Denny Hamlin
11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Geico 500
Date/Time: Sunday, April 25/2 p.m. ET
Distance: 188 laps/500 miles
Track Shape: Tri-Oval
Track Length: 2.66 Miles
Banking: 33 degrees
2020 Winner: Ryan Blaney
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2021 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Richmond Recap: A solid-handling car and fast pit stops kept Hamlin up front for most of the 300-mile event. An 11.6-second pit stop even put the #11 in the lead for the final restart with 12 laps to go. But the FedEx Toyota did not take off well when the green flag waved, and Alex Bowman made the pass around Hamlin for the eventual win. The second-place finish for Hamlin was his eighth top-five in the season’s nine races and sixth straight. The result increased Hamlin’s championship lead to 81 points, and the stage wins earned him two playoff points. The FedEx Racing team raced with heavy hearts at Richmond, with the #11 Toyota paying tribute to the FedEx team members killed last Thursday in a mass shooting at a FedEx Ground facility in Indianapolis. The car featured a black ribbon “Indy” decal and the hashtag #fedexstrong on the TV panel.
Talladega Preview: The NASCAR Cup Series makes its way to Talladega, the biggest and fastest track on the circuit. Coming off a strong performance in Richmond, Hamlin and the FedEx #11 team look to carry that momentum with them as they bring their FedEx Ground Toyota Camry to Talladega. Hamlin has two wins at the superspeedway but is focused on changing it to three come this weekend. The #11 Toyota will again honor the memories of the FedEx Ground Indianapolis shooting victims with black-ribbon and #fedexstrong decals and will promote a fundraising site for those affected by this tragedy: gofundme.com/FedExSurvivors.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Talladega Superspeedway
Races: 30
Wins: 2
Poles: 0
Top-5: 9
Top-10: 13
Laps Led: 346
Avg. Start: 16.9
Avg. Finish: 16.7
Hamlin Conversation – Talladega:
What is your FedEx Racing team’s focus as you get ready for Talladega?
“First and foremost, we want to continue to think of the families and team members in Indianapolis affected by last week’s tragedy. Our FedEx Camry will continue to reflect that with a black-ribbon decal and also information about the support fund for those affected. We’ll bring our A game to the track as we always do and see if we can get a win for our FedEx family.”
Are you frustrated that the first win hasn’t come yet?
“Yeah, there’s frustration, for sure. But it doesn’t change my attitude or work ethic. I’m going to work just as hard to win next week and the week after that. You’re a competitor, you want to win. Especially when you have a great opportunity to win.”
