Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Alabama 500
Date/Time: October 15/2PM ET
Distance: 188 laps/500 Miles
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Track Shape: Tri-Oval
Banking: 33 degrees
2016 Winner: Joey Logano
Express Notes:
Charlotte Recap: Denny Hamlin finished fourth in Sunday’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Charlotte Motor Speedway, capitalizing on swift pit stops by the #11 FedEx crew to move his way to the front of the field and capture his 13th top-five finish of the 2017 season. After starting on the pole for Sunday’s race, Hamlin battled a tight #11 FedEx Office Toyota throughout the duration of the 500-mile event, working the preferred line to the best of his ability to earn himself valuable track position despite the ill-handling conditions. He remained consistent during the races first two 90-lap Stages, accumulating 10 bonus Championship points for back-to-back sixth-place Stage finishes. During the final Stage of Sunday’s race, Hamlin restarted second next to eventual race winner Martin Truex Jr. with only five laps remaining in the race. Three laps later, the caution quickly reemerged, forcing the drivers to tighten up for a final overtime restart with Denny lined up second again. Despite his best efforts to work the preferred line, Hamlin wound up fourth in the scramble to the checkers.
Talladega Preview: With only two races left for drivers to earn a spot in the Round of 8, the Series heads to Talladega Superspeedway for another 500-mile Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series event. Hamlin has notched five top-5 finishes at the 2.66-mile track, including one win in 2014 and a third-place finish in this race last October. During his most recent visit to the Superspeedway, Hamlin collected his first Stage win of the 2017 season before finishing 11th following a green-white-checker restart.
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.
Hamlin led 45 laps during Sunday’s race at Charlotte, adding $4,995 to the total donation amount to Safe Kids. To date, Denny has led 436 laps and captured two Cup Series wins, and FedEx has donated $70,396 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: Talladega Superspeedway
Races: 23
Wins: 1
Top-5: 5
Top-10: 8
Poles: 0
Average Start: 17.9
Average Finish: 18.8
Laps Led: 287
Hamlin Conversation – Talladega:
Talladega is known for producing some unpredictable finishes and that’s certainly reflected in your last few finishes there. What are you hoping to accomplish this weekend?
“There’s no doubt that Talladega is unpredictable, and I think this Round of 12 has a couple of races that are wildcards. I’ve just got to make sure we’re towards the front at the end when it matters. We’ve worked hard to improve our restrictor-plate program, and it’ll be important for us to perform well this weekend and continue to keep ourselves in a good position to advance to the next round of the Playoffs.”
FedEx’s Linehaul Cost Quality Action Team Along for the Ride at Talladega: FedEx’s Linehaul Cost Quality Action Team will be recognized with its “LHCT” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota this weekend at Talladega.
