Collegiate Times

NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin paid a visit on Thursday to the Virginia Tech football team and tried his hand at coaching.

Hamlin, a native of Chesterfield, Va., who grew up a Tech fan, appeared in awe while visiting the team in the practice facility.

"I've always been a huge Hokies fan, not that other college in Virginia," Hamlin said. "It's just Beamer - his ethics and character is what I like."

The 28-year-old stated that his recent success in racing has provided him the long-desired opportunity to see, and now meet, the team he loves.

"I didn't get to go to a whole lot of Tech games growing up," Hamlin said.  "I have been to the last two Orange Bowl games so I got to see the win last year. That was a lot of fun."

Hamlin spent the latter part of the week preparing in Southwest Virginia for Saturday night's Sprint Cup Series Sharpie 500 race in Bristol, where he placed fifth.

With two races to go before NASCAR's Chase for the Sprint Cup commences, Hamlin remains securely in the mix to compete for the championship. He is currently in fourth place in the points standings.

Because of his standing, visiting with the Hokies was not only a treat for Hamlin but also an opportunity to promote his racing team.

"It kind of worked out well with me being from Virginia. We've got the Race to the Chase and the last race in Richmond coming up," Hamlin said. "It was good to help promote it through these guys here and let them know that I was going to be there to support them in Atlanta. For me it was really all about coming up here and having some fun."

Before the start of practice, Hamlin addressed the team and was given a custom No. 11 jersey with his name on the back presented by head coach Frank Beamer. Not to be outdone by his host, Hamlin then presented Beamer with one of his personalized racing suits that had been worn during several races this season.

Much to his players' surprise, Beamer attempted and succeeded in putting the suit on as soon as he received the gift.

Darryl Slater of The Richmond Times-Dispatch noted that as Beamer squeezed into the suit, he joked, "Where's my car, by the way? I hope I'm not too big. I lost some weight."

The team erupted with laughter.

"It gave us a little break," quarterbacks coach Mike O'Cain said of the moment. Beamer "is good; he likes to have a little fun every once in a while."

"He keeps this game in perspective pretty well," O'Cain said. "To have somebody joke around and try to put that suit on is something the players like. They like to see a coach make fun of himself and not be stoic all the time. All of this kind of gets monotonous. Just a little change of pace is always good."

After the comedic moment settled, it was time to get back to work. As the players ran through their usual warm-ups, Hamlin stood at Beamer's side and received a crash course in the team's offensive playbook.

Hamlin soon got his chance to get into the action personally. He rendezvoused with junior quarterback Tyrod Taylor and decided which plays Taylor would carry out against the first-team defense.

"I gave a few zoom-zipper-suckers and calls like that," Hamlin said. "It's a lot of fun working with these guys and it's just amazing to watch these guys and see how they prepare."

Hamlin noted that he likes the team's potential and sees a special campaign on the rise for the Hokies in 2009.

"I think they've got a great chance to get into a great bowl game," Hamlin said. "I talked to coach a little bit about these guys and he said that this group has the best team chemistry he's ever seen. There's no telling how far they can go."

While briefly meeting with the media after making his coaching debut, Hamlin was asked which was higher on his list: meeting with Beamer or the president of the United States, which Hamlin had done the day before with several other top drivers on the Sprint Cup Series circuit.

"That's actually a toss-up," Hamlin said.