Hamlin Wheels His Way to 16th-Place Finish at Milwaukee
Results from The Milwaukee Mile
1. Denny Hamlin, No. 20 Chevrolet
16. Kevin Hamlin, No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Dodge
35. Scott Lagasse Jr., No. 41 Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit® Dodge
HAMLIN WHEELS HIS WAY TO 16th-PLACE FINISH AT MILAUKEE
WEST ALLIS, Wis. (June 23, 2007) --- Overcoming a title-handling condition and a late-race tap by the No. 7 car driven by Mike Wallace, Kevin Hamlin and the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline team persevered to pull off an impressive effort Saturday night at The Milwaukee Mile, leaving the West Allis, Wis., track with a 16th-place finish.
Hamlin and team worked all day Saturday to find the right balance between the No. 42 Dodge and the Wisconsin track. By the conclusion of final practice, they were listed 13th fastest on the speed charts. Later that afternoon, Hamlin made his qualifying laps around the 1-mile oval to grab a 22nd-place starting position.
The race got underway just before 8 p.m. CT Saturday, and Hamlin didn’t waste any time finding his stride. He also received a nice boost from his Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates (CGRFS) pit crew, when the first yellow flag of the night waved on lap 29. Crew chief Brad Parrott called his driver to pit for four tires and minor adjustments. Hamlin followed orders, entering pit road in 18th place. Then, when racing resumed on lap 43 the No. 42 was listed 13th on the infield score tower, which meant the Texaco/Havoline over-the-wall crew had gained five positions in the pits. From there, Hamlin proceeded to wheel his way up to 11th and began knocking on the door of the top 10 for the next 20 laps.
Just after the third caution period of the night concluded, the No. 42 moved into the 10th spot on lap 63 and there in that vicinity is where Hamlin stayed for the next 80-plus circuits.
In the closing laps of the 250-mile competition, the Texaco/Havoline team was sailing toward at least a top-15 finish when contact from the No. 7 car on lap 232 sent the No. 42 CGRFS Dodge spinning around on the race track. Fortunately, Hamlin was able to keep the car clean and retreated quickly to pit road for four tires. The spin did cost the driver and team a few positions, but they made the best of their situation and crossed the finish line in 16th place. Hamlin’s teammate Scott Lagasse Jr. finished 35th.
The No. 42 team took one step up in the NASCAR Busch Series owner standings, where the crew is now listed in 12th place. The CGRFS Busch team is just 44 points away from the top 10.
Juan Pablo Montoya will return to the No. 42 Texaco/Havoline Busch Dodge to go racing in the Camping World 200 at New Hampshire International Speedway next Saturday, June 30. The race is scheduled to start at 3 p.m. ET and will broadcast live on ABC, MRN radio and Sirius Satellite Radio channel 128.
CGRFS Driver Quoteboard
KEVIN HAMLIN: "I wish we could’ve ended the night a few positions higher on that score tower, but I can’t complain too much. Overall, we had a good run here tonight on the track and the guys were phenomenal in the pits. The last few weeks have been really fun driving the Texaco/Havoline Dodge and I’m looking forward to racing with this team some more this year. I also want to thank everyone back at the shop for sending some great cars to Milwaukee this weekend."
About Chip Ganassi Racing with Felix Sabates
Following a strong career as a driver, Chip Ganassi created his own one-car IndyCar team in 1990 and established a partnership with a new sponsor, Target. Today, his teams include two IRL IndyCars, one Indy Pro Series car and along with Felix Sabates he has three cars in the NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series, two entries in the NASCAR Busch Series and two Daytona Prototypes in the world of Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series racing. Ganassi’s IndyCar teams have amassed five Championships and 52 wins since 1994; his NASCAR teams have 10 wins and a Rookie-of-the-Year title; and the Grand American team has won two of the last three Rolex Series Daytona Prototype Championships and are the two-time defending Champions of the Rolex 24 At Daytona. Chip Ganassi Racing operates out of state-of-the-art race shop facilities in Indianapolis, Ind., and Concord, N.C., with a corporate office in Pittsburgh, Pa.
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