FedEx Racing Express Facts — Phoenix International Raceway

Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Camping World 500
Date/Time: March 19/3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 312 laps/312 miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 9 – 11 degrees
2016 Winner: Kevin Harvick

Express Notes:

Vegas Recap: Denny Hamlin solidified a sixth-place finish in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, battling a loose #11 FedEx Office Toyota throughout the duration of the 400-mile event to earn his sixth top-10 finish at the 1.5-mile track. After a timely pit stop by the #11 FedEx crew during a caution on lap 251, Hamlin rejoined the field to restart eighth with less than 10 laps to go, maneuvering past Ryan Blaney and Jamie McMurray in the final laps to ultimately earn his sixth-place spot. The #11 FedEx team’s pit stop performance during today’s 267-lap race played an integral role in positioning Hamlin for a prosperous day in the Vegas desert. A four-tire stop prior to the end of the second 80-lap stage positioned Hamlin to restart in 11th, but the brief green-flag run prior to the mandatory caution shortened his opportunity to net a top-10 finish or additional championship points in stage two. Martin Truex Jr. moved past 2016 Las Vegas winner Brad Keselowski for the win with less than two laps remaining as Joey Logano collided with Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and fourth-place contender Kyle Busch, opening the way for Hamlin to earn an additional position before the checkered flew. Hamlin’s finish at Las Vegas moves him up four spots to 15th in the overall NASCAR standings.

Phoenix Preview: The Series travels to Arizona this week for Sunday’s 312-lap feature at Phoenix International Raceway (PIR). Hamlin has a long history with PIR, scoring his first career pole at the 1-mile track in 2005 when he was given the opportunity to run select Cup series races with Joe Gibbs Racing. Hamlin’s first and only victory at PIR came in 2012, but he’s seen solid success there in 23 starts at the short track, including two poles, 13 top-10 and 10 top-5 finishes. He finished third in last year’s spring race in the desert.

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: Phoenix International Raceway

Races: 23

Wins: 1

Top-5: 10

Top-10: 13

Average Start: 11.3

Average Finish: 10.9

Laps Led: 445

Hamlin Conversation – PHOENIX:

Are you ready to switch gears to short track racing?

“While we turned things around at Las Vegas to score a solid top-10 run, I’m obviously looking forward to short track racing. Our #11 FedEx team worked hard to overcome adversity throughout last year’s (Phoenix) spring race, and we ultimately pulled off a third-place finish. I have no doubt that this team can repeat that success at Phoenix this weekend.”

Butte, Montana, Team  Along for the Ride at Phoenix: The Butte, Montana, FedEx Freight service center will be recognized for its employee’s commitment to making every FedEx experience outstanding by having its “BTE” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend at Phoenix International Raceway.

FedEx Office – Closest to Phoenix International Raceway: 9925 W McDowell Rd, Suite 105, Avondale, AZ, (623) 643-9873