True Speed Communication

Joe Gibbs Racing Seeking Sponsor for Busch-Hamlin Tandem

Duo Has Combined to Win 15 NASCAR Busch Series Races

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. (Oct. 22, 2007) – Motorsports offers few guarantees, but Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) – winners of three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series championships and over 70 NASCAR races since its debut in 1992 – offers the closest thing to a guarantee. 

JGR will pair Kyle Busch, its recently signed 22-year-old driver, with veteran JGR driver Denny Hamlin in the NASCAR Nationwide Series for 2008.  The two drivers, who have a combined 15 wins in what is currently known as the NASCAR Busch Series, will share the No. 18 Toyota Camry. 

While the driver lineup is set, the missing element is that of a sponsor.  JGR management believes the combination of Busch and Hamlin offers sponsors what few other Busch Series teams can – two drivers capable of regular trips to victory lane.     

“Our Busch program is just as strong as our Nextel Cup operation,” said JGR President J.D. Gibbs, whose Nextel Cup teams have won three championships and 58 races.  “We’ve made it even better for next year by teaming Denny with Kyle.  Both guys love running the Busch Series, and it’s shown on the race track.  They’re proven winners.” 

Busch is the more recent Busch Series winner of the two, having taking the checkered flag at the series’ stop at Kansas Speedway three weeks ago.  It was his third win of the 2007 season and the 10^th of his career.  Hamlin won earlier this year at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, a race in which he started from the pole.  In fact, his win from the pole was a repeat performance, as the 26-year-old driver won at Darlington in 2006 in the very same fashion.  Hamlin has won two more races since – Michigan International Speedway in August and Dover (Del.) International Speedway in September. 

Augmenting Busch and Hamlin’s quickness at the finish line has been their quickness in qualifying.  The two drivers have combined to win 22 Busch Series poles.  Busch has won 11 career poles, including three this year, while Hamlin also has 11 career poles, with five thus far in 2007.

“Sponsors are looking for performance and exposure, and Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin deliver,” said Steve deSouza, JGR’s vice president of Busch Series operations.  “They produce on the race track, and they’re great with sponsors, customers and race fans.  They’ll certainly be an asset to a company looking for an exceptional branding opportunity in NASCAR.  With the team and equipment provided by JGR, Kyle and Denny will provide a high return on a company’s investment.” 

Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) is one of the premier organizations in NASCAR, currently fielding three NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series teams, two NASCAR Busch Series teams and a driver development program.  Its driver lineup consists of Tony Stewart, Denny Hamlin and J.J. Yeley in Nextel Cup; Hamlin, Stewart, Aric Almirola, Kevin Conway and Brad Coleman in Busch; and Marc Davis and Joey Logano in the NASCAR Busch East Series.  Based in Huntersville, N.C., and owned by Joe Gibbs – a three-time Super Bowl-winning coach, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and current coach of the Washington Redskins – JGR has competed in NASCAR since 1992, winning three Cup Series championships, a Busch East Series championship and over 70 NASCAR races, including three Brickyard 400s and the 1993 Daytona 500.