thedrifter
05-23-07, 08:37 AM
Denny Hamlin - Express Notes Charlotte
Event: Coca-Cola 600
Joe Gibbs Racing, NC
RACE INFO:
Event: Coca-Cola 600
Date/Time: May 27, 2007 / 5:30 p.m. ET
Length: 1.5 miles
Shape: Quad-Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
Distance: 400 laps/600 miles
2006 winner: Kasey Kahne
2006 polesitter: Scott Riggs
EXPRESS NOTES:
Hamlin, FedEx Racing Honor Marines with Special #11 Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Freight Chevy will carry a special U.S. Marine Corps paint scheme this weekend as part of the American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute. The #11 is one of eight Nextel Cup cars carrying the emblem of various branches of the armed services, raising awareness for a nationwide effort to raise funds for military families in need.
“This is a great way to honor our military on Memorial Day, a way to thank all of the soldiers for everything they do for all of us,” said Hamlin. “For all of the sponsors and drivers to get together on this project and put together eight special Cup schemes shows just how much this means to all of us. I know that the whole #11 FedEx Racing team is honored to have the Marines riding with us this weekend, hopefully we can make them proud on Sunday.”
Hamlin 17th in the All-Star Challenge: Denny Hamlin’s first All-Star experience started with handling trouble early in the race then ended when Casey Mears lost grip on the third lap of the final segment and took the #11 into the wall.
"With this type of format (All-Star) you’re going to see wrecks, and that’s fine, but that’s what we got caught up in today. It’s disappointing, but we knew we didn’t have a top-five car going into the race after our struggles in practice. We are still trying to find the best way to make these hard tires work for us here at Charlotte, and at the same time I still don’t feel all that comfortable making my way around this track. Glad it wasn’t a point’s race and we were happy with our pit stops. The new crew is working out really well so it was a good test as we get ready for the Coca-Cola 600.”
Hamlin at LMS: This will be Hamlin’s third Cup start in Charlotte, and he’ll be looking to forget about his most recent outing last fall where a lap one accident dented his car and Championship hopes all at once. He did return to the track but the damage was done and he settled for a 28th-place finish. Hamlin’s other two starts went much better. An eighth-place finish in only his second career cup start was followed up by an impressive ninth-place finish in last season’s Coca-Cola 600 where Hamlin led three times for 25 laps.
QUOTES:
Hamlin, Back to Points Racing: “I am ready to get back to it. We have been running so well that I look forward to being in the car because I legitimately feel we have the chance to win every week. We just came through a stretch of races at tracks where we expected to run well because we have in the past, and we felt good about our equipment. It’s a little different here and at Dover because I don’t feel as comfortable, but this race last year put on a run that carried us right to the edge of being in the Chase so we are ahead of the curve compared to last season. The goal is always to improve on last season so if we can manage that, we should be in decent shape for that long summer stretch that leads into the Chase.”
On 600 Miles at LMS: “It’s a long race, no doubt about it. It tests the crews and it tests the drivers. The change in conditions means you have to build a lot of adjustability into the car or you’ll end up chasing the track and that can make for a long day out there. Mike has always been really good at making sure we have room to work on the car and that’s the way you need to approach this race maybe more so that any other race during the season. And this is the kind of track where you don’t get many breaks so by the end of 600 miles you are really drained. Last season I know this race took a lot out of me so I am looking forward to see if the changes I have made as far as getting in better shape will help. It has made a big difference so far this season but between this place and Dover, I am sure I will really notice a difference.”
Hamlin on the #11 Team Crew Changes: “It wasn’t an easy process for anyone but I am excited about changes and I think this crew will be really good as we head into the long summer stretch of races. For any number of reasons the group we had in place was struggling to be consistent from week to week or even stop to stop during races. Mike has been on pit crews before and he has a definite idea about what he wants and what he expects. It all came to a head in Darlington but that was just one piece of the process. These changes should be good for the team, that’s the bottom line.”
