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Hamlin, FedEx team fight through wrecks - Claim 21st at Talladega
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TALLADEGA, AL (October 9, 2006) - For the first 100 laps Sunday afternoon at Talladega Superspeedway, it looked like the multi-car wrecks that have trademarked racing at the 2.66-mile track might have been tossed out with the old concrete.
However as competition, and driver daring, picked up and cars started spinning it was clear both the “big one” and “little big one” are alive and well at Talladega, biting Denny Hamlin on two occasions. The FedEx crew once again did a great job twice repairing the car and allowing Hamlin to pilot the #11 FedEx Chevrolet to the checkered flag in 21st-place.
“It’s frustrating to get caught up in that mess out there but it’s just part of this type of racing,” said Hamlin. “When you are running two-by-two or three-by-three it seems the only way to pass is to bump and that usually leads to a wreck here. I felt like I could make it through but luck went against us today.”
“The guys on the crew did a great job on pit road today to allow me to get back out there and finish – that’s no different than any other race though, they have been great all year. All we can do is look ahead to Charlotte which is a good track for us and see if we can’t make up some ground in this Chase.”
Brian Vickers took the checkered flag for his first career win, tangling with teammate Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. on his way to the line. Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and J.J. Yeley were also victims of wrecks Sunday and settled for finishes of 22nd and 32nd, respectively.
Hamlin’s finish sees him drop from second to fifth in the Chase for the Nextel Cup standings but close the gap on leader Jeff Burton to 51 points – a gain of 18 points from last week.
The Chase continues next week when the teams visit the local track in Concord, N.C. for the final Saturday night race of the season.
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After qualifying 12th and working the #11 FedEx Express Chevy through two practice sessions, performance expectations for the FedEx team ranged from confident to uncertain. A Saturday morning call by NASCAR officials to change restrictor plates meant the only on-track gauge of performance would be the two laps the cars turned in qualifying. There would be no data available regarding how the cars would run in any traffic, let alone a 43-car pack traveling in excess of 190 miles-per-hour.
From the green flag Hamlin was content moving to the back and getting a feel for the car with the new package. He was not alone in this plan as a look at the scoring monitor showed him running 31st with restrictor plate aces Earnhardt Jr. and Tony Stewart in tow.
His initial reports to the crew ran to the positive. The car was stable though he was being forced to lay off the throttle to avoid running into the back of traffic and that was leading to fuel mileage concerns.
Hamlin pulled the #11 Chevrolet onto pit road for the first time on lap 32 under green and the FedEx crew changed only the right-side tires and filled the tanks before sending Hamlin back onto the track. Cycling through the field in 30th-place it wasn’t long before Hamlin was on the radio warning the crew that his water temperatures were rising fast. Instructed by Crew Chief Mike Ford, Hamlin occasionally poked the nose of the #11 out of the draft and into clean air to pull the temps down.
On lap 62 the lead cars made their way to pit road under green and Hamlin would wait only four laps before doing the same. With the first pit stop confirming that the new surface was causing very little right-side tire wear and essentially no left-side wear, the #11 team again opted for right-side tires only and sent Hamlin out with a full tank of fuel.
The first caution of the day flew on lap 71 with Hamlin running comfortably in 25th. With the field under yellow, Hamlin joined the pack on pit road and the FedEx crew changed all four tires, made a slight right-side air pressure adjustment and sent Hamlin out to restart 25th on lap 75.
Following the restart Hamlin made his first foray forward, pushing the #11 into 12th-place by lap 85 and showing the car had a good combination of speed and handling. However, once deep in the pack his temperatures spiked again and he slowly dropped back to 21st.
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With fuel, not flags, dictating the visits to pit road, Hamlin pulled off the track on lap 109 for two tires, fuel and the opportunity for the crew to remove a small section of tape from the upper grille on the #11. Hamlin cycled through in 15th place and easily pulled his way into the top ten, running in eighth place for several laps before running out of help and falling back to 12th.
The caution flag came out on lap 129 for debris with Hamlin running 11th and the decision was made to stay out and lead a lap to pick up five bonus points. Hamlin did so before visiting pit road for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. By staying out he was forced to the tail end of the line, restarting 28th on lap 134.
It didn’t take long for the relatively quiet day to turn bad as a typical Talladega wreck on lap 137 collected a number of cars in turn one and, though he was slowing to avoid contact, caught Hamlin and the #11 as well. With significant damage to the right-rear quarter panel and rear bumper, Hamlin made five consecutive stops on pit road to allow the team to assess the damage and make necessary repairs. The long, plodding caution laps at Talladega gave the crew ample time to do both without losing a lap.
By the time the race restarted the crew had screwed on a new quarter panel over the damage, repaired the crush panel and removed damaged pieces from the bumper.
Running in 19th place on lap 155, Hamlin drifted toward the back of the pack but his times actually improved and on many laps were faster than those at the front. Surveying the action in front of him, Hamlin radioed the crew that he was sure there would be more wrecks before the end of the day.
Unfortunately, Hamlin’s observation proved prophetic and on lap 174 another accident collected Hamlin and both of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. On pit road with right-side damage it appeared the steering shaft was twisted causing Hamlin’s wheel to be out of alignment with the wheels. A check of the toe proved fine as the crew worked to pull the damaged sheet metal away from the right-front tire.
Restarting with only ten laps to go, Hamlin radioed the crew that the car simply didn’t want to turn. As the leaders wrecked on their way to the line, Hamlin limped the #11 home in 21st place with help from teammate Stewart and will be happy Talladega is in the rearview mirror until next year.
Bad luck notwithstanding, the #11 FedEx Crew showed again that they are one of the best in the business Sunday. Good direction and good teamwork coupled with smart and quick repairs kept the #11 on the lead lap all afternoon and keeps the team in the thick of the championship chase heading to Charlotte.