FedEx Racing Express Facts – Kentucky Speedway
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Office Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Quaker State 400
Date/Time: July 11/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 267 laps/400.5 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Track Shape: Oval
2014 Winner: Brad Keselowski
Express Notes:
Daytona Recap: Denny Hamlin finished third in Sunday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Daytona International Speedway, his fourth-straight top-six finish at the high-banked, 2.5-mile speedway. He lined up third for the final restart behind eventual winner Dale Earnhardt Jr., crossing the finish line sideways in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota after a multi-car incident coming to the checkered flag. Hamlin started 35th and quickly moved up through the field in the tight pack racing. He led 10 laps and posted his seventh top-10 result of the 2015 season. The finish moved Hamlin up one spot to 12th in the NASCAR standings following Daytona, 176 points behind leader Kevin Harvick after 17 of 26 regular season races.
Kentucky Preview: The Series heads to Kentucky Speedway for Saturday night’s 400-mile event at the 1.5-mile track. Hamlin is making his fifth-career Cup start at the track, with a best finish of third in 2012. In that event, Hamlin led 58 laps. One year ago, an incident on Lap 27 relegated the FedEx Racing Team to a 42nd-place result at Kentucky.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Kentucky Speedway
Races: 4
Wins: 0
Top-5: 1
Top-10: 1
Average Start: 9.8
Average Finish: 22.8
Laps Led: 63
Hamlin Conversation — KENTUCKY:
How can your team maintain the momentum after a solid showing in Daytona?
“Daytona was obviously a good race for our FedEx team, running up front for most of the night and avoiding the wrecks to be there at the end. Kentucky is a different animal altogether, and it’ll be interesting to see how the new rules package shakes out for everyone. We’re getting some additional track time to get adjusted to everything, but there are a lot of smart people in the garage, so I’m sure we’ll be acclimated pretty quickly.
New York Upstate Along for the Ride in Kentucky: The FedEx Office sales team in New York Upstate will be recognized with the group’s “7381” code numbers on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Kentucky Speedway.
FedEx Office – Closest to Kentucky Speedway: 7901 Mall Rd., Ste 700, Florence, KY 41042, (859) 746-0561
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.
#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 – Kyle Bazzell, Bob Hannigan