Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Quaker State 400 Presented by Advance Auto Parts
Date/Time: July 8/7:30 PM ET
Distance: 267 Laps/400.5 Miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Tri-Oval
2016 Winner: Brad Keselowski
Express Notes:
Daytona Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 24th in Saturday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota after being slammed in the side by another car, spinning through the infield grass with two laps to go in the race won by Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Hamlin started 18th and was running 24th prior to his first pit stop. During the stop, the right-rear tire changer encountered a problem and Hamlin left the pits with only one lug nut attached on the right-rear. Hamlin was forced to return to the pits to resolve the issue, dropping him deep in the field. The unfortunate incident changed the team’s pit strategy, and the #11 team was able to pit just before the end of Stage 1. The strategy paid off and the FedEx car took the lead for the start of Stage 2. Hamlin would eventually lead the race three times for a total of 16 laps. As the laps wore down and after a flurry of cautions, Hamlin, the 2016 Daytona 500 Champion, lined up 11th for a restart with only a few laps remaining. As the field raced off Turn 2, Erik Jones spun directly in front of the FedEx Toyota. The spinning Jones unsettled the cars around the #11, and Hamlin lost control after a car slammed into his passenger side, forcing him to the infield grass and damaging the car beyond repair in the process. Hamlin’s finish at Daytona keeps the #11 FedEx team ninth in the current NASCAR standings.
Kentucky Preview: The Series makes its first appearance at Kentucky Speedway this season for Saturday’s 400-mile event at the 1.5-mile tri-oval. Hamlin will be making his seventh start at the Sparta, Ky., track this weekend, looking to improve upon his career-best third-place finish (2012 and 2015) at the newly resurfaced venue. Hamlin finished 15th during his last trip to Kentucky in July 2016.
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 16 laps during Saturday’s race at Daytona, adding $1,776 to the total donation amount to Safe Kids. To date, FedEx has donated $19,758 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.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Kentucky Speedway
Races: 6
Wins: 0
Top-5: 2
Top-10: 2
Poles: 0
Average Start: 9.5
Average Finish: 18.2
Laps Led: 76
Hamlin Conversation – KENTUCKY:
How are you and the #11 FedEx team feeling as you get ready for Kentucky?
“After running up front a few times there at Daytona, it was obviously disappointing to wreck out at the end. We’re still working to perfect our #11 FedEx Toyota for the track, and we’re steadily getting there. It’ll be interesting to be back at Kentucky this weekend where they’ve updated the racing surface yet again. Our pit strategy and track position will certainly be important on Saturday.”
Dothan, Alabama, Service Center Along for the Ride at Kentucky: For Saturday’s race at Kentucky Speedway, FedEx Freight recognizes the company’s Dothan, Ala., service center by featuring the call letters “DOT” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota.
#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
