Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx “Delivering Strength” Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Virtual Race Info:
Race: GEICO 70
Date/Time: Sunday, April 26/1 p.m. ET
Distance: 70 laps
Track Length: 2.66 miles
Track Shape: Tri-oval
Banking: 33 degrees
Express Notes:
eNASCAR Richmond Recap: Denny Hamlin earned his third top-10 finish in the eNASCAR Pro Invitational Series with a sixth-place result at virtual Richmond Raceway. Hamlin started 13th in the “Thank You FedEx Team Members” Toyota on the simulated three-quarter-mile oval. The mid-pack starting position proved difficult to overcome, as he used a fast Camry and pit strategy to move up as close as the top five for the closing laps. But, despite an overtime green-white-checkered finish, he didn’t have enough laps to chase down eventual winner William Byron, who won his second consecutive Pro Invitational event.
eNASCAR Talladega Preview: With two top-10 finishes in the last two virtual races, Hamlin will climb back into his iRacing rig on Sunday at Talladega and race the biggest and the fastest virtual track in NASCAR. Hamlin will look to add a second victory to his 2020 eNASCAR season.
FedEx “Delivering Strength” Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Toyota will sport a new paint scheme for the Talladega eNASCAR race, carrying the message “Delivering Strength” on the hood and #FedExStrong on the back of the car. FedEx wishes to draw attention to not just its 475,000 FedEx team members, but all the organizations FedEx is working with during the COVID-19 crisis, including nonprofit organizations, the healthcare community and FedEx customers.
Hamlin Conversation – Virtual Talladega:
What is behind the new message on your FedEx “Delivering Strength” paint scheme for Talladega?
“I’ve been proud to draw attention each week to all the efforts FedEx is involved with during these challenging times. The new scheme is to help thank the nearly half a million FedEx team members for everything they’re doing as well as all the organizations FedEx is working with to keep America strong.”
Will Talladega on iRacing be as unpredictable as it is in real life?
“Probably. It will definitely be interesting. Even at the shorter, slower tracks, we have a mix of iRacing experience among the drivers participating, and we’ll be seeing that at Talladega as well. It could get messy. We will only have one ‘fast repair’ reset available, so we’ll really want to be careful not to get into the virtual Big One.”