Denny Hamlin was the new kid at Joe Gibbs Racing – an unknown in the shadow of defending NASCAR champion and teammate Tony Stewart – when he rolled into Daytona International Speedway for his 2006 rookie season.
He needed just two days to change that. With a push from good buddy Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin stole the victory in the non-points Budweiser Shootout to rocket into NASCAR stardom.
He now considers that victory one of the greatest accomplishments of his short career.
Only problem? In Hamlin’s mind, he’s done very little to back up that breakthrough win.
“That’s the thing – when you have so much early success, it can be hard to fall off that mountain,” Hamlin said. “If we would have come in during my rookie year …Â More info
It’s still the Budweiser Shootout, but the traditional non-points prelude to the Daytona 500 will have a different look and feel Saturday night.
With a record 28-car field, including several drivers who wouldn’t have qualified under the old rules, the 31st Shootout will seem more like an exhibition race than an all-star race.
Defending champion Dale Earnhardt Jr., for one, doesn’t like it.
“It just (stinks), because I’m such a historian of the sport,” Earnhardt said…Â More info
What Mark Martin does well is race.
And after two years of recharging his batteries by driving a limited Cup schedule, he’s ready to do it again, full time — this time as a key component of NASCAR’s most successful team… More info
Racing is no exception when it comes to the slumping economy. With automakers in dire straits at present, dropping involvement in motorsport, especially sponsorships, will certainly tax teams and events from all venues of the sport.
While NASCAR is gearing up for its traditional annual kickoff, the Daytona 500 and related events, how its season will fare after the stock car giant’s main event is open to speculation. Teams have merged, sponsorship is way down, and layoffs at the race shops in the Mooresville, N.C., area have been heavy.
Chevrolet will be driven by the newly formed Earnhardt-Ganassi Racing, an amalgamation of DEI and Ganassi. Driving for the entire Cup season will be Martin Truex and Juan Pablo Montoya…Â More info