FEDEX RACING EXPRESS FACTS
ATLANTA MOTOR SPEEDWAY

RACE INFO:
Date/Time: March 9, 2008/2:30 p.m. EST
Length: 1.54 miles
Shape: Quad Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
Distance: 325 laps/500.5 miles
2007 winner: Jimmie Johnson
2007 polesitter: Ryan Newman

EXPRESS NOTES:
Top-Ten Finish at Las Vegas Marks Turnaround for #11 Team: After being bit by the unpredictability of restrictor plate racing at Daytona - two wrecks and a 26th place finish - and the water logged conditions at California Speedway - lap 15 wreck caused by water on the track and a 41st place finish - Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team rebounded with the kind of performance that has made them a top-ten team over the past two seasons. After a caution flag caught Hamlin a lap down to eventual winner Car Edwards, Hamlin and team battled back over the ensuing 120 laps to earn a place back on the lead lap and work their way into the top ten. The ninth-place finish is the best of the young season for a team that has averaged a top-ten finish in over half of their starts since Hamlin took the wheel of the #11.

Hamlin at Atlanta Motor Speedway: This weekend will mark Hamlin's sixth career Cup start at Atlanta Motor Speedway. During the fall race of 2007, Hamlin and the FedEx team fell victim to water that had collected in the fuel tank over the course of the event and it ultimately stalled the #11 while Hamlin brought the field to the green flag during a late race restart. The water, found in the tanks providing fuel to all of the competitors during the race, had displaced fuel in the tank of the #11 car and skewed the team's fuel calculations. The stall forced Hamlin onto pit road and the team settled for a discouraging 24th place finish.

Atlanta Chassis – JGR 189 and 196: This will be the first run for JGR Camry chassis number 189. Chassis 196 served as the primary car at California and has been repaired after sustaining damage during an early race wreck.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION - ATLANTA:
You now have six starts under your belt at Atlanta. What are your thoughts on this track?: "Certainly the speed at Atlanta is what stands out first and foremost. It's a mile and a half but it's banked everywhere and you are really turning your way around most of the track. Atlanta is a totally different surface than what we faced last week in Las Vegas. With all the work they have done out in Vegas over the past couple of years, that track is now really smooth and with this new car and on that hard tire, we really slid around. We know Atlanta has a lot of grip. The surface is gritty and it gives the tires something to grab on to and that will be a nice change. This week I feel like we'll have a pretty good idea of how the car and tire will respond based on the test here last year."

What's the key to success at Atlanta? "It's just really, really fast and you can find yourself in trouble in a hurry so you need a car that is obviously handling well but even more important is having a car that is adjustable. Our history at Atlanta has been one of being pretty good early in a race, having a car able to run the bottom, but then fighting it through the middle portion. It's a long race and handling characteristics changes. It's just a matter of keeping ahead of it."

You had a good run spoiled by water in the fuel tank there last fall. Was that the ultimate in bad luck?: "I would say so because it had nothing to do with anything happening on the track or decisions we were making. We were feeling good about the race and we made the decision to stay out during that last caution and take a chance. We felt like we had enough fuel - and we would have had it actually been fuel and not water - but that was a terrible way to end that race. In a way it kind of summed up our 2007 Chase."

Las Vegas was a good example of battling back throughout a race to get back into the top ten. How important was it to get that result?: "It was a big momentum boost for us because we had been running pretty well and we know we have the equipment to be competitive every week. For whatever reason - bad luck mostly - we were in a bit of a hole after the first two races. For so much of the race at Vegas we were just stuck back in traffic doing whatever we could to get back on the lead lap and hope the caution would come. Once we finally had the chance to race for position we came into our own and managed to get out of there with a top ten. I am not surprised at all. This team has been really good at making the best of tough situations."