Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Apache Warrior 400
Date/Time: October 1/2 PM ET
Distance: 400 Laps/400 Miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Track Shape: Oval
Banking: 24 degrees
2016 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Express Notes:
New Hampshire Recap: Denny Hamlin overcame a mid-race loose wheel and subsequent unscheduled green flag pit stop to rally for a 12th-place finish Sunday in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoff race won by teammate Kyle Busch. Hamlin restarted the final stage in seventh, but quickly felt something amiss on the #11 machine. He pitted for four new tires, which revealed a loose right rear wheel, and Hamlin rejoined the field in the 20th position, one lap down. He worked to move into the free pass position, which he eventually earned with less than 40 laps to go. A couple late cautions bunched the field, and Hamlin steadily picked off positions to move into 12th by the checkered flag.
Dover Preview: The Series heads to Dover International Speedway for the final race of Round 1 of the NASCAR Playoffs this Sunday with Hamlin 44 points ahead of 13th-place Austin Dillon to advance into Round 2. Hamlin’s last three visits to the Monster Mile have resulted in three top-10 finishes, including an eighth-place finish during his last trip there in June. In 23 total starts at the one-mile oval, Hamlin has started from the pole position three times (2012, 2013 and 2015) and has collected three top-five and nine top-10 finishes.
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 2017 NASCAR championship.
To date, Denny has led 391 laps and captured two Cup Series wins, and FedEx has donated $65,401 to Safe Kids through the Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares program. Fans can track the total amount donated to date from the Delivering Laps for FedEx Cares program on the homepage of FedExRacing.com.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Dover International Speedway
Races: 23
Wins: 0
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 9
Poles: 3
Average Start: 10.8
Average Finish: 17.7
Laps Led: 267
Hamlin Conversation – DOVER:
What are your thoughts heading into the first NASCAR Playoffs cutoff race at Dover?
“Cutoff races typically stir up a different type of competition, so when you add that to a physically-demanding track like Dover, it’s obviously going to have an interesting result. I’m focusing on one track at a time and working to keep us in good standing for the Playoffs, so we’ll just tighten things up for this weekend and give it the best we can.”
FedEx Freight’s Dayton, Ohio, Service Team Along for the Ride at Dover: FedEx Freight recognizes the company’s Dayton, Ohio, service center for their commitment to making every FedEx experience outstanding by featuring the call letters “DAY” on the #11 FedEx Freight race car this weekend at Dover.
