Five things about ... Denny Hamlin and his clean cars

Ever imagine Denny Hamlin covered in soap suds humming to the disco tune of Rose Royce's Car Wash?

No? OK, well that's fine but you might once you know about the driver's new side job near his hometown in Chesterfield, Va. Mistaken at times for the quiet type, Hamlin is actually full of surprises and is in constant search of new ventures to keep him motivated.

After catching up with the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Hamlin offered up five interesting tidbits about the latest happenings in his life outside of the Sprint Cup Series.

In recent years, drivers have opened nightclubs and car dealerships for secondary incomes, however, Hamlin decided to open his own racing-themed car wash called Denny Hamlin's Speed Wash, located in Midlothian, Va. The driver cut the ribbon on the grand opening last week.

"For one thing, I've always wanted to own a business in the local area where I came from and I'm a car guy so I thought this would be a good fit," he said. "We played around with the idea a few months ago and I've always believed a cleaner car drives better. Besides clean cars, Denny Hamlin's Speed Wash is going to create jobs in the community. It is an environmentally friendly operation that uses recycled water and will be a great place to have fundraisers. And I will be chipping in as well. My involvement is going to be more than just putting my name on the sign."

2. Racing for a cause ...

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At Phoenix, Denny Hamlin had a special paint scheme to raise awareness for March of Dimes.

The Denny Hamlin Foundation held its second annual Short Track Showdown at Southside Speedway last week to raise money for Cystic Fibrosis research and treatment. Tony Stewart, Joey Logano and Kyle Busch joined Hamlin in the friendly competition.

"[Thursday] night was good. We had a packed house at Southside Speedway for the Showdown. Kyle won it and we ended up second. It was a good night for everyone," Hamlin said. "A lot of guys had car troubles, so that's something we've got to work on. It's a great event and it's something I look forward to more and more every year.

"I feel like I grew up in racing at Southside and still consider this area my home, so to go back there and hold this race in front of a lot of friends and family is pretty cool. We want [the fans] to come out and enjoy some really fun racing while knowing that all of the proceeds are going to a great cause. It means everything to me to be able to give something back, and this race is great way to do just that."

A 2009 Toyota Camry Hybrid will pace the Coca-Cola 600 on May 24, and the decision to do so is encouraging Hamlin to make a greener switch in his personal life.

"Toyota is working on getting me a hybrid vehicle to see if I like it since I drove the Hybrid Camry at Lowe's Motor Speedway to celebrate Earth Day," Hamlin said. "As soon as they get one, I'd like to have the Hybrid Lexus LS600 for my personal car. I think NASCAR drivers are becoming more aware and open to environmental causes."

4. Above the rim ...

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Denny Hamlin recently raced media members and Cowboys player Jason Witten in go-karts.

Hamlin admits he gets bored easily, so to occupy his time he recently purchased a condo in Uptown Charlotte and will split time between there and his existing lake-front home in Mooresville, N.C., which is next door to his boss, Joe Gibbs.

He spends a lot of time enjoying water sports and competing in online racing leagues, but more important he looks forward to starting his basketball league this week in Charlotte.

"We are getting a lot of different teams together," Hamlin said. "Rick Pigeon [crewman] is my center. Steve Wolfe at the Earnhardt Ganassi Racing shop is playing, and so are some people from Motorsports Management and Sprint. I think it's pretty cool how all these different groups in NASCAR are coming together."

Hamlin entertained dozens of friends and family at his home track in Richmond, Va., this past weekend. "I'd probably say in the neighborhood of 50 or so," he said.

But Hamlin didn't race in the Nationwide Series event Friday night. So where exactly was he?

In the stands.

"Probably in 2004 was the last time I sat in the stands," Hamlin said. "We called up all of the friends and got about 30 or 40 tickets ... [to sit] together and watch the race."

Unless you wreck Dale Earnhardt Jr. at the Richmond short track, Hamlin proved that NASCAR drivers seemingly are safe to sit in the stands.