FedEx Racing Express Facts – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

FedEx Racing Express Facts – Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Brickyard 400
Date/Time: July 24/3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 160 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 2.5 miles
2015 Winner: Kyle Busch

New Hampshire Recap: Denny Hamlin finished ninth in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx Office Toyota after running near the front of the field throughout the 301-lap event won by Matt Kenseth. With track position at a premium on the flat one-mile oval, Hamlin, running sixth at the time, stayed out during one of the races final caution periods to gain valuable track position, with all of the cars ahead pitting, the FedEx Toyota assumed the lead for the restart with 34 laps to go. The gamble paid dividends for five laps before teammate Kenseth passed the #11 just prior to another caution. Following the restart, fresher tires began to prevail, slipping Hamlin back to fifth. As drivers jockeyed for position, the caution flag would fly again, and during the scramble, another car made contact with Hamlin resulting in a left rear tire rub. Hamlin was forced to pit, dropping him 21st in the running order with only 17 laps remaining. Hamlin now had fresher tires and was able to pick off a couple spots prior to the caution coming back out one lap later. Lining up 15th for the final run to the checkers, Hamlin took advantage of the fresh rubber and used the last 11 laps to pick up six spots for the ninth place finish. The finish moved Hamlin up one spot to 10th in the NASCAR standings after 19 of 26 regular season races.

Brickyard Preview: The Series heads to historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway for Sunday’s Brickyard 400. Hamlin has three top-five finishes and five top-10 results in 10 career starts at the 2.5-mile track, including career-best third-place runs in 2008 and 2014. Hamlin started on the pole in the 2012 Brickyard 400 and has led 75 career laps around the famed speedway. He started 17th and drove to a fifth-place finish in the event one year ago.

Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Indianapolis
Races: 10
Wins: 0
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 5
Average Start: 14.2
Average Finish: 14.3
Laps Led: 75

Hamlin Conversation — INDIANAPOLIS:

How special would a win at Indianapolis be for you?

“Winning at Indianapolis is definitely one of the goals that I have for our FedEx team, as I’m sure most drivers have. We have some big races in our sport — Daytona 500, Coke 600, the Southern 500 and the Brickyard. I have been fortunate to win two of those during my career and adding a third this weekend would be special. Track position will be important, as it always is at Indianapolis, so hopefully we can start up front and stay there throughout the race.”

Indianapolis Hub Along for the Ride at the Brickyard: The FedEx Express Air Ground & Freight Services team will be recognized for operational excellence with its “IND” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota this weekend at Indianapolis.