Hamlin, FedEx Racing Frustrated in Las Vegas on way to 22nd-Place Finish

Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team endured a trying afternoon in Las Vegas on Sunday - fighting repairs and handling issues on their way to a 22nd-place finish in the Shelby 427 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Despite having a streak of three consecutive top-ten finishes at the 1.5-mile track heading into the race, and a very fast car in practice, damage to the #11 suffered during a lap-three incident and then again during a spin on lap 172 was enough force Hamlin a lap down and keep the team from seriously contending on a caution-filled afternoon.

“We really fought it today,” said Hamlin. “We got caught got up there at the start and just couldn’t get the track position we needed early – then we got into the wall and couldn’t get the handling back. The #11 FedEx Office Toyota was fast and we deserved better today. It’s frustrating to end like this - it would have been nice to race the guys at the front and see what we had.”

By virtue of the finish, and the trouble suffered by other top teams, Hamlin climbs one spot to 14th in the Sprint Cup standings through three races, 127 points behind Jeff Gordon in first.

Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch produced a great display of driving for his hometown fans, coming from the back of the field, leading 51 laps and winning his first Cup race of the 2008 season.

Clint Bower, Jeff Burton, David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte filled out the top five.Joey Logano, Hamlin and Busch’s rookie teammate at Joe Gibbs Racing had a very solid run Sunday, bringing the #20 Toyota to the checkered in 13th place.

The teams will now return to the East coast and a visit to Atlanta Motor Speedway after a very long start to the season that included two weeks in Daytona followed by long trips to the West coast for races in California and Las Vegas.

Hamlin qualified 34th but took the green flag from the 30th-place on the grid after a handful of teams were forced to the back for changing engines during practice. Unfortunately, he barely had time to get comfortable in the seat before Brad Keselowski spun on lap three, forcing the field to check up and causing damage to the right front of the #11 Camry.

Mike Ford called Hamlin to pit road for some minor repairs and the crew sent him out to restart 40th on lap four.

Another caution flew after only three laps and again Ford called Hamlin to the pit road, this time to check to the damage again and take advantage of the limited laps to change tires.

Hamlin restarted 36th on lap ten and then used the first extended green flag run of the race to get a feel for the car beneath him. As he approached the fuel window, Hamlin informed the crew that he was looking for grip both in and out of the turns. Hamlin pitted on lap 55 for tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment before cycling through in 25th place.

The first real opportunity to put pit road strategy to work came on lap 74 when a blown engine sent the #6 car of David Ragan to the garage and brought out the fourth caution of the day. Ford called for a two-tire stop and the crew worked quick to send Hamlin out in ninth-place for the restart.

Running in the top-ten, the team knew they had a car capable of competing and they worked to make sure any changes made in the short term wouldn’t adversely affect handling as the race went along. A caution on lap 94 brought Hamlin to pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment and he would restart 16th on lap 100.

Through cautions on lap 124, 139 and 145 Hamlin kept his position just on the edge of the top-ten and his feedback to the team that he was tight on throttle just as the caution came out on lap 168. Hamlin visited pit road for fuel, tires and another wedge adjustment – this time in the right rear – and lined up 15th for the restart on lap 168.

Just four laps into the green flag run, Hamlin spun off of turn four under heavy pressure from Jamie McMurray and hit the outside wall. On the radio he notified the crew that he had pretty significant right side damage and Ford called him to pit road to check on the car. The crew worked quick to repair the damage and check the toe, bringing Hamlin to pit road a total of three times. They ultimately made the necessary repairs while keeping the #11 on the lead lap – and Hamlin lined up 25th for the restart on lap 176.

It was clear from the restart that the handling had been compromised by the hit and Hamlin worked hard to stay competitive despite the damage. He fell of the lead lap on lap 213 the narrowly missed the free pass when the eleventh caution of the day flew on lap 222.

