Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: GoBowling at The Glen
Date/Time: Sunday, Aug. 5/2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 90 Laps/220.5 Miles
Track Length: 2.45 Miles
Track Shape: 11-Turn Road Course
2017 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Express Notes:
Pocono Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 10th in Sunday’s event at the 2.5-mile Pocono Raceway, fighting a tight-handling #11 FedEx Express Toyota to notch his 11th top-10 of the season. Hamlin, a four-time Pocono winner, started the race from second and maintained that position until the FedEx Racing team set their strategy early on by pitting at lap 22 of the first 50-lap Stage. The strategy paid dividends, allowing Hamlin to take the lead after the field cycled through stops. Hamlin led five laps before the tight condition he was fighting gave a hard-charging Chase Elliott the opening he needed to take over the top spot. Hamlin eventually crossed the line third at the conclusion of Stage 1. After a late Stage 2 caution forced the FedEx Racing team to change their pit strategy, Crew Chief Mike Wheeler called Hamlin to pit road with only two laps remaining in the second segment, and the call allowed Hamlin to line up fifth for the final Stage. He fought to maintain his top-five position, however a flurry of cautions at the end of the race spoiled any chance for Hamlin to attempt to challenge for the win, resulting in his 10th-place finish.
Watkins Glen Preview: The Series heads to Watkins Glen International for the second and final road course race of the 2018 season. Hamlin captured his first win at “The Glen” in 2016, making his pass for the lead with only 10 laps left in the 90-lap race. In 12 starts at “The Glen,” Hamlin has secured three top-five finishes, including last year’s fourth-place result.
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 21 regular season races, Hamlin has led 244 laps resulting in a $27,084 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: Watkins Glen International
Races: 12
Wins: 1 (2016)
Poles: 0
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 6
Laps Led: 10
Avg. Start: 14.2
Avg. Finish: 17.7
Hamlin Conversation:
In the past few years, you’ve shown great success at road courses with four top-four finishes in five starts, including a win at “The Glen” in 2016. What are your expectations as the Series heads back to Watkins Glen this weekend?
“We’ve obviously seen steady improvement in our road course performance, and we hope to continue that momentum this weekend. Our FedEx Racing team is working hard to sort out some handling problems that we’ve experienced during the past couple races, and that’ll hopefully help us get to level where we’re used to performing, and we can contend for the win.”
FedEx Ground Northwest District Along for the Ride at Watkins Glen: The FedEx Ground Northwest district will be recognized for their strong commitment to safety efforts and quality-driven management by having their code letter “NWST” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota this weekend at Watkins Glen.
FedEx Office – Closest to Watkins Glen International: 605 W State St, Ithaca, NY 14850, (607) 272-2243
