By Mike Harris
BROOKLYN, Mich. (AP) _ Suddenly, Denny Hamlin is a star.
Well, at least he's being treated like one.
The rookie won his first NASCAR Nextel Cup race last week at Pocono Raceway, vaulting him into ninth place in the season standings. Hamlin has a second-place finish and hasn't come in worse than 11th in his last five races, turning him into a legitimate contender for a berth in the Chase for the championship.
That success has put him in an unfamiliar spotlight.
``The biggest thing is probably being noticed more,'' Hamlin said Friday at Michigan International Speedway. ``I went to an autograph session last night and (I was surprised at) just how many people paid attention to the race and knew that I won.
``Probably 99 out of 100 people congratulated me on the win.''
Moreover, he is no longer getting mistaken for teammate J.J. Yeley or Jason Leffler, the driver he replaced in the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Chevrolet.
Beyond being recognized, Hamlin was also excited about racing Sunday in the 3M Performance 400 on Michigan's two-mile oval.
``This year it's like I can't wait to get to these big tracks because I know our program is really, really good,'' said the 25-year-old, a Joe Gibbs Racing driver. ``This weekend I'm especially looking forward to. I know we're going to have a good car.''
Hamlin finished eighth here in the Busch Series last August.
``Michigan is a driving challenge,'' he said. ``It's always more in my hands here, mine and the crew's, than at most tracks.''
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I'M BACK: Crew chief Richard (Slugger) Labbe returned to the Nextel Cup garage area Friday after finishing a four-week suspension handed down by NASCAR when inspectors found an illegally mounted sway bar on Dale Jarrett's No. 88 Ford in Richmond.
Labbe was also fined $25,000 US, and Jarrett and car owner Robert Yates were each docked 25 points in their respective standings.
``It's neat (to be back), but it stinks,'' Labbe said. ``I suffered the last four weeks by not seeing all your friends in the garage. You get out of tune with what's going on. You miss four weeks and technology changes every day and you miss out on some things, so we're playing catch-up.''
Labbe said John Darby, the Cup director, told him he could come to the track but not come into the garage or be in contact with his team on the radio.
``I'd go up in the grandstands in turn one or turn two or wherever I wanted to go and what I did was let the guys just run the deal like I wasn't here,'' he said. ``I just wanted to watch cars. I definitely learned a lot.''
Labbe acknowledges he deserved the penalty.
``I just pushed the rules a little too much and I'm OK with that,'' he said. ``I got what I deserved. Sometimes you do things and get caught and sometimes you don't. ... I fulfilled my punishment and now it's time to go race again.''
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KING OF ENGLAND: Richard Petty, the longtime king of NASCAR, will head across the pond in July to take part in the annual Goodwood Festival of Speed in West Sussex, England.
The 69-year-old Petty will drive a restored 1972 Dodge Charger in the Hillclimb competition on the 1.16-mile course, the main attraction of the Goodwood event, which is hosted by the Earl of March.
The all-time leading winner in NASCAR drove Chargers in 11 of 31 races that year on the way to the fourth of his seven championships. He spent the rest of the season in Plymouths, earning all eight of his 1972 wins in that model.
``I've heard about that Goodwood deal for a long time, but I don't know much about it,'' Petty said. ``I guess, the big deal is I'll get to get back in the car for a bit. I ain't been in a race car for a long time. I'm just looking forward to going.''
Petty, who retired in 1992, said he didn't have any second thoughts about getting back in a race car.
``I didn't hesitate,'' he said. ``I figured I got a free trip to England, so I could suck it up for a little over a mile.''
Former Formula One driver Jochen Mass also will drive a 2006 NASCAR Dodge Charger up the hill at Goodwood.
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VIDEO BLACKOUT: Carl Edwards and Denny Hamlin have both credited playing video games with helping them prepare for racetracks they've won in their course debuts. Don't expect to hear anything like that from Kasey Kahne.
``I've really never liked playing video games and probably never will,'' said Kahne, the 2004 Cup rookie of the year and currently fifth in the points.
``I've just never been able to do it. My fingers don't work good enough on those little remotes.''
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SPARK PLUGS: Posted awards for Sunday's race are $5,037,040, an increase over last year's $4,920,273 and the first time the pursue for any Michigan race has exceeded $5 million. ... All three participating car manufacturers have posted at least one victory in the last 10 Michigan Cup races, with Ford winning five, Dodge four and Chevrolet one. Chevy has not win since Jeff Gordon took the checkers in June 2001. ... Now that Rusty Wallace (5 wins) has retired, the leading active drivers at Michigan are Mark Martin and Dale Jarrett, with four victories apiece. ... Jeff Gordon is scheduled to co-host ``Live with Regis and Kelly'' on Tuesday. Gordon will fill in for host Regis Philbin.
