Time for the NASCAR Notebook, and we are continuing our series on the Top 13 drivers at Daytona. News 13 Sports Director Sean McDowell brings us number 7, a relative newcomer to NASCAR, Denny Hamlin.
The fastest man wins the pole today at Daytona and one of the fastest rookies in NASCAR history was Denny Hamlin.
Hamlin charged out of the gate by winning the Bud Shootout in his first try and continued an amazing run that led him into the Chase.
How did the FedEx driver explain how he hauled the mail at Pocono? He had never raced there before, so he learned the nuances of the course on a video game!
It was not a bad plan; Hamlin swept both races at the Pennsylvania track in 2006.
Hamlin finished in the top 10 twenty times and only failed to finish one race. That translated to a third place finish in points. Tied with his teammate Tony Stewart for the best ever by a rookie. It is good to be a teammate of Stewart's at Daytona. Stewart has won the last two Pepsi 400s.
Hamlin has proven he can handle the pressure, holding his own down the stretch last season. We feel he can handle being seventh on our list of the Top 13 Drivers at Daytona.
I'm Sean McDowell, Central Florida News 13.