Denny Hamlin
11 FedEx Office Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing

Race Info:
Race: Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500
Date/Time: April 10/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps/263 miles
Track Length: .526 miles
Track Shape: Oval

2020 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.

Express Notes:

Press Kit: Download the 2021 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Bristol Recap: The spectacle of the NASCAR Cup Series’ first dirt race in more than 50 years was postponed a day, after heavy weekend rains washed out Sunday’s track activity. The wait seemed to be worth it, as a limited-capacity crowd cheered Monday as Hamlin led the field to the green flag for the first of 253 laps. (The FedEx Racing driver inherited the lead after an engine change forced pole-sitter Kyle Larson to start from the rear.) Hamlin led the first lap before his loose-handling car dropped him back outside the top five. But, even with the unfamiliar racing conditions of the temporary dirt track, the FedEx team stayed competitive throughout the 127-mile event, racing near the front and picking up stage points. The #11 team was in second and battling leader Joey Logano when the yellow flag flew on Lap 246, forcing a green-white-checkered finish. During the two-lap dash to the finish, Hamlin tried to pass Logano on the outside, but lost traction and fell back to third, allowing Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. to cross the finish line ahead of him. The third-place result was Hamlin’s fourth consecutive top-five finish, padding his championship points lead to 58.

Martinsville Outlook: The series shakes the dirt off its feet from Bristol and heads to Martinsville Speedway, the paperclip-shaped short track that typically produces a lot of bumping and banging on track – and occasionally some anger among the drivers. Hamlin and the FedEx Racing team have five wins at the Ridgeway, Va., track. The Virginia native will look to win his sixth Martinsville grandfather clock trophy on Saturday under the lights.

Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Martinsville Speedway
Races: 30
Wins: 5
Poles: 4
Top-5: 15
Top-10: 21
Laps Led: 1608
Avg. Start: 8.7
Avg. Finish: 9.9

Hamlin Conversation – Martinsville:

After the unfamiliarity of the Bristol dirt track, are you eager to get to the more familiar Martinsville?

“NASCAR and Bristol Motor Speedway did a great job with the dirt race, but, yes, I’m ready to get back onto some asphalt. Martinsville is always a place we take confidence to, even when we know we need to keep making improvements to our short track program.”

Is Martinsville a place where you can get your first win of 2021?

“Absolutely. We’re obviously on a strong run with all the top-fives we have, so we’re doing a lot of things right. It’s just a matter of time before we get ourselves up front at the checkers. In the meantime, we’re going to keep working on collecting stage points and growing our lead any way we can.”

This Week in Motorsports: April 5-11, 2021

• NCS/NXS: Martinsville Speedway– April 9-10

PLANO, Texas (April 7, 2021) – Toyota drivers are set to compete at Martinsville Speedway under the lights this weekend in the NASCAR Cup Series and NASCAR Xfinity Series.

NASCAR National Series – NCS| NXS

Martin wins Martinsville… Martin Truex Jr. scored a victory in the NASCAR Cup Series Spring race (delayed to June) at Martinsville Speedway – his second consecutive win at the Virginia short track. Truex led the final 131 laps to earn his second Martinsville clock.

Toyota victories at Martinsville… Toyota has driven to five victories at Martinsville Speedway since 2015 – more than any other manufacturer. Denny Hamlin scored his fifth Martinsville victory in March 2015. Kyle Busch (April 2016, October 2017) and Truex (October 2019, June 2020) complete the recent winning history for Toyota.

Hamlin continues to stretch championship lead… After his sixth top-five finish in the first seven events of the season, Hamlin continues to extend his points lead in the NASCAR Cup Series. Hamlin has a 58-point advantage over second-place Joey Logano, which is nearly a full-race advantage. He will be in a good position to add to his lead this weekend as the Cup Series visits one of Hamlin’s best tracks. The Virginia-native owns five Martinsville trophies (March 2008, October 2009, March 2010, October 2010, March 2015).

