Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Axalta Presents the Pocono 400
Date/Time: June 11/3 PM ET
Distance: 160 Laps/400 Miles
Track Length: 2.5 miles
Track Shape: Triangle
2016 Winner: Kurt Busch
Express Notes:
Dover Recap: Denny Hamlin finished eighth in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover International Speedway, despite battling an ill-handling #11 FedEx Express Toyota throughout the 400-lap event. Running outside the top-10 throughout most of the race, Hamlin lined up 12th for the final restart that would take the race to overtime. As the field headed for the backstretch, a multi-car accident unfolded in front of Hamlin who took evasive action, however during the scramble the #11 sustained significant damage to the right front, but Hamlin kept enough momentum going to make it back to the finish line in eighth to score his sixth top-10 of the season. Hamlin started 10th and almost immediately began fighting a car that switched from a tight condition to a loose condition during the stints between stops. Hamlin and the crew stayed focused on the task at hand and made adjustments to the FedEx Toyota during each stop, but the condition continued and Hamlin struggled to stay within striking distance of the top-10 during most of the race due to a lack of grip towards the end of each run. Following his eighth-place finish at Dover, Hamlin moved up two spots to ninth in the overall NASCAR standings.
Pocono Preview: The Series heads to Pocono Raceway this Sunday for 400 miles around Pennsylvania’s ‘Tricky Triangle’. Hamlin scored his first-ever Cup Series win at Pocono during his rookie season in 2006, ultimately sweeping both races at the 2.5-mile speedway that year. He chases down his fifth win at the Tricky Triangle this weekend, looking to add to his success of nine top-five finishes and 669 laps led in 22 career starts at Pocono.
Hamlin’s Hollywood Hotel: Eight Cup Series regulars will take over FOX’s broadcast of Saturday’s XFINITY Series race at Pocono with Hamlin serving as a host in FOX’s Hollywood Hotel for the 100-lap event. He’ll join fellow competitors to provide insight and commentary on the on-track action, live on FS1. Saturday’s drivers-only broadcast is thought to be the first time a nationally televised live sporting event has featured an on-air team comprised strictly of athletes actively competing in that sport.
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.
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: Pocono Raceway
Races: 22
Wins: 4
Top-5: 9
Top-10: 14
Poles: 3 (tied for career-best)
Average Start: 6.9 (career-best)
Average Finish: 12.1
Laps Led: 669
Hamlin Conversation – POCONO:
How tricky is the Tricky Triangle?
“This track (Pocono) is obviously unlike any other on our schedule. I’ve been fortunate to have some great success here (Pocono), and after scoring my first Cup Series win here, I’ve always felt pretty comfortable at Pocono even though it may be ‘tricky’. Our team is obviously still looking for our first win this season, and it would be great to pull it off this weekend.”
Pocono Summit, Pennsylvania, FedEx Freight Team Along for the Ride at Pocono: Located just minutes away from Pocono Raceway, the Pocono Summit, Penn., FedEx Freight Team will be recognized by having its “POS” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend at their home track.
#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
