Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: AAA 400 Drive for Autism
Date/Time: June 4/1 PM ET
Distance: 400 Laps/400 Miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 24 Degrees
2016 Winner: Matt Kenseth
Express Notes:
Charlotte Recap: Denny Hamlin finished fifth in Sunday’s rain delayed Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, overcoming a pit road speeding penalty early in the race to score a top-five finish and notch a Stage win. After securing the Stage 3 win, Hamlin led the field to the green flag for the start of the race’s final 100-lap segment, but he was shuffled into the middle of a three-wide during the restart that relegated him to the seventh position. As the laps ticked, Hamlin was the first of the lead-lap cars to head to pit road for a green-flag pit stop on lap 366, and he was scored 13th once the majority of the field pitted, although many cars gambled with fuel mileage and stayed out on track. Hamlin found his groove and rallied to the end to cross the finish line fifth. Hamlin spent the first half of Sunday’s 400-lap race finding his rhythm after receiving a penalty for going too fast on pit road. He avoided multiple wrecks during Stages 1 and 2, but he sustained slight damage to the right side of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota after a brush with the wall in Stage 2. Despite having to start Stage 3 from 22nd following extra time on pit road to repair the damage, Hamlin’s patient driving and the crew’s speedy pit stops ultimately secured him the Stage 3 win. Following his fifth-place finish at Charlotte, Hamlin moves up one spot to 11th in the overall NASCAR standings.
Dover Preview: The Series heads to Dover International Speedway for 400 laps around the concrete ‘Monster Mile’ this Sunday. Hamlin has scored three top-five and eight top-10 finishes and led 276 laps in his career at the Delaware track. He has also notched three poles at Dover, starting among the top-10 for his past six races at the one-mile speedway. Hamlin finished seventh in last summer’s Dover event, an event won by his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth.
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 led 10 laps during Sunday’s race at Charlotte, adding $1,110 to the total donation amount to Safe Kids. To date, FedEx has donated $16,650 to Safe Kids through the Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares program. Fans can track the total amount donated to date from the Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares program on the homepage of FedExRacing.com.
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.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Dover International Speedway
Races: 22
Wins: 0
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 8
Poles: 3 (tied for career-best)
Average Start: 10.8
Average Finish: 18.2
Laps Led: 276
Hamlin Conversation – DOVER:
What are your expectations for this weekend at Dover?
“Obviously our goal every week is to win, and the last time we visited a short track this season (Richmond), we were pretty competitive. Our team learned a lot this past weekend at Charlotte, and I think we’re definitely closer to finding the speed we need to be successful. Of course, it would also help to start up front, so I’m hoping to get in another solid qualifying run on Friday.”
Portland, Maine, FedEx Express Ramp Team Along for the Ride at Dover: The Portland, Maine, FedEx Express Ramp Team will be recognized for their outstanding performance and involvement in their community by having its “PWMR” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota this weekend at Dover International Speedway.
#11 FedEx Racing – 2017 Crew Roster
Crew Chief – Mike “Wheels” Wheeler
Car Chief – Leo Thorsen
Engineers – Justin Langdon, Sam McAuley
Shock Specialist – Drew Bible
Tire Specialist – Kerry Ferris
Mechanics – Tony Hamm, Scott Eldridge, Sean Kerlin
Spotter – Chris Lambert
Front Tire Changer: Dustin Necaise
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram
Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks
Rear Tire Carrier: Ben Fischbeck
Jack Man: Nate Bolling
Gas Man: Caleb Hurd
Transportation – Frank Hodel, Josh Collins