Ford called Hamlin to pit road for tires, fuel and another check on the car damage before sending Hamlin out to fight for a spot back on the lead lap but Hamlin would ultimately run out the race one lap down to the leaders and end the day in 22nd place.
Joe Gibbs Racing.com

Leaving Las Vegas...

Never have three words sounded so sweet, nor the memory of a race been so great to forget. So Sin City didn't exactly try to hide that it wasn't fond of Denny Hamlin. Luck was certainly not on the Chesterfield, VA native's side. My only solace is that hopefully he won big in the casinos while hanging out with his buddies.

Just two laps into the Sam's Town 300, Hamlin found himself spinning out with none other than Brad Keselowski. Irony at its finest. He was able to recover from that debacle, only to be served with a pit road speeding penalty. As if that wasn't bad enough, the No. 20 car sped while serving its pass through penalty for that violation. The result, yet another pass through penalty. Misery indeed loves company.

The frustration mounted and wouldn't you know, the Interstate Batteries machine had a tire going down. Holding his own, Hamlin was handling the situation under the wise council of crew chief Dave Rogers, when the unthinkable happened. Mike Bliss, who's spotter was taking a break in the local casino and being derelict of his important duties, was unable to see the bright green car right in front of him and plowed Hamlin from behind, lifting his wheels off the ground and putting both cars into the wall.

When the dust settled, the flames that engulfed the Toyota holding Denny Hamlin were nothing short of terrifying. Mike Bliss failed to have an explanation for his stupidity and a despondent Hamlin tried to laugh it off, but the disappointment and frustration were evident. And from the appearance of the veteran driver, he was still a bit shaken from the incident. Well, he wasn't alone. That was quite scary and a fate I don't want to see repeated any time soon.

Hamlin rolled his Fed Ex Office Toyota off the grid in 34th starting position for the Shelby 427. When what do you know, new bestie Brad Keselowski found the No. 11 machine once again and caused yet another tangle between the two. I guess there is a drawing magnetism between the GoDaddy.com driver and his Fed Ex nemesis, because the two cars just simply couldn't avoid each other the entire weekend at Vegas.

The rest of the day was just more of the same and while Hamlin did his best to rebound, it just wasn't to be. He finished 22nd, a lap down, but was able to gain one spot in the points standings. His teammate, Kyle Busch, was victorious in his hometown for the first time and was overjoyed, kissing the start/finish line after doing his now signature bow and taking the checkered flag.

With snow back in NC stranding the drivers and their families in Vegas for a while, no doubt there was some celebrating going on amongst the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. Happy for his friend, Hamlin no doubt lifted his glass to honor a hard fought victory for the No. 18 team. But in his mind, Denny Hamlin was celebrating the end to his Las Vegas weekend and thanking his lucky stars he won't have to return to the scene of that fiasco for another twelve months.

NASCAR Sprint Cup Point Standings ~ As of Shelby 427

Official Point Standings as of Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas
~Race 3 of 36~

