Bill Text: VA HJR505 | 2016 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending Denny Hamlin.
Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 22-9)
Status: (Passed) 2016-03-10 - Bill text as passed House and Senate (HJ505ER) [HJR505 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2016-HJR505-Enrolled.html
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WHEREAS, Denny Hamlin, one of the leading drivers in NASCAR racing and a native of Chesterfield County, won the 2016 Daytona 500 for the first time in his career with the closest finish in the history of the 58-year event; and WHEREAS, Denny Hamlin led the race for 95 laps; on the 200th and final lap, the acclaimed driver was in fourth place and overtook several drivers to beat Martin Truex, Jr., by ten-hundredths of a second in a dramatic finish, becoming only the 10th driver in history to win with a last-lap pass; and WHEREAS, Denny Hamlin's February 21, 2016, victory was not his first win at the historic racing venue; in 2006—his rookie year—he won the season-opening Bud Shootout exhibition race, the beginning of a strong inaugural season in NASCAR, and he is still the only driver to qualify for the Chase for the Sprint Cup as a rookie; and WHEREAS, thus far in his career, Denny Hamlin has won a total of seven races at Daytona International Speedway; after winning the 2016 Sprint Unlimited race, he became the first driver since 2000 to win both the Daytona 500 and the Sprint Unlimited in the same season; and WHEREAS, racing has been in the forefront of Denny Hamlin's life since he was a child; he first raced karts when he was seven and won three championships at age 12; he was 16 when he started driving mini stock cars in 1997, and was named Rookie of the Year in 2000 at Southside Speedway in Chesterfield County; and WHEREAS, in the last 10 years, Denny Hamlin has made his mark in NASCAR racing, winning at least one Sprint Cup race each season, and having 27 career Sprint Cup victories; for the season-long championship points race, he finished second in 2010 and third in 2014; and WHEREAS, Denny Hamlin attended Chesterfield County Public Schools as a child and graduated from Manchester High School; even when he was a student at Grange Hall Elementary School, Denny Hamlin was focused on winning one of NASCAR's major events; and WHEREAS, in a long-ago elementary school assignment, Denny Hamlin wrote that his dream was to win the Daytona 500 in a car that was painted red, white, blue, and gold; he also named his choices for crew chief and tire changer and ended his grade-school assignment by saying, "The reason for all of this is because I love racing"; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend Denny Hamlin, an outstanding Virginian, for winning the 2016 Daytona 500 in a heart-pounding photo finish; and, be it RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to Denny Hamlin as an expression of the General Assembly's congratulations and admiration for his outstanding achievement and best wishes for continued success in 2016. |
