Denny Hamlin (20) is third and J.J. Yeley (18) fifth in the Busch Series standings. Credit: Autostock

10 Questions: Denny Hamlin/J.J. Yeley

Joe Gibbs Racing teammates J.J. Yeley and Denny Hamlin have much in common: Nextel Cup rookies also competing full-time in the Busch Series.

Both drivers are in the top five in the Busch standings, while Hamlin has used two victories to move ever closer to a Chase for the Nextel Cup berth.

During a break between on-track sessions at Bristol, the two took a moment to answer 10 questions not necessarily connected to their racing careers.

1. What's your least favorite household chore?

Stats at a Glance Denny Hamlin's 2006 season Race Start Finish Daytona 17 30 California 5 12 Las Vegas 16 10 Atlanta 7 31 Bristol 33 14 Martinsville 41 37 Texas 8 4 Phoenix 6 34 Talladega 30 22 Richmond 7 2 Darlington 5 10 Lowe's 8 9 Dover 7 11 Pocono 1 1 Michigan 21 12 Infineon 40 12 Daytona 6 17 Chicagoland 7 14 New Hampshire 12 6 Pocono 1 1 Indianapolis 14 10 Watkins Glen 10 10 Michigan 9 9 Bristol 6 6 Average 13.2 13.5

Yeley: It used to be mowing the yard, but someone else does that for me, now.

Hamlin: I guess the biggest pain is keeping the vehicles clean. I don't necessarily do it, but you have to drive them to the place to have them cleaned.

It's probably taking the trash out, because I do take the trash out, every now and then.

Yeley: It's doing dishes, because I've got to do the dishes -- and not always with the dishwasher.

I like washing them sometimes because it's faster washing them than putting 'em in the dishwasher. It's a pain in the butt because you have to put them in, wait an hour and then you have to unload them again.

I'd rather just do them all at once and be done with it.

2. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?

Yeley: I tend to sneak a round of golf in without the wife knowing.

Hamlin: Ooh, not any more!

Yeley: She's not going to pay attention to this. But she probably knows, anyway -- and I just think I'm pulling the wool over her.

Hamlin: For me, I'd have to say that I don't eat exactly the way I should. That's the biggest thing: I eat bad and I enjoy it.

And I'd say staying up too late is a bad one, too. I do stay up too late and eat too late, so I definitely need to do a better job of getting more sleep.

3. What's one thing your fans don't know about you, that you'd like to tell them?

Yeley: I don't know. I don't really keep anything hidden. Anything that's about me, you can see it right up on the cover, so that's it.

Hamlin: I'm probably the biggest computer dork that you've ever met. That would probably be the biggest thing.

Yeley: But you still have all your "My Little Pony" stuff, too -- or did you get rid of all of that?

Hamlin: My Space?

Yeley: No -- My Little Pony and your Barbie dolls. You got all that stuff, still?

Hamlin: No, I don't have any of that stuff. I did have some Cabbage Patch dolls, though, when I was a kid.

Yeley: No.

Hamlin: They are worth some money, now.

Stats at a Glance J.J. Yeley's 2006 season Race Start Finish Daytona 36 41 California 4 8 Las Vegas 12 17 Atlanta 5 15 Bristol 24 33 Martinsville 18 20 Texas 2 35 Phoenix 30 28 Talladega 11 11 Richmond 34 22 Darlington 26 26 Lowe's 4 20 Dover 14 42 Pocono 24 15 Michigan 14 40 Infineon 38 33 Daytona 11 37 Chicagoland 10 10 New Hampshire 20 12 Pocono 21 11 Indianapolis 6 34 Watkins Glen 26 33 Michigan 37 18 Bristol 31 18 Averages 18.6 25.5

Yeley: Stop recording! Stop recording! He can't answer what his most embarrassing moment was, and then he admits he had Cabbage Patch dolls as a kid?

Hamlin: Well, I've got one for the most embarrassing moment in racing. It was probably at Homestead last year, when I wrecked my Busch car in qualifying, and then we had Cup qualifying.

I told the guys that I'd just gotten out of a wreck and I was probably gonna be really slow. I didn't even make it one corner and I crashed that car again. So that was one [embarrassing moment] for me.

Yeley: I was going to say Texas and crashing on the first lap -- but we're trying to stay away from wrecks on my team. That was kind of an embarrassing moment.

I think I made a lap. I made one lap. It wasn't the first corner.

4. What are your favorite recent movie and your favorite all-time flick?

Hamlin: It'd be "Wedding Crashers" for the recent, and "Shawshank Redemption" for all-time.