Ellie
Event: Coca-Cola 600
Joe Gibbs Racing, NC
RACE INFO:
Event: Coca-Cola 600
Date/Time: May 27, 2007 / 5:30 p.m. ET
Length: 1.5 miles
Shape: Quad-Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
Distance: 400 laps/600 miles
2006 winner: Kasey Kahne
2006 polesitter: Scott Riggs
EXPRESS NOTES:
Hamlin, FedEx Racing Honor Marines with Special #11 Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Freight Chevy will carry a special U.S. Marine Corps paint scheme this weekend as part of the American Heroes Memorial Day Tribute. The #11 is one of eight Nextel Cup cars carrying the emblem of various branches of the armed services, raising awareness for a nationwide effort to raise funds for military families in need.
“This is a great way to honor our military on Memorial Day, a way to thank all of the soldiers for everything they do for all of us,” said Hamlin. “For all of the sponsors and drivers to get together on this project and put together eight special Cup schemes shows just how much this means to all of us. I know that the whole #11 FedEx Racing team is honored to have the Marines riding with us this weekend, hopefully we can make them proud on Sunday.”
Hamlin 17th in the All-Star Challenge: Denny Hamlin’s first All-Star experience started with handling trouble early in the race then ended when Casey Mears lost grip on the third lap of the final segment and took the #11 into the wall.
"With this type of format (All-Star) you’re going to see wrecks, and that’s fine, but that’s what we got caught up in today. It’s disappointing, but we knew we didn’t have a top-five car going into the race after our struggles in practice. We are still trying to find the best way to make these hard tires work for us here at Charlotte, and at the same time I still don’t feel all that comfortable making my way around this track. Glad it wasn’t a point’s race and we were happy with our pit stops. The new crew is working out really well so it was a good test as we get ready for the Coca-Cola 600.”
Hamlin at LMS: This will be Hamlin’s third Cup start in Charlotte, and he’ll be looking to forget about his most recent outing last fall where a lap one accident dented his car and Championship hopes all at once. He did return to the track but the damage was done and he settled for a 28th-place finish. Hamlin’s other two starts went much better. An eighth-place finish in only his second career cup start was followed up by an impressive ninth-place finish in last season’s Coca-Cola 600 where Hamlin led three times for 25 laps.
QUOTES:
Hamlin, Back to Points Racing: “I am ready to get back to it. We have been running so well that I look forward to being in the car because I legitimately feel we have the chance to win every week. We just came through a stretch of races at tracks where we expected to run well because we have in the past, and we felt good about our equipment. It’s a little different here and at Dover because I don’t feel as comfortable, but this race last year put on a run that carried us right to the edge of being in the Chase so we are ahead of the curve compared to last season. The goal is always to improve on last season so if we can manage that, we should be in decent shape for that long summer stretch that leads into the Chase.”
On 600 Miles at LMS: “It’s a long race, no doubt about it. It tests the crews and it tests the drivers. The change in conditions means you have to build a lot of adjustability into the car or you’ll end up chasing the track and that can make for a long day out there. Mike has always been really good at making sure we have room to work on the car and that’s the way you need to approach this race maybe more so that any other race during the season. And this is the kind of track where you don’t get many breaks so by the end of 600 miles you are really drained. Last season I know this race took a lot out of me so I am looking forward to see if the changes I have made as far as getting in better shape will help. It has made a big difference so far this season but between this place and Dover, I am sure I will really notice a difference.”
Hamlin on the #11 Team Crew Changes: “It wasn’t an easy process for anyone but I am excited about changes and I think this crew will be really good as we head into the long summer stretch of races. For any number of reasons the group we had in place was struggling to be consistent from week to week or even stop to stop during races. Mike has been on pit crews before and he has a definite idea about what he wants and what he expects. It all came to a head in Darlington but that was just one piece of the process. These changes should be good for the team, that’s the bottom line.”
Ellie