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Dennis Hamlin recalls his son's first go-kart race with a chuckle.
''He was 7 years old,'' Hamlin said. ''He finished the race and we couldn't get him to stop. We were chasing after him telling him it was time to get out, and he wasn't listening.''
Denny Hamlin, now 25, is a lot better at listening to his parents these days, but he's also just as determined to race.
Heading into today's NASCAR Nextel Cup Dover 400, Hamlin is well on his way to being the Raybestos Rookie of the Year. He is also the first true rookie to compete in the 10-race Chase for the championship.
But being among the top 10 drivers and having a shot at winning a title in his first full season doesn't seem to faze the youngster from Chesterfield, Va.
After finishing fourth in the Chase opener last Sunday at New Hampshire, Hamlin is second in the standings, 35 points behind leader Kevin Harvick. That's quite a spot for a youngster who only two years ago was racing late-model stock cars and wondering if he was going to get a real shot at the big time.
''To me, the pressure's off,'' Hamlin said. ''The season's almost over. You might as well not even count points for me anymore.''
Hamlin acknowledges the battle to secure a place in the Chase was ''nerve-racking,'' but that's over now.
''I just went out there [Sunday] and I didn't even think we were in the top 10 in points,'' he said. ''I haven't even thought about it. I feel like I have less pressure on me than anybody else does. Nobody really expects a rookie to win it.''
Dennis Hamlin says the family went through about $750,000 trying to keep Denny racing. That included selling two classic cars and taking out two second mortgages on their home.
''I wanted to be able to sit in my rocking chair and say I did everything I could to get him there,'' Dennis said. ''I wanted him to have every possible chance to make it.''
But even with his parents' sacrifices, Hamlin was out of money late in the 2002 season and getting ready to sell his car and work full time in his dad's trailer and hitch business. A chance meeting with team owner Jim Dean at South Boston Speedway got Hamlin a ride for the next season. The kid won 25 of 36 races and took the championship at Southern National Speedway in Kenly, N.C.
Dean's team also provided cars for Joe Gibbs Racing's diversity program, and team president J.D. Gibbs quickly saw Hamlin's potential, signing him before he even determined where Hamlin would race.
After running a handful of NASCAR truck races and one Busch event in 2004, Hamlin ran the full Busch Series in 2005, finishing fifth in the points. He also ran seven Cup races in preparation for moving up to the big series.
He won a pole and had three top-10 finishes in that brief Cup audition, raising expectations.
Hamlin has lived up to the hype.
Dover 400
Lineup
At Dover Downs International Speedway
Dover, Del.
Lap length: 1 mile
(Car number in parentheses)
1. (24) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 156.162 mph.
2. (10) Scott Riggs, Dodge, 156.060.
3. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 155.986.
4. (12) Ryan Newman, Dodge, 155.871.
5. (01) Joe Nemechek, Chevrolet, 155.454.
6. (99) Carl Edwards, Ford, 155.367.
7. (41) Reed Sorenson, Dodge, 155.347.
8. (16) Greg Biffle, Ford, 155.253.
9. (6) Mark Martin, Ford, 155.092.
10. (2) Kurt Busch, Dodge, 155.025.
11. (49) Kevin Lepage, Dodge, 154.939.
12. (14) Sterling Marlin, Chevrolet, 154.732.
13. (8) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 154.646.
14. (7) Robby Gordon, Chevrolet, 154.533.
15. (25) Brian Vickers, Chevrolet, 154.493.
16. (07) Clint Bowyer, Chevrolet, 154.414.
17. (45) Kyle Petty, Dodge, 154.328.
18. (48) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 154.314.
19. (31) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 154.301.
20. (40) David Stremme, Dodge, 154.281.
21. (9) Kasey Kahne, Dodge, 154.242.
22. (20) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 154.063.
23. (11) Denny Hamlin, Chevrolet, 154.057.
24. (42) Casey Mears, Dodge, 154.050.
25. (29) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 153.978.
