamlin 21st at Talladega: Denny Hamlin led a substantial number of laps for the fourth time in five races but, as has been the trend so far this season for the #11 FedEx team, it didn’t translate into a win. Given the unpredictable racing that comes with restrictor plates and superspeedways, Hamlin’s lead with ten laps to go was never safe but it was the race-extending late caution that ultimately defined Hamlin’s day. Only carrying enough fuel to make the end of the scheduled 188 laps, the green-white-checkered finish forced Hamlin to pit for fuel and settle for a 21st-place.

Hamlin Kicks off “Wear Your Heart on Your Helmet” Program in Richmond: Hamlin will be sporting a FedEx Express helmet designed for him by 11-year old Children’s Hospital of Richmond patient Justin Griffith this weekend at Richmond. It is the first helmet of the eleven that Hamlin will wear as part of the FedEx “Wear Your Heart on Your Helmet” program and it was presented to him during a visit to the hospital last week. At the presentation, FedEx made a donation of $25,000 to the hospital and then Hamlin joined the patients as they designed their own helmets and raced R/C cars on the FedEx speedway. The eleven helmets will be designed by children’s hospital patients and Make-A-Wish program participants in race markets throughout the 2007 season. Following the season, all of the race-worn helmets will be auctioned off to benefit Victory Junction.

“Justin designed a really cool helmet for me to wear this weekend and I hope both he and everyone at Children’s Hospital of Richmond are excited about being a part of the #11 FedEx team. I had a lot of fun visiting the hospital last week, meeting Justin and the other patients, and delivering a $25,000 check on behalf of FedEx, and they told me they would be cheering for me extra loud this weekend. This is the first of eleven special helmets that I am going to wear this season as part of the “Wear Your Heart on Your Helmet” program so I want to get off to a good start here in Richmond, and hopefully wear Justin’s helmet to victory lane.”

Hamlin at Richmond International: Hamlin’s racing roots in the Richmond area go back almost twenty years, to tracks like Southside Speedway where he cut his teeth in late models and found the early success that carried him to NASCAR’s top divisions. Once a spectator at RIR, this will be Hamlin’s third start at Richmond in a Nextel Cup car and eighth overall. In the Chase cutoff race last fall, Hamlin started from the pole but a plug wire problem limited him to only seven cylinders and a 15th-place finish. In the spring race, Hamlin staged a thrilling end-of-race battle with Dale Earnhardt Jr. in front of the hometown fans but had to settle for second on the night.

Richmond International Raceway Chassis JGR 154 and JGR 158: Chassis 154 has made two starts already this season (Bristol and Phoenix) and was arguably the best car both times out. In Bristol, Hamlin led 177 laps before a fuel pick-up problem dropped him to tenth at the end. In Phoenix, Hamlin led 125 laps but a pit road speeding violation forced him to the back of the field and he would finish third.

QUOTES:
Hamlin on Richmond International Raceway: “Just like any other driver feels a lot of pride racing in their hometown, this is the race I really want to win. I came close here in the spring when I fought with Dale Jr. there at the end, and then won the pole here in the fall and those two events go down as some of my best memories in racing. When I took the lead here in the spring, I could see the fans up out of their seats cheering and I can’t explain what that feels like. It was one of the coolest things. I just take a ton of pride in racing well here. I owe it to these fans because I know they take a lot of pride when there is someone from Virginia on the track. I was sitting in the stands here not that long ago.”

On Joe Gibbs Racing’s Car of Tomorrow Success: “Unfortunately, success in racing is usually measured in wins so we are hoping we end our ‘leading races but not winning races’ streak we have going in these cars. I felt like the cars I had in Bristol, Martinsville and Phoenix were race winning cars but things didn’t go our way. I think the only place I have been passed in this car is on pit road so that says a lot about our performance.”