Denny Hamlin Wins The Subway Fresh Fit 500!

Denny Hamlin led the most laps in the Daytona 500 but had to settle for fourth. Today, he didn’t lead the most laps, but did take home the victory in the Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway. He led the final 59 laps for his 18th career win.

In his second race with 2011 Sprint Cup championship crew chief Darian Grubb on his pit box, Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick in a 53-lap green-flag run to finish the 312-lap race at the one-mile track and took over the series points lead for the first time since surrendering it in the final race of 2010 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Hamlin surged into the lead after a restart on Lap 254, passing Harvick and pulling away. Ryan Newman’s hard contact with the Turn 4 wall two laps later caused the seventh caution of the afternoon, but Hamlin again stretched his advantage over Harvick after a restart on Lap 260 and held on the rest of the way.

Harvick was concerned about having enough fuel to get to the end and just missed it, the No. 29 coasting over the line just ahead of Greg Biffle for second.  Jimmie Johnson, who started off strong then faded, rallied to finish forth.  And Brad Keselowski snunk in to round out the top five.

Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, Mark Martin, and Joey Logano, completed the top ten respectively.

After the race, Hamlin said that initially he didn’t think he had a winning car today.

“If you would have asked me at the beginning of the day I would have said I would have taken a top 15 finish,” said Hamlin. “Just an amazing job by this FedEx office team. We just kept working on it and every time they worked on it, it kept getting better.”

Hamlin sits atop the points standings after two races, which is an unfamiliar spot for him so early in the season.

“Huge momentum. We’ve never been in this position so early in the season. We’ve always struggled. We’ve always taken our time, 5 or 6 races in before we hut our stride.”

It’s a long season to go, but the 11 team seems to have the right attitude and momentum for their 2012 campaign.

Hamlin, Bowyer and Harvick Headline All-Star Cast of Celebrity Appearances at PIR’s Subway Fresh Fit 500 Weekend!

Racing fans will be treated to a star-studded lineup of NASCAR drivers and celebrity guests making special appearances throughout the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ race weekend, Saturday and Sunday, March 3-4 at Phoenix International Raceway. NASCAR superstars Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer and Kevin Harvick headline the list of drivers and VIPs who will makes special appearances at the track.

Drivers will talk about what to expect during the weekend’s race action, their forecasts for the 2012 NASCAR season and discuss their own personal stories.  Other celebrities participating in the weekend’s race festivities will also be on hand to meet fans and discuss their passion for racing.

Following is a list of guest appearances scheduled throughout the SUBWAY Fresh Fit 500™ race weekend. Denny Hamlin will also appear at Budweiser ROLL-BAR and Octane on Sunday, March 4. Fans are encouraged to visit www.PhoenixRaceway.com, Facebook.com/PhoenixRaceway and Twitter.com/PhoenixRaceway for the exact times of those appearances and for additional appearance schedule updates.

Saturday, March 3

Budweiser ROLL-BAR
10:00 a.m………………… A.J. Allmendinger
10:30 a.m………………… Denny Hamlin
11:00 a.m………………… Michael McDowell

Octane
10:30 a.m. ………………. Martin Truex Jr.

Turn 4 Wine Trackside Club
10:30 a.m. ………………. Michael McDowell

 

Sunday, March 4

Budweiser ROLL-BAR
9:00 a.m…………………. Clint Bowyer
9:30 a.m…………………. Dominick Cruz
10:00 a.m………………… Kevin Harvick

Octane
9:30 a.m…………………. A.J. Allmendinger
10:00 a.m………………… Robby Gordon
10:15 a.m………………… Dominick Cruz
2:30 p.m…………………. Ndamukong Suh

Turn 4 Wine Trackside Club
10:20 a.m………………… Robby Gordon

Why Jimmie Johnson is Going to Win his 5th Straight Championship this Sunday!

By Patrick Blackburn, NASCAR Senior Staff Writer

After the shocking turn of events in the final 15 laps in Phoenix on Sunday, Jimmie Johnson is in the driver’s seat to win his 5th straight championship next Sunday at Homestead in Miami.

