FedEx Racing Express Facts – Texas Motor Speedway

FedEx Racing Express Facts – Texas Motor Speedway

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Office Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: AAA Texas 500
Date/Time: Nov. 8/1:00 p.m. CT
Distance: 334 laps/501 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2014 Winner: Jimmie Johnson

Express Notes:

Martinsville Recap: Denny Hamlin finished third in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Martinsville (Va.) Speedway, overcoming a pair of pit road speeding penalties and early race spin to record his 11th top-five finish in 20 career starts at the flat, half-mile oval. Hamlin started 10th and battled a tight #11 FedEx Ground Toyota early in runs at the ‘paper clip.’ Following the first series of pit stops, Hamlin was nabbed for speeding in the pits and forced to start at the tail end of the line. On the ensuing restart, a bottleneck in Turns 3 and 4 caused a chain reaction that left Hamlin spun backwards on the track with damage to the front of the #11 machine. He pitted numerous times for repairs, and methodically worked his way back up through traffic and into the top-10. Hamlin was caught speeding again during a pit stop on Lap 425. The team battled back, stayed out during a late caution to gain track position and Hamlin led three laps before ultimately finishing third in the race won by Jeff Gordon. The finish kept Hamlin ninth in the Series standings with three races remaining.

Texas Preview: The Series heads to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s 500-mile race on the fast 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval. Hamlin is a two-time Texas winner, sweeping both events at the track in 2010. Hamlin has posted 10 top-10 finishes in 19 career Texas starts and finished 10th in the race one year ago. Earlier this spring, Hamlin started 18th and finished 11th at Texas, and in his career, has led 154 laps around the circuit.

Hamlin Statistics:

Track: Texas Motor Speedway

Races: 19

Wins: 2

Top-5: 5

Top-10: 10

Average Start: 16.5

Average Finish: 10.8

Laps Led: 154

Hamlin Conversation — TEXAS:

What are the keys to victory at Texas Motor Speedway?

“Texas has become one of my favorite intermediate tracks that we have on the schedule. The trace track has really aged well and it is slick during the day, forcing us drivers to search around for grip. You can run in multiple grooves at Texas and that always makes for good racing. We saw the fireworks at Texas last year, and I would expect some of the same this year. So much is on the line for the Chase, and I just wish we were still a part of it. We’ll go there looking for the trophy and do everything we can to try to win the race.”