Fuente: © Joe Gibbs Racing
http://www.joegibbsracing.com/

NASCAR: JOE GIBBS RACING: Denny Hamlin - Man on a Mission

/noticias.info/ RACE INFO:
Event: Allstate 400 at the Brickyard
Date/Time: Aug. 6, 2006 /2 p.m. ET
Track: Indianapolis Motor Speedway
Length: 2.5 Miles
Shape: Oval
Distance: 160 laps/400 miles
Banking: 9 degrees
2005 winner: Tony Stewart
2005 polesitter: Elliott Sadler

EXPRESS NOTES:

Hamlin Prepared for Indy Debut: Two weeks after completing a historic double at Pocono Raceway, rookie Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team head to Indy with a lot of momentum, a proven race car and plenty of questions still to answer. The #11 FedEx team currently sits in eighth place with six races to go before the Chase cutoff at Richmond, but with competition for each place extremely tight, every result is critical. Indianapolis presents a unique challenge for the #11 team. Similarities with Pocono Raceway do exist but after two days of testing at the 2.5-mile track in July, the team left feeling unsure. Waiting in the wings, however, was car JGR121 which had won at Pocono in June and skipped Indy testing in preparation for a return to Pennsylvania in July. JGR121 has proved to be one of the best cars in the #11 stable and following another dominating performance at Pocono in the second race, the team is happy it came through unscathed and is on the truck for Indy.

“We’ve had a good stretch of races lately, including the wins at Pocono, and we feel like we have a chance to stay in the top ten if we run like we have and like we feel we can. A lot of people look at Pocono and Indy and see similarities but setting a car up for, and learning how to get around here, at Indy is a completely different experience. I tried to learn as much as I could during the test session here, taking the opportunity to follow Tony or some of the veterans to see how they approach the turns and I will try to do that again during practice here before Sunday. It’s the best way to learn. Find a guy who knows this place like the back of his hand and let him show you the way. Once I feel comfortable with the track and where I can run, we can really go to work on the car and see just where we can make an already good car better.”

2006 Points: Hamlin’s win at Pocono catapulted him four spots in the NASCAR Nextel Cup point standings heading to the Brickyard this weekend. Currently in eighth place, Hamlin sits one point behind Kasey Kahne in seventh and 43 points behind Mark Martin in sixth. With six races to go before the chase, Hamlin is 425 points behind leader Jimmie Johnson.

2006 Rookie Race: With his eighth top-ten finish of the season, Hamlin earned highest finishing rookie honors for the eleventh time this season. He currently holds a 48-point lead (223-175) in the Raybestos Rookie standings over second-place Clint Bowyer heading to Indy.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway Chassis JGR 121/127: The #11 FedEx Team will again roll out car JGR 121 this weekend at Indianapolis. This is the car that twice dominated the field at Pocono Raceway, leading 234 of a possible 400 laps, to give Hamlin his two career Cup wins. In two starts before winning at Pocono this car posted two finishes of tenth place (Las Vegas 3/06 & Darlington 5/06). Back up car 127 raced at Atlanta and Charlotte this spring posting finishes of 31st and ninth, respectively.

FedEx Express Car at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: Hamlin’s #11 Chevrolet will sport the FedEx Express colors for the eleventh time this season this weekend at Pocono Raceway. Throughout the season, Hamlin and FedEx Racing will feature schemes representing four of the FedEx operating companies; FedEx Express, FedEx Ground, FedEx Freight and FedEx Kinko’s.

Hamlin on his First Start at Indianapolis Motor Speedway: “This is a race that everyone wants to win. It’s an incredible place with a lot of history and anyone out there who has followed the sport of racing knows how special it is. It’s the kind of place you want to come to visit as a fan so to come here as a driver in the middle of the season and in the middle of fighting for a place in the Chase is hard to believe.”

Hamlin on the Final Stretch of Pre-Chase Races: “It’s all up for grabs right now. There are so few points separating the guys in contention so you have to be good every week and that really means challenging for wins. When I look at the cars around me I am really proud of this team for performing as well as we have. We have champions in front of us and behind us and everyone is out there running as hard as they can with one goal in mind. No one is going to cut us a break so our work is cut out for us.”

Hamlin on the Pocono Sweep: “It’s still sinking in a little to be honest. First off, the car was incredible both races. The guys built a great car and set it up perfectly both weekends. In the second race there were some questions about the new tire compound and if the car would respond the way it had in June, but it was clear from practice on that we had a car that could win. To do what we did on those two weekends is something I will never forget.” notas_de_prensa_archivo