Denny Hamlin will start the race as the Cup leader, 15 points over Johnson and 46 points to the good on Kevin Harvick. When the Chase started, had anyone told Hamlin that he would leave Phoenix with a 15 point lead over the reigning champion, he would have been ecstatic and confident. Nobody, however, could have predicted how the last 15 laps were going to shake out. Of the three contenders, Hamlin dominated the race. It took him no time to drive from his starting position, 17th, to the front, and he remained there throughout most of the race. With 12 laps to go, Hamlin came in for his final pit stop to get enough fuel into his tank to take him to the finish. Everyone knew Harvick was going to stay out, having about ten laps fewer on his tank. The big question was whether the 48 would play it safe and pit or risk his entire championship and stay out. Chad Knaus, being the champion crew chief that he is, prepared for this scenario all the way back to lap 89, when Jimmie made his final pit stop. Knowing that the Phoenix race has come down to fuel many times before, Knaus told Jimmie to start saving fuel. Remember, Johnson won his first Phoenix race in 2008 with superior fuel strategy.

Edwards Wins – Johnson Closes Gap – Harvick Still Alive – Hamlin Reeling – A Thrilling Day at PIR!

It was an incredible day of racing at PIR. Just what you’d expect with two races to go and three drivers gunning for a championship. For all those Chase haters out there – I hope you’re taking notice of just what the system can produce as far as drama is concerned.

Carl Edwards staged a fierce battle with NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader Denny Hamlin for six thrilling laps and won a fuel gamble in the closing stages to win the Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway on Sunday afternoon. Edwards locked up a victory when the fuel mileage held up in his Aflac Ford and Hamlin had to pit for fuel with 14 laps to go.

Edwards giddily dashed into a stunned but overjoyed crowd of grandstand fans as he celebrated the end of a 70-race victory drought. Edwards of course treated the faithful fans to his signature victory back flip on the front stretch.

Ryan Newman finished second and Joey Logano third when second-running Juan Pablo Montoya (ended up 16th) ran out of fuel on the last lap.

Vying For His First NASCAR Championship, Denny Hamlin Visits Arizona To Promote Phoenix International Raceway!

It’s safe to say that Denny Hamlin grew up knowing full well that he wanted to be, and was going to be, a racecar driver.

Hamlin began his racing career in 1988, at the age of just 7 years old, racing go-karts. By 1997 at the age of 15 he captured the WKA manufacturers cup, and at the age of 16, he was racing Ministocks. In his very first stock car race, at Langley Speedway, Hamlin won the pole position and won the race.

He then progressed to the Grand Stock division in 1998, and moved on to Late Model Stock Cars in 2000. In 2002, he won ten Late Model races, and surpassed that in 2003 with 25 wins, and 30 poles out of 36 races. In 2004, while competing full-time in Late Model Stock Cars, Hamlin was signed to a driver development contract with Joe Gibbs Racing.

In 2006, Hamlin ran his first full season in the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series, and during the year he drove in both the Nextel Cup and Busch Series full-time. On June 11, Hamlin scored his first career Cup Series win at the Pocono 500, where he also won his second career pole (first one was at Phoenix International Raceway). He achieved his second career win on July 23, in the Pennsylvania 500 also at Pocono Raceway, becoming only the 2nd rookie in Nextel Cup history to sweep both races at a track during the same season, both from the pole position.

In the Cup Series, Hamlin won the Raybestos Rookie of the Year award and finished third in the final Cup standings, scoring the highest points finish for a rookie in the modern era of NASCAR. Hamlin thus became the first ever rookie to make the Chase for the NEXTEL Cup.

Bottom line…this kid can wheel a racecar like nobody’s business…AND, he is just getting started. Currently, hit sits sixth in the Sprint Cup Series points with two wins and 15 top-10 finishes, and is coming of a 5^th place finish at Kansas.

With the Checker O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 coming up in the Chase at Phoenix International Raceway, the driver of the No. 11 FedEX Toyota stopped by to chat about his season, championship hopes, racing at PIR, and more.

Please enjoy the following audio:

[audio http://dl.dropbox.com/u/27701953/NASCAR/Hamlin%20Audio%20Cut.mp3]

General race tickets and all other events throughout the NASCAR event weekend at PIR can be purchased at www.phoenixraceway.com, or over the phone at 1-866-408-RACE (7223).