Charlotte II

Hamlin started the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota in the 17th position and battled handling conditions throughout much of the early going. Crew chief Mike Ford and the FedEx crew continued to make adjustments with each pit stop to improve his ability to turn into the corners and Hamlin began to climb his way toward the front. He would enter the top ten and race in the sixth position by lap 134. Hamlin would race his way into the top-five and battled among the leaders over the final third of the race. The No. 11 Camry would become tight and hard to handle on the final run of the night however and Hamlin would go on to finish in ninth.

Hamlin remains 12th and is now 86 points out of the top spot.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings
1. Carl Edwards 2203
2. Kevin Harvick (-5)
3. Matt Kenseth (-7)
4. Kyle Busch (-18)
5. Tony Stewart (-24)
6. Brad Keselowski (-25)
7. Kurt Busch (-27)
8. Jimmie Johnson (-35)
9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-60)
10. Ryan Newman (-61)
11. Jeff Gordon (-66)
12. Denny Hamlin (-86)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to Talladega next Sunday, October 23 for the sixth race of the Chase. Coverage of the Good Sam Club 500 from Talladega Super Speedway will start on ESPN at 1 PM ET (race starts at 2 PM ET). The race will also be carried on Sirius Radio NASCAR channel 90 and the MRN Radio Network.