Denny Hamlin, AAA 400 Sprint Cup Race Preview
Press Release & Staff Report
Race: NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA 400
Venue: Dover International Speedway (1-mile banked concrete)
Date: Sunday, Sept. 27
Time: 2 p.m. ET
TV: ABC, 1 p.m. ET
Race Distance: 400 laps/400miles
2008 winner: Greg Biffle
2008 pole winner: Jeff Gordon
Denny Hamlin Race Preview
Driver's Power Ranking on Raceway Report.com: x
EXPRESS NOTES:
Momentum Sustained – Hamlin, FedEx Racing Post Second Place Finish at New Hampshire: Momentum is certainly on the FedEx Racing team’s side as they built on a stellar win at Richmond and posted a hard-fought second-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday afternoon. Hamlin led on two occasions for 22 laps and was a factor throughout the race, rarely dropping outside of the top five and certain to be fighting for a win at the end. Through the late-race cautions Hamlin found himself stuck on the bottom unable to attack eventual winner Mark Martin. Hamlin, however, did manage to catch and pass Juan Pablo Montoya before the race-ending caution flew on lap 300. The quick start to the Chase the #11 FedEx Racing team wanted is still very much a reality heading to Dover with Hamlin sitting second in the points heading to Dover. He is tied with defending Champion Jimmie Johnson and trailing leader Mark Martin by 35 points.
Hamlin, FedEx Racing – Dover Bound and Determined: This weekend will mark Hamlin’s eighth career Cup start at Dover International, his143rd Cup start and his 32nd career Chase race. Hamlin and the team will no doubt be looking to put past frustrations at the Monster Mile behind them and keep their 2009 championship push on course. In June of this year, trouble at Dover quickly turned an otherwise promising day into a day to forget for Hamlin. A very quick stop on lap 165 had Hamlin running a strong second before a cut right tire sent him hard into the turn three wall and, subsequently, into the garage. After inspection it was determined the damage was too severe to fix and the car was loaded onto the truck. It’s marked first DNF for Hamlin since he suffered a similar right-front tire failure while leading at Talladega in Oct. of 2008 and the only DNF of the 2009 season to date. On the heels of his best finish at the Monster Mile in June of 2007, Hamlin and the team have suffered misfortune in each start since. In Sept. of 2008, Hamlin qualified in the top-three, and was running in the top-ten before the crew discovered oil on the inside of the rear wheel during a lap 144 stop. It was determined that a crack in a fitting on the rear-end cooler was the culprit and, after slowing the leak, Hamlin was sent back on to the track but, unfortunately, the fix was only temporary. Hamlin was running in the top ten on lap 244 when he lost the drive shaft and gear and finished 38th. In June of 2008, Hamlin suffered a DNF when he was collected in the large, multi-car wreck that red-flagged the race on lap 16. Hamlin posted a finish of 38th in the Chase race in the fall 2007 after contact forced him from the lead, where he had led 61 laps, and into the garage for repairs.
Dover Chassis – JGR 232 and 238: The team will unload JGR 232 this weekend in Delaware. This car last ran at Atlanta where Hamlin posted a sixth place finish. Prior to Atlanta, this car posted a fifth-place finish at Chicagoland and 12th-place finish at Texas . JGR 238 will serve in backup duty.
FedEx Ground – Florida Region (FLDA) “Along for the Ride” at Dover: FedEx Ground – Florida Region will ride along with Denny when the he takes to the track at Dover International Speedway this weekend. The #11 FedEx Ground Toyota will feature “FLDA” on the wing caps to recognize the team for leading all FedEx Ground regions in customer service scores.
FedEx Racing Races to Prepare in Philadelphia: FedEx Racing will join the American Red Cross of Southeastern Pennsylvania this week, welcoming Philadelphia-area students on Thursday for the Race to Prepare, an event that stresses disaster preparedness through the building of a disaster kit and preparedness education. As part of the company’s commitment to supporting disaster preparedness and relief efforts around the world, and in celebration of the long-term relationship with the organization, FedEx will be making a donation to the local American Red Cross chapter.
HAMLIN CONVERSATION – Dover:
Dover has been a tough place for this #11 team of late – how do you approach it this time around?: “We are feeling pretty good coming off our races at Richmond and New Hampshire. We really wanted to get off to a good start and to go to New Hampshire and run near the front all day, then finish second is really positive for this team. We are really good and getting better and I think that sets up for a good run at Dover. It’s important that we have a good finish, but at Dover it’s also important just to finish. So much can happen at this track and we’ve experienced it all. From mechanical problems to getting caught up in wrecks – we’ve been through it all and have had some bad finishes recently. What you don’t really see in some the bad news is just how competitive we’ve been at Dover. It’s a place I like to race and place where we’ve had some really good cars. We feel like we can go there and be really competitive. We just need to put past races behind us and focus on the task at hand.”
You matched a Chase-best finish at New Hampshire and are right in this Chase, can you keep this performance up?: “That’s definitely our goal and I really think we can. Dover presents some challenges but we are pretty confident. Getting to Kansas in good shape would be a big lift for this team and we feel like we have our best tracks down the road still. Everyone saw at New Hampshire just how tough this Chase is going to be. We literally fought all day for every single position and I think that’s how it’s going to be here on out. I also think we’re ready for it.”
2009 FEDEX RACING – TEAM ROSTER
Crew Chief: Mike Ford – Morristown, Tenn.
Car Chief: Chris “Spider” Gillin – Smithtown, NY
Shocks: Tim Sparkman – St. Louis, Mo.
Engineer: Mike Wheeler – Southholt, NY
Front Tire Changer: Jonathan Sherman – Monroe, La.
Tire Specialist: Patrick Mullen – Brick, N.J.
Windshield: Bobby “Spike” Christenson – Spokane, Wash.
Mechanic: Rick Bray – Placerville, Calif.**
Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks – Salisbury, N.C.
Rear Tire Carrier: Heath Cherry – Belmont, N.C.
Spotter: Curtis Markham – Fredericksburg, Va.
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram – Statesville, N.C.
Jackman: Nate Bolling – Swanton, Ohio**
Motor Specialist: Chris Woodward – Franklin, NH
Gas can: Scott Wood – Liberty, S.C.
Catch Can: John Eicher – London, Ky.
Hauler Driver: Jerry Hess – Lancaster, Pa.
Mechanic: John Furino – Long Island, NY
Hauler Driver: Frank Hodel – Blythe, Calif.
JGR Athletic Director: Michael Lepp – Charlotte, N.C.
- Weber Shandwick Worldwide, Press Release
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