Burton looking for a repeat… Harrison Burton was impressive in the NASCAR Xfinity Series return to Martinsville Speedway last fall. Burton led 81 laps – including the last 53 – to score an impressive fourth win of his rookie season.

Hemric back at his debut track… Daniel Hemric is back at the track where he made his NASCAR debut in October 2013. Hemric returns to Martinsville this weekend for the first time since 2019 for his first Xfinity Series race at the Virginia short track. Across the three series, Hemric’s career-best Martinsville finish is ninth in 2016 in the Truck Series.

Gdovic, Gibbs return… Brandon Gdovic and Ty Gibbs are both back behind the wheel of Toyota Supras this weekend at Martinsville. Gdovic, who drove to a top-10 finish at Daytona, will be in the No. 26 Toyota Supra for Sam Hunt Racing in three of the next six races (Martinsville, Darlington and Charlotte). Following a successful start to his Xfinity Series career with consecutive top-two finishes, Gibbs will handle the driving duties of the No. 54 Toyota Supra for four of the next six events (Martinsville, Darlington, Dover and Charlotte).

Stay Connected

https://www.toyota.com/racing @ToyotaRacing.com @ToyotaRacing

facebook.com/ToyotaRacing Camera With Flash on Apple iOS 11.3 ToyotaRacingMedia.com

About Toyota

Toyota (NYSE:TM) has been a part of the cultural fabric in North America for more than 60 years, and is committed to advancing sustainable, next-generation mobility through our Toyota and Lexus brands plus our 1,800 dealerships.

Toyota has created a tremendous value chain and directly employs more than 47,000 in North America. The company has contributed world-class design, engineering, and assembly of more than 40 million cars and trucks at our 14 manufacturing plants, 15 including our joint venture in Alabama that begins production in 2021.

Through its Start Your Impossible campaign, Toyota highlights the way it partners with community, civic, academic and governmental organizations to address our society’s most pressing mobility challenges. We believe that when people are free to move, anything is possible. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyotanewsroom.com.

Alfredo a Dedicated User of iRacing Platform

MOORESVILLE, N.C. (April 6, 2021) – A familiar company returns to partner with Anthony Alfredo this weekend at the Martinsville (Va.) Speedway. iRacing will be the primary partner of Alfredo and the No. 38 Ford Mustang team during Saturday night’s 500-lap event. The world’s most popular racing simulation has supported Alfredo in his NASCAR career the past several seasons, but this will be their first supporting Alfredo in the NASCAR Cup Series.

Alfredo is known as one of iRacing’s most committed users. Utilizing the simulation is how the current NASCAR Cup Series Sunoco rookie contender has developed his young career. Alfredo is a regular in leagues and special events on iRacing. He is even an owner of his own iRacing team- Lockdown Racing.

“I’m a big supporter of iRacing and it’s awesome to be able to race their colors under the lights at Martinsville this weekend,” said Alfredo. “They have supported me throughout my career, and I’ve been a big fan of what iRacing provides to the esports community. It’s the best service out there and allows so many people to participate in our sport. It’s as close to actually being behind the wheel as you can get. I love how this car turned out and I’m looking forward to Saturday night.”

iRacing is the ultimate global racing portal. Whether you want to experience a NASCAR Cup car, a World of Outlaws Sprint car, an open-wheel IndyCar, an Australian Supercar, an IMSA Prototype or Touring Car, or the ultimate: an FIA Grand Prix car, iRacing’s online racing simulations offer them all. All you need is a computer equipped with one or more USB ports, and a digital wheel/pedal, or gamepad backed by a high-speed internet connection. iRacing does the work for you by organizing and managing more than 50 official series, or you can choose to race in more than 400 private leagues or launch your own hosted events.

For more information about iRacing and for special offers, visit www.iracing.com.

