Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Ground Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Coca-Cola 600
Date/Time: Sunday, May 27/6 p.m. ET
Distance: 400 Laps/600 Miles
Track Length: 1.5 Miles
Track Shape: Tri-oval
Banking: Turns: 17-20°; Straights: 5-11°
2017 Winner: Austin Dillon
Express Notes:
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.
All-Star Race Recap: Denny Hamlin fought his way to a fourth-place finish in Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, a non-points event that awards $1 million to the race winner. After the #11 FedEx Express Toyota sustained right-rear fender damage during the first Stage, Hamlin fell as far back as 19th before rallying to the front. By Stage 3, Hamlin capitalized on the tight-pack racing and elected to refrain from making any additional pit stops, and he positioned himself as a strong contender for the race lead. Hamlin lined up sixth for the race’s final 10-lap dash to the finish, and made his way to third before a caution tightened up the field for a restart with only two laps remaining. Hamlin lined up on the inside row behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Daniel Suarez, and together, the two took off, battling a hard-charging Kevin Harvick in the outside groove. Hamlin and Suarez did their best to thwart off the No. 4 car, but Harvick’s speed was too much to overcome.
Charlotte Preview: The Series remains in North Carolina for the longest mileage race of the season, the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway, this Sunday, May 27. Hamlin continues to chase down his first career victory at the 1.5-mile speedway, but he has notched eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes in 25 starts at CMS. In his last five starts at ‘NASCAR’s home track’, Hamlin has collected four top-five finishes, including a fifth-place finish in the 2017 Coca-Cola 600.
Daytona Debut — #11 FedEx Cares, Team Rubicon Toyota Unveiled: The FedEx Racing team unveiled a special #11 FedEx Cares paint scheme that Hamlin will race for the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway on July 7. The scheme highlights the relationship between FedEx and Team Rubicon, an organization that unites the skills and expertise of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams following natural disasters.
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 12 regular season races, Hamlin has led 226 laps resulting in an $25,086 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 FedExRacing.com.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Charlotte Motor Speedway
Races: 25
Wins: 0
Poles: 2
Top-5: 8
Top-10: 16
Laps Led: 347
Avg. Start: 10.8
Avg. Finish: 12.4
Hamlin Conversation:
You’ve notched four top-five finishes in your last five starts at Charlotte. Do you believe you can continue that success this weekend?
“We had a shot to win last year’s Coca-Cola 600, and I’m hopeful that we have an opportunity to be in that same position again this year. We’ve learned a lot during our last couple visits to this track, and now we’ll do our best to apply that in Sunday’s race.”
Tell us more about the #11 FedEx Cares, Team Rubicon paint scheme you unveiled for the July 7 race at Daytona.
“It’s always fun to have new and interesting paint schemes. The fans love them. FedEx has used the race car the last few years to highlight FedEx Cares and the various organizations it supports. I have been lucky throughout my career to help support a lot of charities with FedEx, and I’m excited to hit the track in Daytona with this great FedEx Cares scheme.”
FedEx Ground Western Rockies District Along for the Ride at Charlotte: The FedEx Ground Western Rockies district will be recognized for their exceptional performance with its district code “WROK” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
FedEx Office – Closest to Charlotte Motor Speedway: 7741 Gateway Lane NW, Suite 110, Concord, NC, (704) 979-1971
