NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Dickies 500

Topics:  Dickies 500

Denny Hamlin
November 8, 2009

FORT WORTH, TEXAS

KERRY THARP: We'll roll into our post-race press conference here at Texas Motor Speedway. Our race runner-up today is Denny Hamlin. He drives the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Denny, certainly some twists and turns out there this afternoon and tonight. Your thoughts about how the race played out?
DENNY HAMLIN: Played out in our favor, for sure. Usually these fuel mileage races don't go our way. Obviously we gained some spots today on the fuel mileage thing. Felt like we had a really, really good car. But we just hurt ourselves real bad on pit road today. We lost a ton of spots. Track position meaning so much at this racetrack, it killed us.
I was frustrated and we were behind, so I tried to make something happen, got into the wall, hurt our car. As soon as that happened, we were just in fuel-save mode. Luckily it went green the rest of the way.
KERRY THARP: Questions for Denny Hamlin.

Q. Denny, when realizing that Jimmie had wrecked, would be out for a while, did that change your game plan at all?
DENNY HAMLIN: Not mine. I'm so far back, it really didn't matter. I got my three DNFs. It was kind of a moot point for myself. It just shows anything can happen. Just the beginning of the race, guys are antsy, anything can happen. You never know.

Q. Denny, talk about finishing the season every year at Homestead. Is that something you like or you don't care either way?
DENNY HAMLIN: I do. I like Homestead. Miami is a great place. It's a good atmosphere, even though it's also a unique racetrack. It's nothing like what we go to during the course of the year.
I think it's a good place for a season finale. Obviously the weather is great there, too. There might be a better racetrack somewhere up north, but we can't freeze, you know. I think NASCAR has done a good job with the schedule. It's pretty good right now.
KERRY THARP: Denny, congratulations for a good showing today. Good luck next week at Phoenix.
DENNY HAMLIN: Thanks, man.