ABOUT FRONT ROW MOTORSPORTS
Front Row Motorsports (FRM) is a winning organization in the NASCAR Cup and Camping World Truck Series and the 2021 Daytona 500 champions. The team was founded in 2004 and is owned by successful entrepreneur, Bob Jenkins. FRM fields the No. 34 and the No. 38 NASCAR Cup Series teams along with the No. 38 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team– from its Mooresville, N.C. headquarters. Visit teamfrm.com and follow FRM on social media: Twitter at @Team_FRM, Instagram at @team_frm and Facebook at facebook.com/FrontRowMotorsports.

Team: No. 6 Guaranteed Rate Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Scott Graves
Twitter: @Roush6Team, @RoushFenway and @RyanJNewman
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 – Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Newman at Martinsville Speedway

• Newman returns to Martinsville this weekend, the site of one of his 18 Cup Series victories, for his 39th NCS event at the 1-mile track. In 38 races, Newman has an average finish of 14.8 with 17 top-10s, including eight finishes inside the top five.
• Newman won the spring race back in 2012, leading the final 12 laps after starting fifth. He’s completed nearly 98 percent of all the laps at ‘The Paperclip,’ and finished in the top-10 for 45 percent of his starts.
• Newman’s other top finishes include a runner-up result in 2007 and two third-place finishes (2004, 2014). Most recently, Newman finished 12th in last season’s spring event, and 18th in the fall.

Newman in Modified Race Thursday

• Prior to hopping in his Cup car Saturday night, Newman will run in Thursday night’s NASCAR Modified Tour season opener, the first visit to ‘The Paperclip’ for the series since 2010.
• Only nine of the drivers who competed in that race are on the entry list for the return. Newman and Ryan Preece tested at Martinsville a few weeks back in a modified, and join a stacked field of 40 cars on the entry list.
• Newman has 28 NWMT starts all-time, including 20 at Loudon and eight at Bristol. He has four NWMT wins and 11 top-10s in the series.

Scott Graves at Martinsville Speedway

• Graves will call his 10th Cup event at Martinsville this weekend, where he has an average finish of 20.4, but is coming off two top-12 finishes with Newman. The duo ran 10th in the 2019 fall race and backed that up with a 12th-place finish last spring.
• Prior to 2019, Graves had a top finish of 15th, which came in 2017.

QUOTE WORTHY
Newman on racing at Martinsville:
“Our short track program has been a major focus for our shop the last few weeks, and it’ll be in full display the next couple weeks. A lot goes into being successful at Martinsville, especially with the brakes and simply keeping your best stuff for late in the race. We were solid in two of the last three events up there, so our hope is to keep the momentum we do have and put together a good day in our Guaranteed Rate Ford.”

Last Time Out
Newman earned his best finish on the young season in the Bristol Dirt race two weeks ago, picking up stage points in each of the opening two segments before finishing fifth.

Where They Rank
Newman is 19th in the points standings entering the eighth race of 2021.

On the Car
Guaranteed Rate returns to the No. 6 machine for its second points event of 2021.

About Guaranteed Rate

The Guaranteed Rate Companies, which includes Guaranteed Rate, Inc., Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, and Proper Rate, LLC, has more than 9,000 employees in over 750 offices across the United States. Headquartered in Chicago, Guaranteed Rate Companies is one of the largest retail mortgage lenders in the United States, funding over $73 billion in 2020. Founded in 2000 and located in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., Guaranteed Rate Companies has helped homeowners nationwide with home purchase loans and refinances. The company has established itself as an industry leader by introducing innovative technology, offering low rates and delivering unparalleled customer service. 2017 marked the launch of Guaranteed Rate Affinity, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and Realogy Holdings Corp. (NYSE: RLGY), a global leader in residential real estate franchising and brokerage. In 2020, the company launched Proper Rate, LLC, a mortgage origination joint venture between Guaranteed Rate, Inc. and @properties, one of the nation’s largest residential brokerage firms. Collectively, the Guaranteed Rate Companies have earned honors and awards including: Top Lender for Online Service for 2018 by U.S. News & World Report; Best Mortgage Lender for Online Loans and Best Mortgage Lender for Refinancing by NerdWallet for 2021; HousingWire’s 2020 Tech100 award for the company’s industry-leading FlashCloseSM technology; No. 3 ranking in Scotsman Guide’s Top Retail Mortgage Lenders 2019; Chicago Agent Magazine’s Lender of the Year for five consecutive years; Chicago Tribune’s Top Workplaces list for seven consecutive years. Visit rate.com for more information.

