Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Bojangles’ Southern 500
Date/Time: Sunday, Sept. 2/6 pm ET
Distance: 367 Laps/501.3 Miles
Track Length:1.36 miles
Track Shape: Egged-shaped oval
2017 Winner: Denny Hamlin
Express Notes:
Darlington “NASCAR Throwback” Weekend Preview: Hamlin returns to Darlington Raceway as the defending race winner after sweeping the 2017 weekend with victories in both the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup and NASCAR XFINITY Series. In 12 career starts at Darlington, Hamlin has only finished outside of the top-10 twice and has visited Victory Lane at the track that’s “Too Tough to Tame” on two occasions.
Blame It All on His Racing Roots: Hamlin’s special #11 FedEx Toyota paint scheme for the Cup Series race at Darlington is a throwback to Hamlin’s first-ever race car, a Mini Stock that he drove in 1997 at Langley Speedway and Southside Speedway in Virginia. Hamlin won both track championships that year, and was named the NASCAR Mini Stock Rookie of the Year. For more on the family history behind Hamlin’s special throwback scheme, click here.
Double Duty: Hamlin will also make his 11th-career NASCAR XFINITY start at “The Lady in Black” this weekend, returning as the defending race winner. In his10 previous XFINITY starts at the track, Hamlin has earned five total wins (2006, 2007, 2010, 2015, 2017).
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 24 regular season races, Hamlin has led 259 laps resulting in a $28,749 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.
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: Darlington Raceway
Races: 12
Wins: 2
Poles: 0
Top-5: 7
Top-10: 10
Laps Led: 551
Avg. Start: 9.4 (Series Best)
Avg. Finish: 5.8 (Series Best)
Hamlin Conversation
Tell us more about your special throwback scheme for Sunday’s race.
“This year’s Darlington throwback scheme means a lot to me, and I can’t thank FedEx enough for surprising me with it. It’s a true part of my racing history and the design brings back so many great memories. Our team has shown great success at Darlington, so I look forward to competing for another win there this weekend, especially behind the wheel of this car.”