1. (+1) Jeff Gordon 459 Leader
2. (+2) Clint Bowyer 441 -18
3. (-2) Matt Kenseth 419 -40
4. (+1) Greg Biffle 419 -40
5. (+7) David Reutimann 408 -51
6. (+12) Kyle Busch 405 -45
7. (-4) Kurt Busch 393 -66
8. (-4) Tony Stewart 379 -80
9. (--) Carl Edwards 377 -82
10. (+12) Bobby Labonte 360 -99
11. (+5) Kevin Harvick 351 -108
12. (-5) Michael Waltrip 346 -113
13. (+10) Kasey Kahne 338 -121
14. (+1) Denny Hamlin 332 -127
15. (-5) Juan Montoya 326 -133
16. (-5) Elliott Sadler 324 -135
17. (+9) Brian Vickers 322 -137
18. (+13) Jeff Burton 316 -143
19. (--) Jimmie Johnson 314 -145
20. (+1) Marcos Ambrose 312 -147
21. (-8) AJ Allmendinger 305 -154
22. (+6) Jamie McMurray 305 -154
23. (+1) David Stremme 302 -157
24. (-16) David Ragan 299 -160
25. (-11) Reed Sorenson 299 -160
26. (-9) Martin Truex Jr 284 -175
27. (-7) Casey Mears 282 -177
28. (+1) Sam Hornish Jr 276 -183
29. (+6) Dale Earnhardt Jr 267 -192
30. (-5) John Andretti 260 -199
31. (+3) Robby Gordon 257 -202
32. (+5) Joey Logano 248 -211
33. (--) Ryan Newman 222 -237
34. (-7) Mark Martin 211 -248
35. (+5) Regan Smith 206 -253
36. (+5) Scott Speed 198 -261
37. (+7) David Gilliland 185 -274
38. (-2) Aric Almirola 177 -282
39. (--) Paul Menard 159 -300
40. (-10) Travis Kvapil 146 -313
41. (-9) Scott Riggs 143 -316
42. (-4) Jeremy Mayfield 104 -355
43. (-1) Bill Elliott 94 -365
44. (-1) Terry Labonte 91 -368
45. (+1) Joe Nemechek 74 -385
46. (--) Max Papis 55 -404
47. (--) Todd Bodine 52 -407
48. (+2) Brad Keselowski 49 -410
49. (-4) Dave Blaney 37 -422

Shelby 427 - Las Vegas - Results

The Unofficial Results of the Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas
~Race 3 of 36~

1. 18 Kyle Busch
2. 33 Clint Bowyer
3. 31 Jeff Burton
4. 00 David Reutimann
5. 96 Bobby Labonte
6. 24 Jeff Burton
7. 16 Greg Biffle
8. 83 Brian Vickers
9. 26 Jamie McMurray
10. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr
11. 9 Kasey Kahne
12. 29 Kevin Harvick
13. 20 Joey Logano
14. 71 David Gilliland
15. 7 Robby Gordon
16. 77 Sam Hornish Jr
17. 99 Carl Edwards
18. 12 David Stremme -1
19. 78 Regan Smith -1
20. 47 Marcos Ambrose -1
21. 82 Scott Speed -1
22. 11 Denny Hamlin -1
23. 2 Kurt Busch -1
24. 48 Jimmie Johnson -1
25. 39 Ryan Newman -2
26. 14 Tony Stewart -2
27. 55 Michael Waltrip -2
28. 34 John Andretti -2
29. 19 Elliott Sadler -2
30. 07 Casey Mears -3
31. 42 Juan Montoya -4
32. 1 Martin Truex Jr -4
33. 44 AJ Allmendinger -4
34. 43 Reed Sorenson -7
35. 98 Paul Menard Accident
36. 13 Max Papis -27
37. 64 Todd Bodine Engine
38. 25 Brad Keselowski -64
39. 8 Aric Almirola Accident
40. 5 Mark Martin Engine
41. 87 Joe Nemechek Transmission
42. 6 David Ragan Engine
43. 17 Matt Kenseth Engine

Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas ~ Starting Lineup

The Official starting lineup for the Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas
~Race 3 of 36 ~

Note: #18-Kyle Busch blew a motor in his Toyota during Friday's practice session, changed the engine, then ran a pole-winning lap of 185.995 mph to knock his big brother off the pole. #2-Kurt Busch ran a lap at 185.707 mph. But under NASCAR rules, Kyle Busch will have to drop to the back of the field at the start of Sunday's race. Third-place qualifier Jimmie Johnson will slide onto the front row next to Kurt Busch during the warm-up laps. #00-David Reutimann and #47-Marcos Ambrose qualified fourth and fifth, but also had to change their motors after their laps and will drop to the back of the field. #83-Brian Vickers, who won the pole last week at California but had to forfeit it because of an engine change, and his teammate #82-Scott Speed also switched motors Friday. In all, five Toyota teams switched motors Friday.