Team: No. 17 Fastenal Ford Mustang
Crew Chief: Luke Lambert
Twitter: @17RoushTeam, @RoushFenway and @Chris_Buescher
Blue-Emu Maximum Pain Relief 500 – Saturday, April 10 at 7:30 p.m. ET on FS1, PRN, SiriusXM Channel 90

ADVANCE NOTES

Buescher at Martinsville Speedway

• Buescher makes his 12th Cup start at Martinsville on Saturday, where he carries an average finish of 21.5.
• Buescher’s best run at the 1-mile track came back in the 2017 spring event, where he finished 11th. He’s finished 13th or better in three of his last five races at Martinsville, including a 13th-place run last spring.

Luke Lambert at Martinsville Speedway

• Lambert will call his 18th Cup race from atop the box at Martinsville, a track he has an average finish of 15.4 with six top-10s, including one finish inside the top five.
• His best result came back in 2014 when he led Ryan Newman to a third-place run in the fall race. He also ran sixth with Jeff Burton in his first-ever Cup event at ‘The Paperclip,’ and also had finishes of seventh (2015) and eighth twice (2017, 2018).

QUOTE WORTHY
Buescher on racing at Martinsville:
“I like Martinsville overall, it’s a fun short track and very different from anywhere else we go. It’ll leave you flat wore out by the end of 500 laps. We’ve got lights there now and that’s unique and something different than what we’ve experienced before. It’s a tight track, very challenging race and physical race, both inside and outside the track. I thought the first race there last race was really strong for us, the second one was decent, and this will be a good opportunity for us.”

Last Time Out
In the series’ last outing on the Bristol Dirt two weeks ago, Buescher ran much of the race in the top-10, earning stage points in the first stage. But, a flat right rear tire halfway through the second stage set him back as he ultimately went on to finish 14th.

Where They Rank
Buescher is 17th in points entering the eighth race of the 2021 campaign.

On the Car
Fastenal returns to the fold at Roush Fenway for its 11th season in 2021. They spent three years on the No. 99 before jumping to the No. 17 Cup Series entry, and were the primary partner on the No. 60 Xfinity team that captured the owner’s championship in 2011.

Fastenal will feature top suppliers Georgia Pacific Pro, 3M, Widia, Weiler and ARC on Buescher’s Mustang as he competes this weekend. For more information on these suppliers, visit Fastenal.com, and stay up-do-date on social @FastenalRacing, @Fastenal.

About Fastenal
Fastenal [Nasdaq: FAST] is North America’s largest fastener distributor and a ‘one-stop’ source for hundreds of thousands of OEM, MRO and Construction products. With more than 2,600 stores worldwide, the company supports B2B customers with tailored local inventory and dedicated personnel, who visit regularly, quickly respond to emergency needs, and provide efficient inventory management solutions. Fastenal’s service-oriented business network includes the world’s largest industrial vending program, 14 regional distribution centers, 8 custom manufacturing facilities, thousands of delivery vehicles, and industry-leading sourcing, quality and engineering resources.

FORD PERFORMANCE NASCAR: MARTINSVILLE

After an off weekend to celebrate the Easter Holiday, NASCAR returns to competition this weekend with the NASCAR XFINITY and NASCAR Cup Series running under the lights at Martinsville Speedway. The NASCAR XFINITY Series kicks things off at 8 p.m. on Friday while the Cup Series follows on Saturday with a 7:30 p.m. green flag start.

