Denny Hamlin started 17th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Party in the Pocono’s 400 at Pocono International Raceway and appeared headed for a top five finish, but handling issues late in the race left him with an eighth-place result in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry.
With qualifying rained out and the lineup determined by owner points, Hamlin started far back from where he usually grids but immediately began moving forward. He was up to 14th by lap 21, 12th by lap 32 and then ninth by lap 51. Like many others his car was loose under the bright, sunny skies but Darian Grubb and Hamlin’s FedEx Ground crew kept working on the chassis while servicing the car in record time.
On his final pit stop he made up five spots on pit road to restart second behind eventual race winner Jimmie Johnson, but two more cautions and restarts saw the #11 car get shuffled back to his eventual finish position due to a severe pushing condition. “We were a little bit off all weekend, eighth is about where I thought we would end up,” said Hamlin. “I’m proud of my whole FedEx team, my pit crew did great, they gave me a chance to at least battle after the restarts, I think they picked up four or five spots for me on one stop. I’ve got the best team in the business, that’s for sure.”
Hamlin moved up another position in the standings to now rank 25th, 76 points out of the 20th position. The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series returns to action next weekend at Michigan International Speedway for the Quicken Loans 500 on Sunday, June 16.
Via FedEx Racing
FedEx 400 Recap
Denny Hamlin started from the pole, led three times for 41 laps and was running among the top-five with less than 25 laps remaining in Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefitting Autism Speaks NASCAR race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway when a flat right-front tire on the #11 FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota sent Hamlin hard into the outside wall in Turn 1 and delivered the FedEx Racing team a disappointing 34th-place finish. Tony Stewart was victorious in the race, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski. Hamlin was in contention for his first Cup Series win at the ‘Monster Mile’ throughout the 400-lap event on the one-mile concrete oval. Battling a tight condition for the first half of the race, the #11 machine came to life just past the halfway mark, and was the fastest car on the track. Hamlin was leading with less than 100 laps remaining and stayed out front until the second-to-last caution on Lap 318. He pitted for right-side tires and fuel, setting into fifth after the restart before the impact with the wall on Lap 378. The finish dropped Hamlin two spots to 26th in the NASCAR standings following Dover, 73 points behind 20th position after 13 of 26 regular season races.
Pocono Preview
Denny Hamlin heads to Pocono
The Series shifts to Pocono Raceway for Sunday’s 400-mile event on the 2.5-mile triangular track. Hamlin has four wins and eight top-five finishes in 14 career starts at the ‘Tricky Triangle,’ and is one of his best tracks on the circuit. Adapting quickly to the three unique turns, Hamlin swept both Pocono races from the pole in his 2006 rookie season, and won back-to-back races at the track in the summer of 2009 and spring 2010. The 32-year-old Virginia native has started inside the top-seven in 12 of his 14 Pocono starts, including the last eight in a row, boasting a 5.6 average starting position. He has led at least one lap in all but three Pocono starts, leading 663 of 2,568 total laps at the track (25.8 percent). In the race one year ago, Hamlin qualified third and finished fifth in the #11 FedEx Toyota.
Great Plains Team Along for the Ride in Pocono:
The FedEx Ground Great Plains district will be recognized for outstanding service quality with its district code “GPLS” on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota this weekend at Pocono Raceway. The Great Plains district, based out of the St. Paul hub, includes all of Minnesota and the Dakotas, and northern areas of Wisconsin and Iowa.
FedEx Racing Conversation – Denny Hamlin
What is the key to success at Pocono?
“Since the track was repaved, it has changed a little bit, but you really have to get your car working in all three corners to make speed at Pocono. The front straightaway is long, so your car really has to be setup well for Turn 3. It’s going to be really fast in these new cars, and I’m looking forward to going out there Sunday to put on a good show for the fans. We were certainly disappointed with the way Dover ended for us, and now it’s up to our FedEx team to dig down and capitalize on some of our better tracks coming up.”
