Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: ISM Connect 300
Date/Time: September 24/2 PM ET
Distance: 300 Laps/300 Miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 7 degrees
2016 Winner: Kevin Harvick
July 2017 Winner: Denny Hamlin
Express Notes:
Chicagoland Recap: Denny Hamlin notched his 12th top-five finish of the 2017 season after finishing fourth in Sunday’s NASCAR Playoffs kick-off race at Chicagoland Speedway, capitalizing on a well-balanced #11 FedEx Office Toyota and efficient green-flag pit stops from his #11 FedEx crew to maintain his position at the front of the field throughout the entire duration of the 267-lap event. Hamlin lined up sixth for the race’s final restart on lap 215 after Kyle Larson narrowly edged him in the race off pit road. As soon as the field returned to green-flag competition, Hamlin quickly picked up one spot, passing Kyle Larson to overtake fifth-place. Six laps later on lap 221, Hamlin moved passed Brad Keselowski into fourth place where he would stay for the remainder of the 400-mile event despite his best efforts to narrow the gap between himself and third-place driver, Kevin Harvick. Hamlin collected 12 bonus Championship points in the race’s first two Stages, finishing fourth in Stage 1 and crossing the line sixth at the conclusion of Stage 2. Hamlin is currently sixth in the 2017 NASCAR Playoffs standings.
New Hampshire Preview: The Series is New England bound, returning to New Hampshire Motor Speedway this weekend for its second visit to the ‘Magic Mile’ this season and the second race in Round 1 of the NASCAR Playoffs. Hamlin will arrive as the reigning race winner, posting his first victory of the 2017 season and his third New Hampshire win at the one-mile track earlier this year. Hamlin has also collected nine top-five and 14 top-10 finishes in 23 starts at Loudon, leading 549 total laps there in the process.
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, Denny has led 391 laps and captured two Cup Series wins, and FedEx has donated $65,401 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: New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Races: 23
Wins: 3 (Tied for Series-Best)
Top-5: 9
Top-10: 14
Poles: 0
Average Start: 10.8
Average Finish: 10
Laps Led: 549
Hamlin Conversation – NEW HAMPSHIRE:
You’ve posted six top-five finishes in your last seven starts and are returning to a track where you won earlier this year. What can we expect from you and your #11 FedEx team at Loudon this weekend?
“Last weekend (at Chicagoland) we had a solid weekend, but we’d obviously like to improve upon that at New Hampshire. Our goal is to win and lock ourselves in to the next round of the Playoffs, and we’ll definitely have an advantage if we can remain consistent. Our team is in a good positon with Wheels (Crew Chief Mike Wheeler) returning to the box this weekend, and I have high expectations for us on Sunday.”
