Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Office Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Quaker State 400 Presented by Wal-Mart
Date/Time: Saturday, July 14/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 267 Laps/400.5 Miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Tri-Oval
2017 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Express Notes:
Daytona Recap: Denny Hamlin was collected in a multi-car wreck early in the second Stage of Saturday night’s Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, forcing the #11 FedEx Cares Toyota to an early retirement from the 160-lap event and a 38th-place finish. Hamlin lined up 11th to begin Stage 2, quickly making his way to 10th before the first caution of the segment waved with only three green-flag laps complete. Just as the field returned to green-flag racing, second-place contender Brad Keselowski went spinning, igniting a huge multi-car car wreck that collected Hamlin. The #11 FedEx Cares Toyota sustained extensive damage and was unable return to track to finish the event won by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Erik Jones.
Kentucky Preview: The Series heads to Kentucky Speedway for Saturday night’s 400-mile race where Hamlin will make his eighth start at the 1.5-mile track. Hamlin looks to follow up his 2017 fourth-place finish by earning his fourth top-five finish at the tri-oval this weekend.
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 18 regular season races, Hamlin has led 239 laps resulting in a $26,529 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.
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.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Kentucky Speedway
Races: 7
Wins: 0
Poles: 0
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 3
Laps Led: 76
Avg. Start: 8.9
Avg. Finish: 16.1
Hamlin Conversation:
Do you think you and the #11 FedEx Racing team have the right strategy to find success in Kentucky and rebound from Daytona?
“Last time we visited Kentucky (Speedway), we really had a fast car, but every time we made our way up front, we had a tire disadvantage and came up just short. We tend to race well at this track, though, and I think if we can get up to the front early and capitalize on our track position, there’s no reason we can’t contend for the win.”
FedEx Office District 70 Pittsburgh Team Along for the Ride at Kentucky: FedEx Office recognizes their District 70 Pittsburgh team for their exceptional performance by having their region code “D70” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
FedEx Office – Closest to Kentucky Speedway: 7901 Mall Rd, Suite 700, Florence, KY, 41042, (859) 746-0561