Via FedEx Racing
Denny Hamlin started from the pole, led three times for 41 laps and was running among the top-five with less than 25 laps remaining in Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks NASCAR race at Dover (Del.) International Speedway when something broke on the #11 FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota, sending Hamlin hard into the outside wall in Turn 1 and delivering the FedEx Racing team a disappointing 34th-place finish. Tony Stewart was victorious in the race, followed by Juan Pablo Montoya, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch and Brad Keselowski.
Hamlin was in contention for his first Cup Series win at the ‘Monster Mile’ throughout the 400-lap event on the one-mile concrete oval. Battling a tight condition for the first half of the race, the #11 machine came to life just past the halfway mark, and was the fastest car on the track. Hamlin was leading with less than 100 laps remaining and stayed out front until the second-to-last caution on Lap 318.
He pitted for right-side tires and fuel, setting into fifth after the restart before the impact with the wall on Lap 378. “It was a frustrating end to the day, that’s for sure,” said Hamlin. “We can’t afford many bad days or bad finishes, and today was tough because of how well we ran throughout the race. We’ll just have to work harder and capitalize on some of the good tracks we have coming up.”
The finish dropped Hamlin two spots to 26th in the NASCAR standings following Dover, 73 points behind 20th position after 13 of 26 regular season races. The Series returns to action at Pocono Raceway — where the FedEx team has won four times — on Sunday, June 9.
Coca-Cola 600 Recap
Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Office Toyota finished fourth in last Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway behind race winner Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch. Starting from the pole after setting a new track record of 195.624 mph in qualifying, Hamlin led the first seven laps before being overtaken by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth as his car began to tighten up in the afternoon sun. As day turned to night, his #11 Toyota began to get loose and from then on it was up to Darian Grubb and his FedEx Office pit crew to keep making the right adjustments. There were 11 caution periods and the race was red-flagged twice, once for a multi-car accident, the other after a cable from an overhead camera broke and fell on the track surface, causing minor damage to the #11 FedEx Toyota’s right roof rail and right roof flap. Hamlin ran in the top five most of the race but had fallen to ninth after his last green flag stop with 37 laps to go. On lap 384 of 400 the final caution came out for debris and Hamlin pitted from seventh to take two tires, picking up three spots on pit road. Hamlin’s fourth-place finished moved him up three spots to 24th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings, 53 points out of 20th position after 13 of 26 regular season races.
Dover Preview
The Series heads to the one-mile Dover International Speedway for Sunday’s FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks. Hamlin will drive a special #11 FedEx Freight/Autism Speaks Toyota in the 400-lap event at the ‘Monster Mile,’ showcasing the famous puzzle piece pattern of the organization. Also, the first 11,000 fans at the gate on Sunday morning will receive a special FedEx Racing gift. Hamlin started on the pole, led 39 laps and finished eighth in the Sprint Cup Series’ most-recent visit to Dover last September. Hamlin has 14 career starts at the concrete track, and has posted five top-10 finishes.
Gaylord Texan Along for the Ride in Charlotte
The FedEx Office location at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas is a leading store in the company’s annual President’s Club program. The store team will be recognized for excellent service and dedication to their customers with its “5518″ code numbers on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
FedEx Racing Conversation – Denny Hamlin
What did you find at Dover last fall that can be applied to Sunday’s FedEx 400?
“Obviously, Dover hasn’t been one of our strongest tracks over the years. Last fall, Darian (Grubb) brought such a strong car that it made me a lot more comfortable at that track. It was a big confidence boost for our team to qualify on the pole and run up front all day. We were a top-three car — Kyle had everyone covered — but a little fuel mileage late didn’t let us finish where we deserved. Hopefully we’ll have just as strong of a car this weekend to be up front again. Our team is gaining a little momentum, and we’re close to contending for wins with some great tracks coming up for us, and hopefully we can make some noise in Sunday’s FedEx 400.”
Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Office Toyota finished fourth in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway behind race winner Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch. Starting from the pole after setting a new track record of 195.624 mph on Thursday, Hamlin led the first seven laps before being overtaken by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth as his car began to tighten up in the afternoon sun.