Yeley: Wow, look at you go! You came right up with those. Yeah, I'm a "40-year-old Virgin" guy for most recent -- but a favorite? That's a tough one.

I watch a lot of old movies over and over -- and over. But the "Shawshank Redemption" is a good one, for sure. I know -- "Overboard."

Hamlin: Oh yeah -- that's a great one! With Goldie Hawn? That was awesome. That is a good one.

Yeley: And that is another embarrassing moment, right there, with that reaction.

5. What's your favorite outdoor activity, other than racing?

Hamlin: I like golf, and he's going to say the same thing.

Yeley: Yeah, it's golf. I golf the most while I try to drive racecars.

Hamlin: I play golf and try to have fun.

Yeley: My handicap? Most of it's my swing.

Hamlin: Yeah, right. I'm a triple-digit golfer -- double on a good day.

Yeley: I shoot from 90 to 94.

Hamlin: All it takes is one good shot and that brings you back for more.

6. Which athlete outside of racing do you most admire?

Yeley: Tiger Woods, because he's got a lot easier job than I do, and he makes a lot more money than the rest of us. I don't know that it is, but he sure does make it look easy.

Hamlin: Oh man -- I was going to say him, too. You mean outside of racing?

Yeley: Hulk Hogan wouldn't have been bad. He's got that big, huge house and everything. And all he's had to do is crush some other big guys for 20 years.

Hamlin: I'm going to say Michael Jordan, because under pressure there was nobody better than Michael Jordan.

7. Who was the last person you asked for an autograph?

Hamlin: Wow. For you, that was here, last year, wasn't it? Didn't you get Lebron James' autograph?

Yeley: Yeah, I didn't get it for me, though -- that was for somebody else. For myself, that was a long way back.

Hamlin: I know who it was. It was Dale Earnhardt Jr. and I was doing somebody a favor. They knew I knew him, so I got an autograph for them.

But for myself, I don't know? I was always too shy to go get autographs. I never would even speak to anybody. So I don't even know.

Yeley: I'm really drawing a big ol' blank. The last time I got an autograph I was probably a little tiny kid.

J.J. Yeley

Hamlin: I was small, too.

Yeley: I think I got Richard Petty's autograph, and I actually got a cigar from him, too. It was at Joliet, Ill., and my dad smoked cigars so I got that for him.

No -- he didn't autograph the cigar! I got an autograph, and then he gave me the stogie after the fact. That was like 1982, or '81.

Hamlin: I'll tell you what -- it was probably Coach [Joe] Gibbs, when I was younger -- about 11 or 12 years old. Yeah, that pretty much makes me shake my head when I look at what I'm doing now -- working for the man.

8. Which star would you most like to hang out with, for a day?

Hamlin: Tommy Lee. You know, the old fly on the wall deal. Tommy Lee or Hugh Hefner -- take your pick.

Yeley: I don't think I can go there. Outdo that. A star, huh? What he came up with is pretty golden, right there.

Hamlin: Richard Simmons?

Yeley: That's pretty nice. Thanks. Would I have to? I mean -- I don't really feel like I have to go hang out with a star.

Hamlin: You are a star!

Yeley: I'd just like to go hang out with Denny Hamlin. Where would we go? Probably not where we're supposed to be. I might have to come back to that one.

Long pause ...

Yeley: I'm still struggling, but I'd go hang out with Adam Sandler. His bulldog could chase my bulldog around -- I don't know.

9. If you could go back in time, what period in history would you like to live in?

Denny Hamlin

Yeley: I think it would be the '50s -- the hot rod era. I'd have me a badass street rod

Hamlin: A '57 Chevy, right? I'd have to say the same thing. What was the whole poodle skirt thing -- the '50s? When was Grease?

I'd say late '50s, early '60s; just because it was the whole hot rod era, great music and the girls looked good -- all that good stuff.

You could get in fights back then and not have to worry about getting shot, either.

Yeley: Or getting stabbed.

10. What have you learned about yourself in the last year?

Yeley: I've learned that I have way more patience than I thought I could ever have. Because the way my season's gone I should have at least beaten somebody up, quit, hung myself or slit a wrist -- something like that.

Hamlin: I don't know if it's necessarily in line with that question, but it's just that you're not going to please everybody. I tried to change myself some times, to please other people and I've just quit doing it.

I've just decided that I don't care, anymore. Should I say that? Basically, I've just decided I can't make everyone happy, even though I've really tried to.

Yeley: The only one you can really make happy is yourself, right?

Hamlin: Well, no -- you can make other people happy -- but you won't ever make everyone happy. So you do the best you can.