FedEx Racing Express Facts – Atlanta Motor Speedway
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
Date/Time: March 1/1 p.m. ET
Distance: 325 laps/500.5 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Quad-Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2014 Winner: Kasey Kahne
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2015 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Dave Rogers and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights, statistics and the 2015 crew roster.
Daytona 500 Recap: Denny Hamlin finished fourth in Sunday’s season-opening Daytona 500 in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota after a two-lap “green-white-checkered” finish in the historic event won by Joey Logano. Hamlin lined up second alongside leader Logano for the two-lap shootout, but the bottom line never formed behind him, allowing the top line to roll to the lead before a wreck on the final lap ended the race under caution. The intensity of the “Great American Race” picked up as the laps clicked, with Hamlin leading the middle lane as the draft-style pack was three-wide for eight rows with less than 20 laps remaining. Jockeying for position at the front, Hamlin nudged in front of Jimmie Johnson for second before a caution with five laps remaining brought out a brief red flag to set up the finish. Logano earned his first-career Daytona 500 win, followed by Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Hamlin and Johnson. Hamlin finished runner-up to Earnhardt Jr. one year ago and has now finished in the top-five in three of the last four Daytona 500 races. Hamlin started the race from the back of the field in 42nd after the team failed post-qualifying inspection, but the 34-year-old quickly moved forward in his 10th-career Daytona 500 start. He broke into the top-10 after the first round of green flag pit stops, and maintained his position near the front for the remainder of the 200-lap event, where he led three times for four laps.
Atlanta Preview: The Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for a 500-mile event on Sunday at the 1.5-mile oval. The track had hosted a Labor Day Weekend race for the past five seasons, but moves up to the second race of the year for this campaign. Hamlin has enjoyed recent success at Atlanta, including a victory at the track in 2012, where he led 105 of 327 laps to take the checkered flag. Last fall, he led 37 laps en route to a third-place finish behind eventual winner Kasey Kahne. In total, Hamlin has recorded six top-10 finishes in 15 races at Atlanta, one pole (2010) and has led a total of 351 laps at the track.
Testing, Testing: Hamlin and the FedEx Racing Team will participate in an open test at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Thursday. NASCAR rules prohibit organizations from private testing, but Thursday’s open session for the Sprint Cup Series will allow drivers and teams to shake down the new engine and aerodynamic packages to be implemented at the majority of race tracks this year.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Races: 15
Wins: 1
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 6
Average Start: 13.0
Average Finish: 16.8
Laps Led: 351
Hamlin Conversation:
What are your thoughts on the Atlanta race weekend moving up on the schedule this year?
“Atlanta has become one of the better tracks for our FedEx team, so going there early in the year gives us a good chance to try to get a win and put ourselves in great Chase contention. The track surface is worn out and really allows for great racing, and I’m hopeful the weather allows for the slick conditions that I enjoy at that track. The new rules package will be interesting to see how teams stack up, and Thursday’s test will give us a good gauge on where our program is.”
Western Rockies Along for the Ride in Atlanta: The FedEx Ground Western Rockies district will be recognized for exceptional safety performance with its district code “WROK” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota at Atlanta Motor Speedway. The Western Rockies district extends from its Salt Lake City hub to include most of Idaho, Nevada and Utah.
