FedEx Racing Express Facts – Kansas Speedway
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: SpongeBob SquarePants 400
Date/Time: May 9/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 267 laps/400.5 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Quad-Oval
Banking: 14 degrees
2014 Winner: Jeff Gordon
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2015 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Dave Rogers and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights, statistics and the 2015 crew roster.
Talladega Recap: Denny Hamlin finished ninth in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, leading five laps and making an attempt at the victory coming to the white flag in the event won by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Hamlin, the defending race winner, ran among the top-10 throughout the second half of the 188-lap race in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, and found himself in a seven-car breakaway at the front of the field following the event’s final caution. Earnhardt Jr. led the pack with Hamlin in fourth as the laps clicked, with drivers preparing to time a run to the front at the high-banked restrictor plate track. Hamlin dove to the inside of third-place Ryan Blaney on the backstretch on Lap 187, but his run was thwarted by second-place Jimmie Johnson. Without drafting help on the final lap, Hamlin faded to a ninth-place finish at the checkered flag. It was Hamlin’s fifth top-10 result on a restrictor plate track in his last six races dating back to the 2014 Daytona 500. The finish moved Hamlin up two spots to 10th in the Cup Series standings after 10 of 26 regular season races.
Kansas Preview: The Series heads to Kansas Speedway for Saturday night’s 400-mile event on the 1.5-mile track. Hamlin was victorious at Kansas in the spring race at the facility in 2012, leading 32 laps en route to victory lane. Hamlin is making his 14th-career Cup start at Kansas this weekend, and has four top-10 finishes in 13 races at the track. He has led 68 laps.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Kansas Speedway
Races: 13
Wins: 1
Top-5: 3
Top-10: 4
Average Start: 15.5
Average Finish: 14.5
Laps Led: 68
Hamlin Conversation — KANSAS:
How important is Saturday’s race at Kansas to learn information for the Chase?
“Certainly, anytime you can get laps on a track that will have a Chase race, it will help for when we go back. Having locked ourselves in early in the season, we can try some things at a lot of these tracks to learn for later this year. Kansas has been a tough place for our team since the repave a few years ago, but we got a good finish there last fall and hopefully can build on that with a great run on Saturday night.
Topeka Along for the Ride in Kansas: The FedEx Freight service center in Topeka, Kan., will be recognized with its “TOP” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend at Kansas Speedway. The center is home to Don Logan, the 2012 National Truck Driving Championships Grand Champion.
#11 FedEx Racing – 2015 Crew Roster
Crew Chief – Dave Rogers
Car Chief – Joe Fiorelli
Engineers – Chris Gabehart, Kenny Oates
Shock Specialist – Ron Denton
Tire Specialist – Jamie Turski
Mechanics – Joey Forgette, Jerad Hewitt, Jason Clements
Spotter – Chris Lambert
Front Tire Changer: Dustin Necaise
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram
Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks
Rear Tire Carrier: Heath Cherry
Jack Man: Nate Bolling
Gas Man: Caleb Hurd
Pit Crew Coordinator: Paul Alepa
Athletic Director: Mike Lepp
Transportation – Bob Hannigan, Kyle Bazzell
