Just as he did one year ago, Richmond-area native Denny Hamlin looked ready to win a first Cup race at RIR only to have late-race issues knock him from the lead and out of contention. After leading a race-high 124 laps, Hamlin entered pit road in first but problems in the #11 dropped him to eighth place for the restart. As the race wound down, the lack of track position hurt Hamlin, then fading brakes and tires saw him slide back to 14th by the end. Hamlin gains one spot in the Sprint Cup standings and sits in fourth place heading to Darlington.
Same Car, Different Look at Darlington
For the first time since the 2005 Daytona 500 there will not be a FedEx car entered in this weekend’s Sprint Cup race. Farm Bureau Insurance takes over the FedEx as the primary sponsor of the #11 Joe Gibbs Racing entry this weekend at Darlington. FedEx will be represented on the C-post of the #11, as well as on Hamlin’s firesuit, this weekend and will be back on the car when the teams take to the track in Concord (N.C) next week.
Hamlin at Darlington Raceway
Hamlin will be making his fourth career Cup and 126th career Cup start at the famous Darlington Raceway this weekend. Hamlin's Nationwide Series record at Darlington is well known - but his Cup record may be equally impressive given his limited amount of starts. In May of 2008 Hamlin started 21st and methodically worked his way to the front to lead 15 laps. Howeer, with leading also came the responsibility of deciding whether to pit or stay out. That decision came for the #11 team on lap 248 and they chose fuel and fresh rubber while several others made the decision to stay on track. Restarting back in the traffic, Hamlin made his way forward but never fully recovered from the loss of track position – finishing seventh on the night. In 2007, Hamlin led 178 laps before a dropped lug nut on pit road forced him back to 15th place with only 65 laps to run. He charged forward to finish a tough-to-accept second place. In 2006, Hamlin ran in the top five for the first half of the race before negotiating handling issues and a cooling track to secure a 10th-place finish in his Cup debut at Darlington. Of special note is the fact this track played a big role in getting Hamlin into a Busch and Cup series ride at Joe Gibbs Racing as well. Just three months after turning in a top-ten debut in the Truck Series at Indianapolis Raceway Park, Denny lined up for his first Busch series race at one of NASCAR’s trickiest tracks. Despite the considerable odds against him, he earned well-deserved acclaim as he posted a top-ten finish in his Darlington debut.
FedEx Racing Express Fact
In seven total starts in two series (Three NNCS, Four NNS) at at Darlington Raceway, Hamlin has never finished outside of the top ten.
Darlington Raceway – JGR 220 & 222
The #11 FedEx team will unload JGR 220 this weekend at Darlington. This is the first race of the season for this car after posting third place finishes at Indianapolis and Richmond in 2008. JGR 222 will serve as the backup this weekend. Hamlin drove this car to a second-place finish at Bristol in March.
HAMLIN CONVERSATION
Denny and Mary Lou Hamlin on Darlington and Mother’s Day
Darlington is a place where you've had a lot of success. What is it about this track that you like?: "Darlington rewards consistency and I like to think that is one of my better attributes as a driver. I think that really comes down to the fact that as a driver, and based on my upbringing, I really try not to put the car in bad situations. That sometimes means I am not likely to doing anything wild - unless I am absolutely forced to or the race is on the line. As a team, we take generally take a steady approach when it comes to making changes and that works at Darlington. We have a philosophy of making small improvements all race long so we have the car at its best when the race is on the line. I’ve been fortunate to win here in the Nationwide Series and I want that success to carry over to the Cup side.”
Is your mom going to be at the track this weekend?
“She wouldn’t miss this one. I really like that Darlington honors the moms before the race – it means a lot to them and I know all of the drivers love to show our gratitude to them. I just want to remind her how much she means to me and thank her for everything she’s done and sacrificed to get me here. She’s enjoying this as much as I am.”
Mary Lou Hamlin on Denny
“I am so proud of Denny and what he’s accomplished. The racing part has been rewarding because it’s what he always wanted to do and he committed himself to following this dream. But, even more important than that to me is satisfaction that you get watching your kids grow up and become adults, and take on responsibility. I was reminded of that last week when Denny’s foundation was able to give back so much to the community and to charity. That’s really what makes me the most proud of all.”
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