Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team did everything but win on Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway.  Hamlin led on six occasions for 63 laps and looked poised to be a major factor at the end when he restarted second with four laps to go. Hamlin followed his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch to the outside of the leader Tony Stewart.  However, as Busch slid past the leader, Hamlin’s path to the front was closed off by Stewart.  As the front two tangled before the finish, Hamlin crossed the line in third to post his best-ever finish at Daytona and his third top-five finish in his last four starts.  Hamlin holds on to the sixth spot in the Sprint Cup standings heading to Chicago this weekend, 201 points clear of Mark Martin in 13th. 


Hamlin at Chicagoland

This weekend will mark Hamlin's fourth Cup start at Chicagoland and 134th career Cup start since making his debut in 2005. Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team suffered through an entirely forgettable evening at Chicagoland Speedway last season when electrical issues forced the #11 Toyota to the garage less than 50 laps in to the event for repairs.  The crew worked fast but Hamlin returned to the track four laps down and had little recourse but to run out the race and settle for a disappointing 40th-place finish.   In 2007 Hamlin and the FedEx team, sitting second in the Cup points, unloaded a new car and race package at Chicago and simply couldn't find the handle on the way to a frustrating 17th place finish.  In 2006, Hamlin was well on his way to a top-ten finish before a loose wheel forced him a lap down late in the race.  Despite getting the lap back, he was unable to significantly improve his position and finished 14th on the day.


Chicagoland Chassis – JGR 232 & 225 

The #11 team will unload chassis #232 this weekend at Chicago for a second start in 2009.  This car posted a 12th place finish at Texas in April.  Chassis #225 will serve as a backup this weekend.  225 has one start in 2009 (22nd-place in Las Vegas) and made two appearances last season.


FedEx Freight Service Center AKR “Along for the Ride” in Chicago

FedEx Freight Service Center, AKR, located in Akron, OH, will be featured on the wing caps of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend at Chicagoland Speedway. AKR won the title of “Northeast Division Center of the Year” for achieving operational excellence.


HAMLIN CONVERSATION – CHICAGOLAND:


A good run at Daytona keeps you pointed in the right direction headed to Chicago.  Are you satisfied with how things are going?

“We had a really good car at Daytona, had a chance to win that race,  and you hate to miss out on a win but those races at the plate tracks are always going to have wild finishes and we came through in good shape.  That is what happened on Saturday night.  I put myself in the best position I could at the end but could only control what I wanted to do, not what was going on around me.  Third place is still a really good night and it keeps us in the middle of the points race as we edge closer and closer to the Chase.  At Daytona, as much as we’d like to have won that race, there is always that chance that you’ll get caught up and have nothing to show for how good your car was all night.   We’ve had a good last month and it’s showing in the standings.  We want to keep building up that lead over the 13th place and do all that we can to chip away at the leaders, hopefully getting a win or two along the way.”


What do you expect at Chicago this weekend?

“Chicago has been a bit of a struggle for us – we had some electrical issues last season and a loose wheel a few years ago – but I am really excited about heading there this weekend.  We had a really strong car at Michigan, a place where we have struggled in the past and we were really excited about hitting on something at a track where we needed to make a big step forward.  After talking to Mike (Ford) and the engineers on the #11 team I think we are close to making that step at Chicago also and I am excited about having a really competitive package going to that mile and half track this weekend.  It’s a track I like to race and to have a strong car only increases that.”


What are your thoughts on racing at Chicagoland?

“It’s relatively flat and it seems to have lost a lot of grip there over the years for whatever reason. We have had really good racing there in the past and had a really good finish last season with the 48 and the 18.  I like the racing at Chicago because you can move around, from the wall to the line and back, to find a place where your car is working.  Any of the drivers will tell you they really like being able to search for that line to find that place where you can pass and make your car work.  You work to get your car ready in practice and make it adjustable – but as it gets cooler things definitely tend to change a lot and you have to be ready to find a new line and make the car work.”