Denny Hamlin has the household name, a multimillion-dollar contract with Joe Gibbs Racing and 10 career victories on NASCAR’s top touring series. C.E. Falk III is a 22-year-old Norfolk native who’s two weeks shy of graduating from Charlotte. Falk has racing in his blood, though, and the son of former Busch Series driver Eddie Falk wasn’t about to back down when he got a rare opportunity to trade sheet metal with Hamlin last night at Southside Speedway. Falk qualified third behind local favorite Hamlin and Tony Stewart for the third annual Denny Hamlin Short Track Showdown, a 250-lap Late Model race to benefit Hamlin’s charitable foundation. Stewart was second, followed by Eddie Johnson. Hamlin settled for a disappointing fourth-place finish after dominating the race.(Richmond Times Dispatch)(5-1-2010)
