RACE INFO:
Event: Sprint Unlimited Date/Time: Feb. 16/8:10 p.m. ET 2011 winner: Kyle Busch 2011 polesitter:Martin Truex Jr.
Distance:75 laps/187.5 miles Track Length:2.5 miles Banking: 31 degrees Track Shape: Tri-Oval
2013 FedEx Racing Press Kit – Available for Download: Please visit www.fedexracing.com/presskit for the 2013 FedEx Racing press materials, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Darian Grubb and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights, program statistics and the 2013 crew roster.
EXPRESS NOTES:
Sprint Unlimited Preview: Denny Hamlin will make his eighth-career start in the Sprint Unlimited (formerly Budweiser Shootout) in 2013. The prestigious pre-season exhibition race features the previous season’s Coors Light pole award winners and past Unlimited winners. Hamlin qualified as both a past winner (2006) and pole award winner in 2012, recording the fastest-qualifying lap three times last season (Fontana, Indianapolis and Dover).
Hamlin won the race in his first attempt in 2006, becoming the only rookie to ever drive to Victory Lane since the event’s inception in 1979. Hamlin qualified for the event after recording a pole at Phoenix in 2005 — when he only competed in seven races. He led 16 of 72 laps en route to the win, kick starting his ‘Rookie of the Year’ season.
Hamlin has four top-10 finishes in seven Sprint Unlimited starts, including a fifth-place finish one year ago in his first race with crew chief Darian Grubb.
Race Series Date Start Finish Laps (Led) �
Budweiser Shootout Sprint Cup Feb. 16, 2012 16 5 82/82
Budweiser Shootout Sprint Cup Feb. 12, 2011 4 12 75/75 �
Budweiser Shootout Sprint Cup Feb. 6, 2010 24 5 76/76 �
Budweiser Shootout Sprint Cup Feb. 7, 2009 5 13 78/78 4 �
Budweiser Shootout Nextel Cup Feb. 9, 2008 12 9 70/70 �
Budweiser Shootout Nextel Cup Feb. 10, 2007 21 17 70/70 �
Budweiser Shootout Nextel Cup Feb. 12, 2006 15 1 72/72 ___ 16_____
Averages/Totals 13.9 8.6 20
HAMLIN CONVERSATION – Sprint Unlimited:
What is your goal for this season?
“Our goals haven’t changed from one year to the next. We look at it and we think we need to win at least six to seven races. That’s where we feel like we’ll be this year. And, we need to fill up the stat column with the proper amount of top-fives and 10’s that you need to win a championship. The champion is not going to go out there and win one or two races for the year. They’re going to be the guys that win consistently. We’ve done that over the last few years, but we haven’t had reliability to win a championship. So, that’s been the focus of this race team, really, all off-season.”