This Week’s Schedule:
Friday, Apr. 9 – NASCAR XFINITY Series, 8 p.m. ET (FS1)
Saturday, Apr. 10 – NASCAR Cup Series, 7:30 p.m. ET (FS1)

FORD IN THE NASCAR CUP SERIES AT MARTINSVILLE

• Ford has 30 series wins at Martinsville Speedway.
• Ford has won four of the last eight series events at Martinsville.
• Brad Keselowski has two of those wins while Joey Logano has one.

FORD IN THE NASCAR XFINITY SERIES AT MARTINSVILLE

• Ford has 1 series win at Martinsville Speedway.
• Kenny Wallace has that lone series win (1994).
• Austin Cindric finished 10th in this event one year ago

FORD AND TEAM PENSKE GOING FOR THREE STRAIGHT CUP WINS

Back-to-back NASCAR Cup Series victories by Ryan Blaney (Atlanta) and Joey Logano (Bristol Dirt) has vaulted Ford into the lead for most wins by a manufacturer to start the 2021 season. Ford now has three wins overall while Chevrolet and Toyota have two apiece. The last time a pair of drivers from the same organization won consecutive Cup events for Ford was last season when Kevin Harvick won at Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Stewart-Haas teammate Cole Custer followed with his first series win at Kentucky Motor Speedway. A win at Martinsville this weekend by Brad Keselowski would mark the first time one Ford organization has won three straight races with three different drivers.

LOGANO AND KESELOWSKI TIED ON ALL-TIME FORD WIN LIST

Logano’s victory on the Bristol dirt was his 27th career NASCAR Cup Series triumph and 25th since joining Ford and Team Penske in 2013. Those 25 wins tie him with teammate Brad Keselowski for eighth on the all-time Ford Cup Series win list. They’re next victory will tie them with NASCAR Hall of Famers Fred Lorenzen and Junior Johnson, who each won 26 times with the Blue Oval. Ford’s all-time leader is Ned Jarrett with 43 while Bill Elliott (40), Mark Martin (35), Dale Jarrett (30) and David Pearson (29) round out the top five.

MARTINSVILLE TURNAROUND

Martinsville Speedway has not historically been Ford’s best track, but that has changed the past few seasons. After enduring a 28-race winless drought at NASCAR’s oldest track, Ford goes into Saturday’s event having won four of the last eight overall. That includes a sweep in 2018 when Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano found their way to Victory Lane, marking the first time Ford captured both NASCAR Cup Series races in the same season since 2001. Brad Keselowski continued Ford’s hot streak when he won the spring race in 2019.

Martinsville Highlights

BOWYER NETS FIRST FORD WIN

Clint Bowyer snapped a 190-race winless stretch by leading the final 114 laps to win the weather-delayed STP 500 in 2018. The win was Bowyer’s first with Ford and ninth of his career. He passed Ryan Blaney on lap 285 to gain the lead for the first time, and when Jamie McMurray brought out the caution 100 laps later after hitting the wall, Bowyer’s pit crew got him back out with the lead and that proved to be the difference. That capped a big day for Ford, which had five drivers finish in the Top 10 and saw Blaney win Stage 2.

LOGANO PUNCHES CHAMPIONSHIP 4 TICKET

When NASCAR came to Martinsville in 2018 for the Round of 8 opener, Joey Logano emerged with an automatic berth into the Championship 4 after a dramatic final lap battle with Martin Truex Jr. Logano, who has five poles at the track, was dominant all day as he led a race-high 309 laps, but Truex challenged and took the lead on the final lap. Logano used his bumper to get inside Truex coming off turn four and the two ended up banging doors to the checkered flag with Logano narrowly beating him and Denny Hamlin.

KESELOWSKI WINS FIRST CLOCK

Brad Keselowski outdueled Kyle Busch down the stretch to win his first grandfather clock after capturing the STP 500 on Apr. 2, 2017. The two drivers waged a memorable battle that saw them swap the lead five times in the last 160 laps, but Keselowski ended up making the decisive pass on lap 458 and led the final 43 circuits to become the first repeat winner in 2017. Prior to winning at Martinsville, Keselowski took the checkered flag at Atlanta in the second race of the season.

