Bill Text: VA SJR194 | 2020 | Regular Session | Enrolled
Bill Title: Commending James Dennis Alan Hamlin.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2020-03-03 - Bill text as passed Senate and House (SJ194ER) [SJR194 Detail]
Download: Virginia-2020-SJR194-Enrolled.html
WHEREAS, James Dennis Alan Hamlin, a professional racing driver with roots in Chesterfield County, won the 2020 Daytona 500, becoming one of only four drivers to win consecutive championships in the National Stock Car Auto Racing Association's most prestigious Cup Series race; and
WHEREAS, James Dennis "Denny" Hamlin attended Chesterfield County Public Schools and graduated from Manchester High School; he began racing go-karts at a young age and won three championships at age 12; and
WHEREAS, four years later, Denny Hamlin switched to driving mini stock cars, and he was named Rookie of the Year in 2000 at Southside Speedway in Chesterfield County; and
WHEREAS, in 2004, Denny Hamlin fulfilled his lifelong dream to race in the National Stock Car Auto Racing Association (NASCAR) when he competed in the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series and subsequently made his NASCAR Cup Series debut the following year; and
WHEREAS, Denny Hamlin raced in his first full NASCAR Cup Series season in 2006, winning the season-opening Budweiser Shootout exhibition race, and became the first driver to qualify as a rookie for what was then the Chase for the Nextel Cup; and
WHEREAS, Denny Hamlin has gone on to become one of the most consistent drivers in the sport, winning at least one race each cup season from 2006 to 2017, and again in 2019 and 2020, including victories at Daytona International Speedway in 2016 and 2019; and
WHEREAS, at the 2020 Daytona 500, Denny Hamlin defeated Ryan Blaney to the finish in overtime by 0.014 seconds, one of the closest finishes in race history, second only to Hamlin's victory in 2016; and
WHEREAS, after his victory in 2020, Denny Hamlin entered the record books as one of only six drivers to win the Daytona 500 three or more times and one of only four drivers to win consecutively, an accomplishment that put him in the company of NASCAR greats Cale Yarborough, Richard Petty, and Sterling Marlin, who was the last to achieve the feat 25 years prior in 1994 and 1995; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED by the Senate, the House of Delegates concurring, That the General Assembly hereby commend James Dennis Alan Hamlin on his historic win at the Daytona 500 in 2020; and, be it
RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the Senate prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to James Dennis Alan Hamlin as an expression of the General Assembly's admiration for his outstanding achievements and best wishes for the future.
