RACE INFO:Event: LifeLock 400
Date/Time: June 15, 2008/ 2 p.m. EST
Length: 2 Miles
Shape: D-Shaped Oval
Banking: 18 Degrees
Distance: 200 Laps; 400 Miles
2007 Winner: Carl Edwards
2007 Pole Sitter: JJ Yeley
EXPRESS NOTES:
Hamlin, FedEx Third at Pocono: Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team fought through early damage to the #11 Camry and nearly four-hours of exhausting heat to score an impressive third-place victory at Pocono last weekend. Damage to the right front suffered during a lap 40 pit stop, while not having a profound impact on the car's handling, was rubbing against the right-front tire and threatened to cut the tire if not properly repaired. With track position at a premium, the decision to pull in for the repair meant Hamlin would be forced to race from the back of the field but through a combination of excellent fuel and tire strategy, flawless driving and some well-timed cautions, he worked his way to the front and raced the leaders at the end. The result moves Hamlin back into the top-five in points, and puts an end to a frustrating two-race stretch that included a 24th-place finish in Charlotte and a rare DNF at Dover.
Hamlin at Michigan International Speedway: This weekend will mark Hamlin's fifth Cup start at MIS and his 94th career Cup start. Michigan has been a mixed bag for Hamlin over the course of his still-young career. The #11 FedEx team had a car capable of running in the top-five and challenging for the win at MIS one year ago, but costly pit road mishaps on laps 37 and 114 left Hamlin off the lead lap and having to fight for a 14th-place finish. Last fall, Hamlin started and finished in the top-ten with the #11 team satisfied with their ever-improving performances on the 2.0-mile track. In the rain shortened 3M Performance 400 in June 2006, Hamlin had worked his way up from the 21st spot on the grid to 12th before the race was called due to rain. Hamlin has qualified in the top-ten for the last three races and is averaging a tenth-place finish over his career at MIS.
FedEx Express Fact: Pocono marked the third time Hamlin has finished third in the 2008 season and brought his season total of top-five finishes to five though the first 14 races.
Michigan Chassis JGR 208 and 204: Chassis 208 will make its second start of the 2008 season this weekend at Michigan. Hamlin qualified this car sixteenth and finished 24th in the Coca-Cola 600 on Memorial Day weekend. Chassis 204 will be on back up duty this weekend. It has made one start this season (tenth at Las Vegas) and has served as the back up on five occasions.
HAMLIN CONVERSATION - MICHIGAN INTERNATIONAL SPEEDWAY:
Pocono took a big physical toll on you - Can you remember a more grueling race?: "It was a tough race in terms of the heat so from that aspect, I would put it right up there. I think we were in the car for more than four hours and even though the race was 500 miles, our average speed at Pocono is a lot slower than at places like Atlanta or even Charlotte where the race is as long, or longer in terms of miles, but it goes much faster. It was just a long time in really hot car so by the time I was able to crawl out of the car I was worn out. The heat was a lot to take and it just seems like this car is hotter inside than the old one, which was still hot to begin with. It's something that comes with this sport so we're all pretty much used to it and ready for it but it appeared from seeing some of the other drivers and talking to them after the race that it took a toll on a lot of the guys."
On to Michigan - What to you expect from the #11 team this weekend?: "I expect that we'll be really competitive. This track hasn't been one of our best but it's a track that we've made gains at. I think we can honestly say that we've not finished as well as we have raced at Michigan so hopefully that will change. It's been a matter of bad luck or weather, or little problems here and there that have kept us from scoring good finishes so maybe we have all of that our of our system now. This is a horsepower track and we've been really happy with the power from our engines this season. Mark (Cronquist) and everyone at JGR and TRD have put a lot of time and effort into getting our engine program together on a pretty tight schedule and they have been awesome so far. We had a great test at California earlier this year and would have been fine in the race but we had that incident with the water and went out early so we know we have a good power and aero package for the two mile track."
A top three at Pocono gets you back into the top-five in points - Are you satisfied with the season so far?: "It was really good to have a solid finish at Pocono. We needed it after awful luck at Lowe's with the flat tire at the end and then a short race for us at Dover. We're satisfied with our performance but we know were capable of more and that keeps us all motivated."
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