Denny Hamlin
11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Saturday Race Info:
Race: Jockey Made in America 250 Presented by Kwik Trip
Date/Time: Sunday, July 4/2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 62 laps/250 miles
Track Length: 4.048 miles
Track Shape: Road Course
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.
Pocono Doubleheader Recap: A fast FedEx Ground Toyota and strong pit strategy helped Denny Hamlin finish fourth in Saturday’s 325-mile race at Pocono Raceway in the first race of a weekend doubleheader. Hamlin started the event in 10th and moved up and down the leaderboard as the team worked a different pit cycle than many of the other cars. The team’s long-pit strategy led to Hamlin taking the lead in the final stage with 36 laps to go as others hit pit road. He led for 11 laps before being one of the last cars to peel off for a final green-flag stop, taking right-side tires and fuel. He rejoined the field in seventh and went to work chasing down the leaders. He passed two cars to claim fifth, and then moved to fourth when Kyle Larson crashed out of the lead on the last lap with a blown tire. In the second race of the weekend, Denny Hamlin was a lap away from his first win of the season. He was out front at a track where he already has six wins, and he had been saving fuel since his last trip to pit road early in Stage 3. But his FedEx Toyota sputtered out of gas on the last lap, forcing him to pit as the white flag waved. Hamlin crossed the line 14th after his pit stop.
Road America Preview: The NASCAR Cup Series is traveling to Wisconsin to its Road America road course for the Fourth of July weekend. Hamlin has no experience at this track but will look to capture a road course win as he works to officially secure a spot in the playoffs. The team is coming off two strong performances at Pocono Raceway and will attempt to carry that momentum into this weekend.
Hamlin Conversation – Road America:
How does it feel to race at a new track this week, and what can you do to position yourself to be successful?
“I didn’t race there in the Xfinity Series, so I’ll be one of the inexperienced guys. I like going to unfamiliar places. I like the process of trying to learn them. The great drivers have a way of figuring it out when they go someplace new. I hear it’s pretty smooth and has some heavy braking zones. You’re going to have to have a car that works well under braking. All road courses pose a challenge. Getting laps in the simulator, of course, helps. But, I’m excited about it. I love the challenge of being somewhere for the first time, and that track is certainly going to pose that challenge for me.”
What would it mean to get a win at Road America in your first time running on the track?
“Any time you can win somewhere new, especially when everyone is there for the first time, it makes it more special. It means you adapted to that racetrack quicker than everyone else. There will be some drivers that have some Xfinity experience there, like Kyle Busch, and they’ll have a little bit of advantage over us. But I’m sure once we get through some practice, we’ll be good.”
FedEx Freight Along for the Ride at Road America: For the NASCAR Cup Jockey Made in America 250 at Road America, FedEx Freight recognizes the company’s Sheboygan, Wis., service center by featuring the call letters SBM on the #11 FedEx Freight race car. The Sheboygan service center, opened in 2019, has approximately 30 team members who are committed to making every FedEx experience outstanding.
FedEx Office – Closest to Road America: 3434 Mill Rd., Sheboygan, WI 53083 (920) 803-5065