A FIRST FOR FRED

The first time Ford won a NASCAR Cup Series race at Martinsville Speedway also marked the first career victory for 2015 NASCAR Hall of Famer Fred Lorenzen. The date was April 9, 1961 and Lorenzen battled Rex White, who led the first 118 laps after starting on the pole. Lorenzen, driving for Holman-Moody at the time, grabbed the lead on lap 119 and held it until rain came ending the race prematurely after 149 circuits. Little did anyone know that 54 years later both men would be enshrined into the NASCAR Hall of Fame as part of the same induction class. Martinsville was a place Lorenzen dominated, winning six times, including four straight from 1963-65. He was absolutely unbeatable in 1964 as he led 990 out of a possible 1,000 laps (487 in the first and 493 in the second) in winning both races.

CRAVEN WINS FIRST CUP RACE

Ricky Craven outlasted Dale Jarrett over the final laps to post the first victory of his NASCAR Cup Series career on Oct. 15, 2001 at Martinsville Speedway. Pit strategy played a key role in this race as Jarrett opted for four tires on his final stop while Craven just got two. That enabled Craven to build a lead following the ensuing restart with 17 to go, but Jarrett gained ground and found himself in position to win on the final lap. That’s when Jarrett went to the outside going into turn one and got side-by-side with Craven coming off turn two. Both Fords made contact door-to-door entering turn three, but Craven emerged off four with the advantage and took the checkered flag.

RUDD ROUGHS IT OUT

No driver displayed more toughness during his career than Ricky Rudd and that was evident again in 1998 when the Virginia native endured burns on his backside to win the NAPA Autocare 500 on Sept. 27. On a day that saw temperatures in the mid-nineties, Rudd found himself in a bad way just five laps into the race when his cooling unit failed. As the cockpit got hotter he asked to have a relief driver standing by, so Hut Stricklin was in the pit area ready to takeover. Ice packs helped momentarily, but his back was blistering so the team tried to cool him off with a hose. Unfortunately, the hose they used had been lying in the sun, so when they doused him the first time the water was hot. That method worked better on later stops, but in the end it was Rudd who toughed it out and led the final 96 laps to win and extend his streak to 16 consecutive seasons with at least one NASCAR Cup Series win.

BUSCH BEATS BENSON

When Kurt Busch won at Martinsville Speedway was on Oct. 20, 2002 he set a track record for winning from the furthest starting position after taking the green flag in 36th-place. It took him all day to eventually get to the front of the field, but he took the lead on lap 389 and surrendered it for only one lap to Johnny Benson the rest of the way in posting his second career win. Benson was all over Busch’s bumper in the closing laps as lap traffic created plenty of drama, but Busch was able to weave his way through and take the checkered flag.

FORD NASCAR CUP SERIES WINNERS AT MARTINSVILLE
1961 – Fred Lorenzen (1)
1962 – Nelson Stacy (2)
1963 – Fred Lorenzen (2)
1964 – Fred Lorenzen (Sweep)
1965 – Fred Lorenzen and Junior Johnson
1966 – Fred Lorenzen (2)
1969 – Richard Petty (Sweep)
1986 – Ricky Rudd (1)
1990 – Geoffrey Bodine (Sweep)
1992 – Mark Martin and Geoffrey Bodine
1993 – Ernie Irvan (2)
1994 – Rusty Wallace (Sweep)
1995 – Rusty Wallace (1)
1996 – Rusty Wallace (1)
1997 – Jeff Burton (1)
1998 – Ricky Rudd (2)
2000 – Mark Martin (1)
2001 – Dale Jarrett and Ricky Craven
2002 – Kurt Busch (2)
2017 – Brad Keselowski (1)
2018 – Clint Bowyer and Joey Logano
2019 – Brad Keselowski (1)

FORD NASCAR XFINITY SERIES WINNERS AT MARTINSVILLE
1994 – Kenny Wallace