1. 18 Kyle Busch
2. 2 Kurt Busch
3. 48 Jimmie Johnson
4. 00 David Reutimann
5. 47 Marcos Ambrose
6. 39 Ryan Newman
7. 9 Kasey Kahne
8. 5 Mark Martin
9. 29 Kevin Harvick
10. 14 Tony Stewart
11. 12 David Stremme
12. 77 Sam Hornish Jr
13. 25 Brad Keselowski
14. 31 Jeff Burton
15. 55 Michael Waltrip
16. 99 Carl Edwards
17. 96 Bobby Labonte
18. 78 Regan Smith
19. 44 AJ Allmendinger
20. 20 Joey Logano
21. 83 Brian Vickers
22. 87 Joe Nemechek
23. 42 Juan Montoya
24. 16 Greg Biffle
25. 1 Martin Truex Jr
26. 13 Max Papis
27. 8 Aric Almirola
28. 24 Jeff Gordon
29. 34 John Andretti
30. 71 David Gilliland
31. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr
32. 7 Robby Gordon
33. 19 Elliott Sadler
34. 11 Denny Hamlin
35. 6 David Ragan
36. 98 Paul Menard
37. 33 Clint Bowyer
38. 26 Jamie McMurray
39. 43 Reed Sorenson
40. 17 Matt Kenseth
41. 07 Casey Mears
42. 82 Scott Speed
43. 64 Todd Bodine

Missing the show...

28 Travis Kvapil
66 Dave Blaney
73 Mike Garvey
41 Jeremy Mayfield
09 Sterling Marlin
36 Scott Riggs
37 Tony Raines
51 Dexter Bean

Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas ~ Qualifying Order

Sprint Cup Qualifying airs at 6:30 PM on SPEED. This is the Qualifying Order for the Shelby 427 ~ Race 3 of 36~

1. 5 Mark Martin
2. 18 Kyle Busch
3. 96 Bobby Labonte
4. 33 Clint Bowyer
5. 11 Denny Hamlin
6. 17 Matt Kenseth
7. 47 Marcos Ambrose
8. 8 Aric Almirola
9. 2 Kurt Busch
10. 16 Greg Biffle
11. 39 Ryan Newman
12. 83 Brian Vickers
13. 9 Kasey Kahne
14. 7 Robby Gordon
15. 19 Elliott Sadler
16. 55 Michael Waltrip
17. 99 Carl Edwards
18. 43 Reed Sorenson
19. 6 David Ragan
20. 20 Joey Logano
21. 34 John Andretti
22. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr
23. 26 Jamie McMurray
24. 1 Martin Truex Jr
25. 07 Casey Mears
26. 98 Paul Menard
27. 00 David Reutimann
28. 77 Sam Hornish Jr
29. 24 Jeff Gordon
30. 48 Jimmie Johnson
31. 42 Juan Montoya
32. 82 Scott Speed
33. 29 Kevin Harvick
34. 31 Jeff Burton
35. 12 David Stremme
36. 41 Jeremy Mayfield
37. 37 Tony Raines
38. 87 Joe Nemechek
39. 71 David Gilliland
40. 73 Mike Garvey
41. 66 Dave Blaney
42. 78 Regan Smith
43. 64 Todd Bodine
44. 36 Scott Riggs
45. 25 Brad Keselowski
46. 14 Tony Stewart
47. 09 Sterling Marlin
48. 51 Dexter Bean
49. 44 AJ Allmendinger
50. 28 Travis Kvapil
51. 13 Max Papis

Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas ~ Entry List

The entry list for the Shelby 427 in Las Vegas, NV. Race 3 of 36

1. 00 David Reutimann -- Aaron's Dream Machine - Toyota
2. 1 Martin Truex Jr -- Bass Pro Shops/Tracker - Chevrolet
3. 2 Kurt Busch -- Miller Lite - Dodge
4. 5 Mark Martin -- Pop-Tarts/Carquest - Chevrolet
5. 6 David Ragan -- UPS - Ford
6. 7 Robby Gordon -- Jim Beam - Toyota
7. 07 Casey Mears -- Jack Daniel's - Chevrolet
8. 8 Aric Almirola -- TomTom - Chevrolet
9. 9 Kasey Kahne -- Budweiser - Dodge
10. 09 Sterling Marlin -- Miccosukee Resort & Gaming - Chevrolet
11. 11 Denny Hamlin -- Fed Ex Office - Toyota
12. 12 David Stremme -- Penske Racing - Dodge
13. 14 Tony Stewart -- Old Spice/Office Depot - Chevrolet
14. 16 Greg Biffle -- 3M - Ford
15. 17 Matt Kenseth -- USG Sheetrock - Ford
16. 18 Kyle Busch -- M&M's - Toyota
17. 19 Elliott Sadler -- Stanley - Dodge
18. 20 Joey Logano -- The Home Depot - Toyota
19. 24 Jeff Gordon -- DuPont - Chevrolet
20. 25 Brad Keselowski -- GoDaddy.com - Chevrolet
21. 26 Jamie McMurray -- Irwin Industrial Tools - Ford
22. 28 Travis Kvapil -- Yates Racing - Ford
23. 29 Kevin Harvick -- Shell/Pennzoil - Chevrolet
24. 31 Jeff Burton -- Caterpillar - Chevrolet
25. 33 Clint Bowyer -- Cheerios/Hamburger Helper - Chevrolet
26. 34 John Andretti -- WindowWorld.com - Dodge
27. 36 Scott Riggs -- Tommy Baldwin Racing - Toyota
28. 37 Tony Raines -- Long John Silver's - Dodge
29. 39 Ryan Newman -- Haas Automation - Chevrolet
30. 41 Jeremy Mayfield -- All Sport - Toyota
31. 42 Juan Montoya -- Energizer - Chevrolet
32. 43 Reed Sorenson -- Valvoline - Dodge
33. 44 AJ Allmendinger -- Harrah's - Dodge
34. 47 Marcos Ambrose -- Little Debbie/Kingsford/Clorox - Toyota
35. 48 Jimmie Johnson -- Lowe's/Kobalt Tools - Chevrolet
36. 51 Dexter Bean -- BlackJack Racing - Dodge
37. 55 Michael Waltrip -- NAPA - Toyota
38. 64 Todd Bodine -- Gunselman Motorsports - Toyota
39. 66 Dave Blaney -- Prism Motorsports - Toyota
40. 73 Mike Garvey -- Quality Concrete/Jani-King - Dodge
41. 77 Sam Hornish Jr -- Mobil 1 - Dodge
42. 78 Regan Smith -- Furniture Row Companies - Chevrolet
43. 82 Scott Speed -- Red Bull - Toyota
44. 83 Brian Vickers -- Red Bull - Toyota
45. 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr -- National Guard/Amp Energy - Chevrolet
46. 96 Bobby Labonte -- Ask.com - Ford
47. 98 Paul Menard -- Johns Manville/Menards - Ford
48. 99 Carl Edwards -- Aflac - Ford
49. 113 Max Papis -- GEICO - Toyota
50. 171 David Gilliland -- TRG Motorsports - Chevrolet
51. 187 Joe Nemechek -- NEMCO Motorsports - Toyota

Shelby 427 ~ Las Vegas TV Schedule

Sprint Cup Practice - Friday Feb. 27 ~ 3 PM SPEED

Sprint Cup Qualifying - Friday Feb. 27 ~ 6:30 PM SPEED

Sprint Cup Practice - Saturday Feb. 28 ~ 1:30 PM & 2:30 PM SPEED

Shelby 427 - Las Vegas, NV (Race 3 of 36)

Sunday March 1 ~ 3:30 PM FOX