Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Monster Energy All-Star Race
Date/Time: May 20/8 PM ET
Distance: 70 Laps; 4 Stages (20/20/20/10 laps)
Track Length: 1.5 mile
Track Shape: Quad-oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2016 Winner: Joey Logano
Express Notes:
Kansas Recap: Denny Hamlin was forced to a 23rd-place finish at Kansas Speedway after being involved in a wreck with only three laps remaining in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at the 1.5-mile oval. The #11 FedEx Freight Toyota sustained damage to the right front during the incident, forcing Hamlin to pit for repairs right before a green-white-checkered finish under the lights. Hamlin started sixth and found his groove within the top-10 for the majority of Saturday’s 267-lap event prior to the incident on lap 264 that found Hamlin squeezed in between competitors Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson who were vying for fifth place. Between gaining multiple positions on pit road following swift pit stops by the #11 FedEx crew and staying consistent on-track during green-flag runs, Hamlin was able to pick up 22 additional Championship points during the first two 80-lap stages, racing to an eighth- and sixth-place finish during Stage 1 and Stage 2 respectively. Even after a left-rear tire rub was discovered at the conclusion of Stage 2, Hamlin continued to steadily maneuver his way to the front of the field. After Saturday’s finish at Kansas, Denny dropped one position to 12th in the overall NASCAR standings, 186 points behind leader Kyle Larson.
All-Star Preview: Hamlin and the Series return home to North Carolina for Saturday night’s Monster Energy All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Drivers will be racing under the lights at the 1.5-mile speedway, all vying for a $1 million first-place prize. This year’s new race format consists of 70 laps broken into four stages with the final stage reserved for the top-10 drivers who will battle for the ultimate prize in a 10-lap shootout. Also new for this year’s event, each All-Star team will be given one set of softer tires to use at their discretion during the race. Drivers who reserve their softer tires for the final round will be required to start at the tail end of the 10-car field.
Hamlin raced his way into Monster Energy All-Star Victory Lane in 2015 after holding off Kevin Harvick during the race’s final segment, scoring the first All-Star win for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hamlin Statistics – Monster Energy All-Star Race:
Races: 10
Wins: 1
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 7
Pole: 1 (2015)
Average Start: 11.9
Average Finish: 10
Laps Led: 56
Hamlin Conversation – All-Star Race:
The All-Star format has changed up quite a bit. What do you think?
“The All-Star race is always an entertaining one since there aren’t any points on the line – just $1 million [jokes]. Taking that into account with this year’s new format where only 10 drivers race in the final Stage, we’re all going to be racing hard for those last round spots. When we won in 2015 we had 40 more laps to play with, but good news is the 10-lap shootout hasn’t changed. You can bet our #11 team will be working hard to secure ourselves a spot in that last round to hopefully repeat our success.”
FedEx Ground’s Midwest District Along for an All-Star Ride at Charlotte: FedEx Ground’s Midwest district will be recognized for their excellence in reducing transportation costs by having its “MWST” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the highly-anticipated Monster Energy All-Star Race.