26. (43) Bobby Labonte, Dodge, 153.945.
27. (5) Kyle Busch, Chevrolet, 153.590.
28. (66) Jeff Green, Chevrolet, 153.498.
29. (55) Michael Waltrip, Dodge, 153.407.
30. (32) Travis Kvapil, Chevrolet, 153.211.
31. (74) Derrike Cope, Dodge, 153.094.
32. (26) Jamie McMurray, Ford, 153.035.
33. (1) Martin Truex Jr., Chevrolet, 152.860.
34. (88) Dale Jarrett, Ford, 152.672.
35. (19) Elliott Sadler, Dodge, 152.213.
36. (21) Ken Schrader, Ford, 152.130.
37. (06) David Ragan, Ford, 151.604.
38. (22) Dave Blaney, Dodge, 151.592.
39. (38) David Gilliland, Ford, 151.541.
40. (61) Stanton Barrett, Dodge, 151.528.
41. (96) Tony Raines, Chevrolet, owner points.
42. (18) J.J. Yeley, Chevrolet, owner points.
43. (4) Scott Wimmer, Chevrolet, 151.483.
Could Lead To The Green Monster Mile
Don't be surprised too see Carl Edwards or Matt Kenseth wearing red socks in the garage sometime soon. Fenway Sports Group, the sports marketing subsidiary of the Boston Red Sox, has expressed interest in buying into Roush Racing. Owner Jack Roush said Friday the two sides are talking about a possible deal, but there was not yet an offer from John Henry's FSG group.
Dover 400 v WHERE: Dover, Del.v TIME: 10:30 a.m. v TV: TNT v RADIO: 860 AM, 107.5 FM v POLE-SITTER: Jeff Gordon
S7
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2006
Feb. 19 Daytona Bch, Fla. J. Johnson
Feb. 26 Fontana, Calif. M. Kenseth
March 12 Las Vegas J. Johnson
March 19 Hampton, Ga. K. Kahne
March 26 Bristol, Tenn. Ku. Busch
April 2 Martinsville, Va. T. Stewart
April 9 Fort Worth, Texas K. Kahne
April 22 Avondale, Ariz. K. Harvick
April 31 Talladega, Ala. J. Johnson
May 6 Richmond, Va. D. Earnhardt
May 13 Darlington, S.C. G. Biffle
May 20 Concord, N.C. J. Johnson
May 28 Concord, N.C. K. Kahne
June 4 Dover, Del. M. Kenseth
June 11 Long Pond, Pa. D. Hamlin
June 18 Brooklyn, Mich. K. Kahne
June 25 Sonoma, Calif. J. Gordon
July 1 Daytona Bch, Fla. T. Stewart
July 9 Joliet, Ill. J. Gordon
July 16 Loudon, N.H. Ky. Busch
July 23 Long Pond, Pa. D. Hamlin
Aug. 6 Indianapolis J. Johnson
Aug. 13 Watkins Glen, N.Y. K. Harvick
Aug. 20 Brooklyn, Mich. M.Kenseth
Aug. 26 Bristol, Tenn. M. Kenseth
Sept. 3 Fontana, Calif. K. Kahne
Sept. 9 Richmond, Va. K. Harvick
Sept. 17 Loudon, N.H. K. Harvick
TODAY Dover, Del. TNT 10:30 a.m.
Oct. 1 Kansas City, Kan. Ch. 5 12:10 p.m.
Oct. 8 Talladega, Ala. Ch. 5 12:30 p.m.
Oct. 14 Concord, N.C. Ch. 5 5:10 p.m.
Oct. 22 Martinsville, Va. Ch. 5 11 a.m.
Oct. 29 Hampton, Ga. Ch. 5 10:40 a.m.
Nov. 5 Fort Worth, Texas Ch. 5 1:20 p.m.
Nov. 12 Avondale, Ariz. Ch. 5 1:40 p.m.
Nov. 19 Homestead, Fla. Ch. 5 2:10 p.m