FedEx Racing Express Facts – Charlotte Motor Speedway
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Bank of America 500
Date/Time: Oct. 10/7 p.m. ET
Distance: 334 laps/500 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Quad-Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2014 Winner: Kevin Harvick
Express Notes:
Dover Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 18th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway, advancing to the Contender Round of the Chase playoffs after four drivers were eliminated following the 400-lap event at the “Monster Mile.” Hamlin could not overcome a pair of speeding penalties on pit road in the #11 FedEx Office Toyota, spending the majority of the race one lap down due to the lost track position. He started second and ran in the top-five prior to the competition caution on Lap 40. Unfortunately, Hamlin was nabbed for speeding exiting the pits, and forced to start at the tail end of the field. Track position was at a premium throughout the 400-mile race on the high-banked, concrete oval. Mired in lapped traffic, Hamlin lost a lap to eventual winner Kevin Harvick on a long green flag run, and spent the next 250 laps trying to get the free pass. He ultimately was the lucky dog on the final caution with 25 laps to go and finished 18th. Harvick was victorious, followed by Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jamie McMurray and Aric Almirola.
Charlotte Preview: The Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship Contender Round kicks off Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway with a 500-mile event on the 1.5-mile intermediate oval. Twelve drivers advanced to the next three-race segment, consisting of Charlotte, Kansas and Talladega, before the field is trimmed to eight. Points have been reset and a win Saturday by Hamlin in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota would automatically move the FedEx Racing Team into the Eliminator Round. Hamlin has 12 top-10 finishes in 20 career Cup Series starts at Charlotte, including a pair of back-to-back finishes at the track in 2012. Hamlin led 22 laps in the Chase race at Charlotte last October and finished ninth. Earlier this year, he started fifth and finished eighth in the Coke 600, leading 53 laps.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Races: 20
Wins: 0
Top-5: 4
Top-10: 12
Average Start: 12.2
Average Finish: 13.2
Laps Led: 240
Hamlin Conversation — CHARLOTTE:
How will the FedEx Team approach the Contender Round of the Chase?
“This is a key round for us. Obviously, Talladega at the end provides a lot of unpredictability, and Kansas has been a wild card race for a lot of reasons over the last few years. It’ll be important for us to get off to a good start this weekend in Charlotte. It has been a great track for our FedEx team over the years. We haven’t gone to victory lane yet there, but have had a lot of solid runs, and we’ll need another one on Saturday. Hopefully we can put ourselves in position to win another race in this Chase and punch our ticket to the next round. That’s the goal.”
Overgoods Team Along for the Ride at Charlotte: The FedEx Ground Overgoods quality action team will be recognized with “GOODS” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
FedEx Office – Closest to Charlotte Motor Speedway: 7741 Gateway Lane NW, Ste 110, Concord, NC 28027, (704) 979-1971
#11 FedEx Racing – 2015 Crew Roster
Crew Chief – Dave Rogers
Car Chief – Joe Fiorelli
Engineers – Chris Gabehart, Kenny Oates
Shock Specialist – Ron Denton
Tire Specialist – Jamie Turski
Mechanics – Joey Forgette, Jerad Hewitt, Jason Clements
Spotter – Chris Lambert
Front Tire Changer – Dustin Necaise
Front Tire Carrier – Brandon Pegram
Rear Tire Changer – Mike Hicks
Rear Tire Carrier – Heath Cherry
Jack Man – Nate Bolling
Gas Man – Caleb Hurd
Pit Crew Coordinator – Paul Alepa
Athletic Director – Mike Lepp
Transportation – Kyle Bazzell, Bob Hannigan
