Motor Sports Update
Hamlin Starts Season with Top-Ten Finish at Daytona
Daytona Beach, FL (February 17, 2007) — After a short hiatus from racing, the NASCAR Busch Series unloaded for the season opener at Daytona International Speedway. With the #20 seat being shared by two drivers this year, Denny Hamlin and Aric Almirola, the Orbitz 300 would give fans of Rockwell Automation Racing a chance to see both of their driver’s perform.
The early part of the week was spent getting the cars dialed in. During the practice sessions, the #20 team struggled to get the speed out of the Rockwell Automation Chevrolet that they were hoping for. After the final practice, Crew Chief Dave Rogers called for a host of changes that allowed Hamlin to claim the 15th starting position. The surprise story of qualifying was Aric Almirola, while driving the #18 JGR Busch car, claimed the Busch Pole Award with a lap of 183.741 mph. This is Almirola’s second Busch Pole, his first coming in 2006 at the Milwaukee Mile where Almirola was filling in for Denny Hamlin as Hamlin was traveling from the Nextel Cup event that weekend.
As the race started, Hamlin made several moves in an attempt to gain positions. Using the draft as his ally, Hamlin was able to race into the top-ten before developing a push that forced him to wait to get back to the gas in the corners. Hamlin was running 15th when the 41 car got loose and made contact with the 9 car. The result was an eleven car accident that included the machine of Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin brought the car to the crew where they assessed the damage. It appeared to be minimal damage to the nose and grill area. So the team used the lengthy caution to repair the damage. Just as the field began to restart the race, Hamlin notice an increase in engine temperature and brought the machine to the crew to remove some tape to allow more air to cool the engine. The plan worked and temperatures returned to normal; however, when Hamlin returned to the track, he had lost the lead draft but still remained on the lead lap. Cruising around in 33rd position, he would spend the next 43 laps all alone on the large 2.5 mile speedway. Just as the leaders were beginning to catch Hamlin, the caution flag flew for debris. Hamlin brought the car to pit road for four tires and fuel. Since they were running at the back of the field, Hamlin ducked onto pit road again, just to top off the fuel tank to insure enough gas to make it to the end.
As the race restarted, Hamlin put on a driving clinic. Passing cars on the high side and the low side, he began to climb the leaderboard. Reentering the top 20 on lap 83, he continued to pass cars and entered the top-ten on lap 102. Hamlin spent the next 20 laps trying to gain positions over cars that he was clearly faster than, but just struggled to get his car to turn on the bottom of the track as the cars he was trying to passed protected the preferred way around the track, the high line. Hamlin was up to fifth when he attempted a pass but could not find a drafting partner and slipped back to ninth where he would finish the race.
"By the end of the race, we had one of the best cars in the field," commented Hamlin following the race. "I just used up my car getting back to the front of the field. At the end, I just could not find any drafting partners who could keep up with me. I was worried after the accident because these cars are so aerodynamically sensitive, but the crew did a great job repairing it while still staying on the lead lap."
The Busch Series will head out west to California Speedway for the Stater Brothers 300. The race is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m. and will be broadcast on the new home of the Busch Series, ESPN2.
