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Farm Bureau Insurance Racing PHOTOS from Darlington Raceway
Farm Bureau Insurance Racing Date: May 9, 2008 Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) and winner of the past two Diamond Hill Plywood 200 NASCAR Nationwide Series races at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, did not get a chance to three-peat Friday night as he failed to complete a qualifying lap earlier in the day. By virtue of the car’s 33rd position in the series’ owner standings, Hamlin and the No. 18 team did not make the 43-car field. After having clocked the fastest laps in two of the three practice sessions held Thursday on the newly paved, 1.366-mile egg-shaped oval, Hamlin and the No. 18 team had their sights set on winning the pole for Friday night’s 147-lap race. Instead, Hamlin smacked the turn one wall after taking the green flag for his two-lap qualifying run and had to head straight to the garage. Hamlin was unhurt, but the damage to the right side of the Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota was too much to repair in time to finish the qualifying run. “We had the fastest car all weekend by a long, long way, so we felt like we had a really good chance to win the pole,” said Hamlin, who started third and won last weekend’s Nationwide Series race in the No. 20 JGR entry at Richmond. “We did not have time to make a mock qualifying run last night, but we were the fastest car, regardless. Today, I just went through turns three and four (approaching the green flag for qualifying) and everything seemed to be fine. I went into turn one like I did yesterday. The thing is, when you tape up these race cars, they gain a lot of front downforce and get very loose. That’s what happened. I just overcorrected there and ended up right in the fence. It was definitely disappointing for myself and my race team. I’ve definitely never been in this situation before. With the surface being as smooth as it is, and the tire being as hard as it is, it gives you a very small margin for error. So when our car took off, it really took off in a hurry. That’s something we never experienced throughout the day yesterday. Unfortunately, that’s why this track is so tough because it can get you at any time. “We’re going to schedule another event for Farm Bureau Insurance and try to go for it. I just want to thank everyone from Farm Bureau Insurance for being out here and supporting us. It was a really big deal for all of us, especially with me trying to get three in a row here at Darlington, and two in a row to go with last weekend’s win at Richmond. It’s been a tough week, really, with that win we lost at Richmond in the (Sprint) Cup race. I definitely feel like I need some time to reflect. But we’ll be back.” Hamlin’s fastest practice lap Thursday night – 27.573 seconds at 178.348 mph with the car not yet in qualifying trim – would have eclipsed the pole qualifying time set by Carl Edwards (27.784 seconds at 176.994 mph) by more than two-tenths of a second. Clint Bowyer took the outside front row starting spot alongside Edwards, while Hamlin’s JGR teammate Tony Stewart qualified third in the No. 20 Toyota. David Stremme qualified fourth, while Kyle Busch, driving the No. 32 Braun Racing Toyota, rounded out the top-five. The Nationwide Series takes a rare weekend off before heading to Charlotte (N.C.) Motor Speedway for the May 24 Carquest 300. The race starts at 7:30 p.m. EDT with live coverage provided by ESPN2 beginning with its pre-race show at 7 p.m. The race will also be broadcast live on SIRIUS Satellite Radio Channel 128. The No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota returns to action June 14 at Kentucky Speedway in Sparta with Busch at the wheel for the Meijer 300. Page last updated: May 12, 2008. Toyota and all associated marks, emblems and designs are the intellectual property of Toyota Motor Corporation and are used with permission. © 2008 Joe Gibbs Racing © 2008 Southern Farm Bureau Life Insurance Company |
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