Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500
Date/Time: March 5/2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 325 laps/500.5 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Quad-Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2016 Winner: Jimmie Johnson
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2017 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Mike Wheeler and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights, statistics and 2017 crew roster.
Daytona Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 17th in Sunday’s Daytona 500 after suffering significant right-side damage in a mid-race, multi-car incident which forced him to limp home in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota in the event won by Kurt Busch. Hamlin, the defending race winner, was collected in a Lap 129 wreck that involved 17 cars on the 2.5-mile, high-banked Daytona International Speedway. Multiple trips to pit road and lengthy repairs for the remainder of the 200-lap NASCAR season-opener proved futile, with the #11 machine crossing the finish line in 17th, one lap down. The FedEx Racing Team started fourth after winning Thursday night’s qualifying race, and Hamlin finished eighth in Stage 1 to earn three championship points. The race structure this year awards regular season points to the top-10 drivers at the conclusion on the first two stages before a final dash to the checkered flag. Hamlin lost track position relatively early in Stage 2, and was never able to make it up. A series of multi-car incidents marred the final third of the race, with Kurt Busch winning after many frontrunners ran out of fuel on the final lap. All four Joe Gibbs Racing entries suffered significant damage during the race, with Hamlin’s teammates Daniel Suarez (29th), Kyle Busch (38th) and Matt Kenseth (40th) each forced to retire early from the event. Hamlin left Daytona ninth in the Cup standings.
Atlanta Preview: The Series heads to Atlanta Motor Speedway for Sunday’s 325-lap event at the 1.5-mile quad-oval. Hamlin scored his first and only win at Atlanta in 2012 after leading 105 of 327 laps, and in total, he has recorded three top-five and six top-10 finishes in the last 17 races at Atlanta, including one pole in 2010. Last year, Hamlin launched to the top of the final practice leaderboard, but started 12th in the second race of the 2016 season, finishing 16th when the checkered flag flew.
Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares: This season, FedEx is tying the performance of the #11 FedEx Toyota on the track to its efforts to improve road safety through a new program, Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares, by donating $111 for each lap Hamlin leads and $11,000 for each race victory to Safe Kids Worldwide, a nonprofit working to protect kids on the road, at home and at play. FedEx will also contribute $111,000 to Safe Kids if the #11 team wins the 2017 NASCAR championship.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway
Races: 17
Wins: 1
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 6
Average Start: 12.4
Average Finish: 18.0
Laps Led: 365
Hamlin Conversation – ATLANTA:
What are you most looking forward to as the Series heads to Atlanta?
“We’ve seen success at Atlanta in the past, and after last weekend’s 17th-place finish at Daytona, I’m looking forward to getting back there to contend for a win. I’m a fan of the worn out racing surface there, and it’ll obviously be good to have the additional seat time this weekend by racing in both the Xfinity and Monster Energy Series races.”
Great Plains District Along for the Ride at Atlanta: The FedEx Ground Great Plains District team will be recognized for its second-best overall injury ranking and its fifth-best yard injury ranking – resulting in the best overall safety ranking – by having its “GLPS” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
