Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Gander Outdoors 400
Date/Time: Sunday, July 29/ 2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 160 Laps/400 Miles
Track Length: 2.5 Miles
Track Shape: Triangle
2017 Winner: Kyle Busch
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2018 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Mike Wheeler and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
New Hampshire Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 13th in Sunday’s rain-delayed, 301-lap event at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, overcoming an ill-handling #11 FedEx Freight Toyota to collect his 22nd top-15 finish in 25 starts at the New England “Magic Mile”. Hamlin, the 2017 Loudon race winner, started the race in the fourth position and quickly worked his way to second, however varying pit strategies during the competition caution on lap 35 dropped Hamlin to 19th. After finishing Stage 1 in 16th, Hamlin’s FedEx Racing crew helped position him in 14th to begin the second Stage, but he continued to battle a lack of grip during the ensuing 75 laps, and finished 12th as the yellow flag signaled the end of Stage 2. Hamlin lined up in 14th to begin the race’s final segment, but he continued to struggle with the car’s handling and fell back as far as 18th before slowly beginning his ascent back to the front, climbing his way to 13th before the checkered flag waved.
Pocono Preview: The Series returns to Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s 400-mile race around the 2.5-mile “Tricky Triangle”. Hamlin is looking to rebound from his 35th-place finish that resulted from a late-race crash in the June event and add a fifth victory at Pocono to his impressive résumé of 10 top-five and 15 top-10 finishes at the Pennsylvania track.
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 2018 NASCAR championship. New for the 2018 season, the Denny Hamlin Foundation will also match the total donation to Safe Kids Worldwide.
After 19 regular season races, Hamlin has led 239 laps resulting in a $26,529 donation to Safe Kids Worldwide which will ultimately be matched by the Denny Hamlin Foundation. 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 2018 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Mike Wheeler and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Pocono Raceway
Races: 25
Wins: 4 (Series Best)
Poles: 3
Top-5: 10
Top-10: 15
Laps Led: 688
Avg. Start: 7.3 (Series Best)
Avg. Finish: 12.7
Hamlin Conversation:
You lead active drivers for most wins at Pocono Raceway. What will it take to capture your fifth victory at the Tricky Triangle this weekend?
“Our results from our last visit to Pocono Raceway don’t necessarily show what this FedEx Racing team is capable of, we just ran into some unfortunate circumstances that ended our race early. Heading back there, we obviously want to improve our track position and contend for the win, and we learned a lot of things in our past few races there (Pocono) that can help us do that. ”
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, FedEx Express Ramp Along for the Ride at Pocono: FedEx Express recognizes the employees at the company’s ramp in Harrisburg, Penn., for their continued efforts to support charitable causes in the local community by featuring the letters “MDTR” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota this weekend at the “Tricky Triangle”.
FedEx Office – Closest to Pocono Raceway: 940 Schechter Dr., Suite 1, Wilkes Barre, PA, 18702, (570) 819-0813
