The Busch Series wrapped up their west coast tour with one of their favorite stops – Las Vegas. As record crowds turned out to watch the Busch Series do battle on the mile & half oval, Denny Hamlin & the #20 team scored their best finish of this young 2005 season.

After a decent morning practice, Hamlin earned the 18^th starting position during qualifying.

“Tomorrow is going to be interesting,” commented Hamlin following qualifying. “We practiced during the morning and qualified late in the afternoon. Tomorrow’s race will be during the hottest part of the day & it should be interesting to see what we have.”

When the green flag dropped, Hamlin began moving to the front. In the first 10 laps, Hamlin drove up to the 11^th position. But as the tires started to wear off, the #20 car began to loosen up. As the laps began to wear off, the #20 car began dropping positions. Settled into the 24^th position, Hamlin was fighting the car all around the track and begging for changes the first opportunity they got. When the caution flag finally flew on lap 41, Hamlin followed the leaders down pit road. In an effort to make major changes, the team changed four tires, pulled two spring rubbers from the right rear and made a major shock adjustment to the front left. Returning to the track in the 25^th position,

Hamlin began his assault towards the front again.

The car was better but still remained way to loose. As the cautions continued to fly, the #20 car continued to pit and make changes. During the stops, the crew was making a host of changes from air pressure, spring rubbers, minor shock adjustments, wedge adjustments and track bar adjustments. In addition, they continued to top off the fuel cell. The car handling started to become better, but still was far from the speed then needed to run in the top ten.

Meanwhile at the front of the race, Carl Edwards was setting a blistering pace. Once a long green flag run started on lap 124, Edwards began to quickly put cars a lap down. Hamlin continued to wrestle his car around the track but eventually fell a lap down on lap 152. However having topped off the gas tank, the #20 car would be able to stay out to lap 185, while most of the field was forced to pit under green flag conditions on lap 162. When the caution would fly for a single car incident on lap 178, Hamlin was running in the fifth position, one of only 11 cars on the lead lap. Hamlin would make his final stop under caution and return to the track in the 12^th position. He would continue in that position for the final 18 laps where he would finish.