Weber Shandwick For FedEx Racing, Press Release

RACE INFO:

Event: Auto Club 500
Date/Time: Feb. 24, 2008 / 1 p.m. PT
Length: 2.0 miles
Shape: D-shaped oval
Distance: 250 laps/500 miles
Banking: 14 degrees
2006 winner: Matt Kenseth
2006 polesitter: Jeff Gordon

EXPRESS NOTES:

Daytona in the Rear View:

Despite leading 32 laps and having one of the field's stronger cars early in the race, damage from a pit road incident on lap 120 eventually sealed the #11 FedEx team's fate and relegated driver Denny Hamlin to a 17th place finish in the 2008 Daytona 500. The damage done to the left-rear quarter panel of Hamlin's Toyota-powered FedEx Express Camry occurred when Bobby Labonte pulled from his pit stall and clipped the #11 as he exited pit road. After the crew made the necessary repairs, Hamlin restarted deep in the pack and fell victim to a string of late-race incidents that twice collected the #11 and forced him to pit road for additional work. Hamlin did well to bring the car home in the top-twenty after running as low as 30th place on the evening. Though not adding a trophy to the cabinet back in Huntersville, an obvious silver lining for the entire Joe Gibbs Racing organization was the performance of all three cars. Hamlin, Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch all led laps and, at various points of the race, seemed capable of winning.

Hamlin Fastest at Preseason California Test:

Hamlin and the FedEx team used only one of the two available test dates at California Speedway in early February but certainly felt they accomplished all that they wanted to. Out first on the opening day of testing, Hamlin laid down a lap that would sit atop the chart throughout the two day test.
Hamlin at California:

This will be Hamlin’s fifth career Cup start at California Speedway. Though not yet cracking the top five at the 2.0-mile track, Hamlin has never finished outside of the top twenty. In the fall 2007 race at California a cut tire under caution late in the race spoiled what was otherwise a promising day for the FedEx team. Last February, Hamlin had a very competitive car and ran as high as third place before handling issues caused him to fade late in the race and take the checkered in 11th.

California Chassis – JGR 196 and 166:

This will be the first start for primary chassis number 196, though it was central to the successful pre-season test at California Speedway in February. Chassis 166 saw action in three COT races last season, recording finishes of second (Darlington), fourth (Dover) and 38th (Dover).

CALIFORNIA CONVERSATION

How do you feel about racing at California?:

“I enjoy going out there and racing at California. It actually feels like I was just there between the test and the time I spent out there filming our new FedEx Racing commercials. Between the Vegas test, the commercial shoot and the test at California I was out there for almost two weeks. On track, I like California because there are a couple of lines and you can move around to find a place where your car works. That makes the racing fun. We had a good test here, had a very good engine package, and our intermediate Camry performed really well so I am optimistic. With California's reputation for being extremely hard on engines, the goal for us is to get through practice without putting any unnecessary strain on the engine so we have to be really sharp in practice."
Can this be considered the "real" start of the season?

"Not on paper or in the points because we already have a race in the books but with California we start that consistent, every week routine that will take us through the rest of the season. We spend almost two weeks at Daytona and there is so much hype surrounding the race and so much effort that goes into preparing that the race takes on a whole different level of attention. It's a great way to start the season but it's also nice to move on from Daytona and to the tracks that we'll be running much more often over the course of the season. To leave Daytona and be sitting in the top twenty is points as actually a good thing considering so much is out of your control there."

The JGR team as a whole worked well and ran strong at Daytona. Is there a new or increased emphasis on teamwork?

"It's been really good so far this year with Kyle, Tony and I because we all realize we can help each other. Knowing that if we take everything we know, and what we are feeling in the car, and spread it across three teams with all of the talent we have at JGR we feel like we will all get better. We still all want to win and that will always be the case when the race is on the line but I know if I don't have the car to win, I will do whatever I can to help my teammates win. As much as I want to win each time out, I know I will take a lot of satisfaction seeing Kyle and Tony in Victory Lane."

FEDEX RACING – 2008 TEAM ROSTER:

Crew Chief: Mike Ford – Morristown, Tenn.
Car Chief: Chris “Spider” Gillin – Smithtown, NY
Shock Specialist: Tim Sparkman – St. Louis, Mo.
Engineer: Mike Wheeler – Southholt, NY
Tire Specialist: Patrick Mullen – Brick, N.J.
Motor Specialist: Roger Purcell – Latham, Ill
Mechanic: Shawn Warren – Concord, N.C.
Mechanic: John Furino – Long Island, NY
Spotter: Curtis Markham – Fredericksburg, Va.
Hauler Driver: Jerry Hess – Lancaster, Pa.
Hauler Driver: Frank Hodel – Blythe, Calif.
Jackman: Chris Anderson – Brooksville, Fla.**
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram – Statesville, N.C.**
Front Tire Changer: Mike Hicks – Salisbury, N.C.**
Rear Tire Carrier: Heath Cherry – Belmont, N.C.
Rear Tire Changer: Jonathan Sherman – Monroe, La.
Windshield: Bobby “Spike” Christenson – Spokane, Wash.
Gas can: Scott Wood – Liberty, S.C.
Catch Can: John Eicher – London, Ky.
Pit Crew Coordinator: Paul Alepa – Vienna, Va.
Athletic Director: Mike Lepp - Charlotte, N.C.
**New team members for the 2008 season


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Ryan Newman, Daytona 500 Champion!!
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