FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
RICHMOND INTERNATIONAL RACEWAY

RACE INFO:
Event: Chevy Rock & Roll 400
Date/Time: Sept. 8, 2007 / 7:30 p.m. ET
Length: .75 miles
Shape: Oval
Banking: 14 degrees
Distance: 400 laps/300 miles
2006 winner: Kevin Harvick
2006 polesitter: Denny Hamlin

EXPRESS NOTES:
Flat Tire, Heat Add Up to 19th at California: After fighting traffic for much of the night, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx team looked to have the FedEx Chevrolet where they wanted it with 70 laps to go. Unfortunately, a cut tire during an extended caution forced Hamlin onto pit road as the field was taking the green and Hamlin had to fend off the leaders for the rest of the night. He finished the race one lap down and in 19th place.

You Can Always Go Home Again: This will be Hamlin’s fourth career Cup start at Richmond International Raceway and his 69th career Nextel Cup start. In addition to being a favorite track of the Virginia native, Hamlin has been very good on the .75-mile track. In his Cup debut at RIR in the spring of 2006, Hamlin was involved in a shootout for the win with Dale Earnhardt Jr. before finishing second. Last fall, Hamlin won the pole (127.986 mph, 21.096 seconds) for the Chase-deciding race but an engine problem limited him to seven-cylinders and relegated him to 15th-place on the night. Earlier this year, Hamlin led 12 laps and brought the #11 FedEx Chevy home in third.

Richmond International Raceway Chassis JGR 171 and JGR 166: This will be the first race of the season for COT chassis JGR 171. JGR 166 will serve as the back up. It has started two races this season and recorded top-five finishes at both Darlington (2nd) and Dover (4th).

FedEx Express Fact: Hamlin has led a series-high 612 laps (18%) in the Car of Tomorrow this season. He led 12 laps at RIR in May, and has led laps in each of his three previous Richmond starts.

Q&A with Denny Hamlin:
You surprised a lot of people last season? Rookie of the Year, Chase Contender, Third in Points? How is this year different?: “Last year was incredible because, honestly, no one at all expected we would accomplish as much as we did. Each week we had more and more people realizing how good the #11 team was. It was fun to be a part of and in the end I thought we had convinced more people that we were for real but, again, no one expected that we could sustain that level of performance in this season. That has been motivation for us. We are fine flying below the radar but we fully expect to be a factor in this championship. So far we are right on track.”

Is this your favorite stop of the season?: “This is the best it gets for me. I love coming back here and seeing all of my old friends and family. We joke that Tony has Indy, the race he wants to win more than any other, and I have Richmond. Last year, when I was racing Jr. at the end and I was just getting to his bumper, and then his door, I could see the fans standing and there aren’t many tracks where you can see the fans that clearly. It was one of the coolest things. I saw a lot of red, so I just hope some of them were cheering for me.”

One race to go before the Chase starts, How are you and the #11 team feeling?: “We are definitely happy to be locked in and we are looking forward to the Chase, but it would help us a lot to go out and win a race before it starts. We go out and try to win every race but there is this idea that when you need a win, you can maybe take some more risks or gamble on fuel mileage but I am not sure if that is being more aggressive. It’s one thing to drive hard but another to risk making a big mistake. The new format puts an emphasis on winning, but you need to know if you have a race-winning car before you do something and risk ruining a good race car. We are fortunate and have our full stable of cars in good shape and ready for the Chase. That is a big bonus.”

This will be your fourth Cup start at RIR, Does the thrill wear off the more times you race here?: “To be honest, it really doesn’t. It may work just the opposite really. With as much time as we spend on the road, at other tracks for races or testing, you look forward to spending time at home. This is really home for me, and coming to RIR for a race weekend is a lot of fun. I would like nothing else more than to win here. I have that pole win from last year and that was great, I was able to celebrate making the Chase here last season, but winning here would be the best. I have memories of racing here recently, but more memories of growing up here, racing at Southside and watching races here at RIR. It seems like a lot of time has passed, but it wasn’t that long ago that I was sitting in the stands here.”