Hamlin, FedEx Racing Team Storm to Second at Bristol

Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team turned in a great performance last weekend at Bristol, charging forward from a starting position of 24th to battle for the lead and ultimately claim second place on the day.  Hamlin took the lead on lap 317 and held the point for seven laps before surrendering the lead under caution.  Despite restarting second for the green-white-checkered finish, he couldn’t reach the bumper of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and eventual winner, Kyle Busch. The result continued Hamlin’s string of good runs at Bristol as well as giving the #11 team their best result of the still-young 2009 season.  Hamlin climbs from 14th to eighth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings through six races.

Hamlin at Martinsville

This weekend will mark Hamlin’s eighth career Sprint Cup start at Martinsville Speedway.  Hamlin returns to Martinsville as the defending champion of the spring race at the famous paperclip.  In March of 2008 Hamlin led 82 laps and held off a furious charge from Jeff Gordon to claim his sole win of the season and the fourth win of his Cup career.  In the fall of 2008, Hamlin and the #11 team fought handling issues but managed an impressive fifth-place finish.  In 2007, Hamlin sat on the pole for the spring race and led 125 laps before taking third place and then posted a sixth place finish in the 2007 Chase race.  Hamlin has only finished out of the top-10 once at Martinsville – a 41st place finish in the spring event in 2006 – which supports the fact that Hamlin’s short track performance has been a point of consistency in his Sprint Cup career.  That is especially true at Martinsville, a place where Hamlin has raced Late Models as recently as 2003.

Charlotte FedEx Freight Service Center “Along for the Ride” in Martinsville

The #11 FedEx Freight Camry will feature “CLT” on the wing caps this weekend at Martinsville Speedway to recognize the Charlotte Service Center as the winners of the 2008 Diversity Week Grand Prize.  The prize rewards participation, creativity and cooperation among employees.

Martinsville Chassis - JGR 238 & 214

JGR 238 will carry the FedEx Freight paint this weekend at Martinsville.  This is the first ever race for this chassis. JGR 214 will serve as the backup this weekend.  This car has made four previous Cup starts, posting top-ten finishes in 2008 (New Hampshire and Martinsville)

Hamlin Conversation – Martinsville

Talk about returning to Martinsville
“Martinsville is special for me for a lot of reasons.  The experience of winning a Cup race here, at a Virginia track where I raced Late Models a few years ago, and in front of great racing fans and my family, was something I will never forget. And to have a Martinsville clock sitting in my home that I see everyday – it reminds me of that day and also how much went into getting to that point.  I remember racing here in Late Models, in the big fall events, and thinking then what a big deal it was to be here at a famous track, getting to do what I loved which was race cars.  So to go there in a Cup car, win a pole a few years back and then get a win there last Spring was something that was hard to imagine even just a few years.  Don’t get me wrong, it was what I always wanted and was working for but you can’t expect things to work out like they did.  This is a great track – one of my favorites - with a ton of history and a special style of racing.  I think it’s where I am at my best and I know the entire #11 FedEx team circles the Martinsville races on the calendar.”

It’s been one year since you’ve won in the Cup series – does that frustrate or motivate you?
“I think it’s a little of both.  We almost had a win last weekend at Bristol so we feel like we are edging closer to where we want to be but to go a year without a win isn’t where we want to be.  It would be one thing if we weren’t close but there have been several times in the past year where I know we had the car capable of winning and for whatever reason it just didn’t happen.  So, while that gives you confidence in yourself and in the equipment, those missed opportunities start to wear on you and on the entire team.  Everyone on this FedEx team puts a lot of time and effort into winning races and nothing is better than when it all works out.  I am hoping that this is the weekend where we get our next win and that we can put together a good string of races – challenge for wins throughout the season - and move closer to the goal of challenging for a championship.”