As day turned to night, his #11 Toyota Camry began to get loose and from then on it was up to Darian Grubb and his FedEx Office pit crew to keep making the right adjustments. There were 11 caution periods and the race was red-flagged twice, once for a multi-car accident, the other, after a cable from an overhead camera broke and fell on the track surface, damaging Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch’s car and causing minor damage to the #11 FedEx Toyota’s right roof rail and right roof flap.
Hamlin ran in the top five most of the race but had fallen to ninth after his last green flag stop with 37 laps to go. On lap 384 of 400 the final caution came out for debris and Hamlin pitted from seventh to take two tires, picking up three spots on pit road.
“I thought we were in position to make some noise tonight but just couldn’t get the car going on restarts,” said Hamlin. “It was so hard to pass, after three or four laps following a restart you were pretty much locked in to the position you were going to be in. The FedEx crew kept gaining us positions every stop we made. I have the best crew on pit road and they proved it tonight.”
Hamlin’s fourth-place finish moved him up three spots to 24th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings. Sprint Cup action resumes June 2 at the “Monster Mile” when Dover International Speedway hosts the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.
Via FedEx Racing
All-Star Race Recap
Denny Hamlin finished sixth in last Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, learning valuable information for this Sunday’s longest race of the season — the Coca-Cola 600 — on the 1.5-mile oval. Saturday’s 90-lap non-points, exhibition event was broken into five segments, with four 20-lap runs followed by a 10-lap dash to the finish line. A tight condition throughout the race prohibited Hamlin from challenging for his first All-Star win at the end, while Jimmie Johnson was victorious. Hamlin started seventh in his seventh-career All-Star Race, and stayed among the top-10 before rain brought out the caution on Lap 8. The persistent precipitation necessitated a red flag, and NASCAR brought the teams down pit road to dry the track. When the race resumed, Hamlin finished the first segment in eighth. The FedEx team used a variety of pit strategies following each of the first four segments to work on the car and gain track position, using two-tire stops following the second and third segments (after finishing ninth and seventh, respectively). Hamlin finished 14th in the fourth segment and his 9.5 average placed him ninth prior to the mandatory four-tire pit stop before the final segment. Quick work by the FedEx crew moved the #11 up to seventh for the final restart, and Hamlin gained one spot before the checkered flag.
Charlotte Preview
Hamlin will make his 16th-career Cup Series points race start at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600. Hamlin finished second in both races at Charlotte in 2012, leading 13 laps last Memorial Day weekend for the runner-up result to Kasey Kahne. He started eighth and steadily moved up the running order in the 400-lap race that ran green for long stretches. In the fall Chase race at Charlotte, Hamlin qualified ninth and quickly showed the strength of the FedEx Toyota, leading 36 laps before taking the checkered flag just 0.417 seconds behind winner Clint Bowyer. Hamlin has led at least one lap in 10 of his 15 Charlotte races, and has recorded eight top-10 finishes, including the last five in a row.
Gaylord Texan Along for the Ride in Charlotte
The FedEx Office location at the Gaylord Texan hotel in Grapevine, Texas is a leading store in the company’s annual President’s Club program. The store team will be recognized for excellent service and dedication to their customers with its “5518″ code numbers on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
FedEx Racing Conversation – Denny Hamlin
What did the FedEx team learn in the All-Star Race that can be applied to the Coca-Cola 600?
“We learned quite a bit that we can use this weekend. Obviously, in a short race like the All-Star Race, you set up your car a little more aggressively knowing that track conditions won’t change much and you need to move up early. In the Coke 600, it’s such a long race and the track will change from day to night, that you really have to have some adjustability in your car. Track position was pretty important in the All-Star Race, so hopefully we can have a good starting spot and stay up front all night.”
Denny Hamlin finished sixth in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, learning valuable information for next weekend’s longest race of the season — the Coca-Cola 600 — on the 1.5-mile oval.
Saturday’s 90-lap non-points, exhibition event was broken into five segments, with four 20-lap runs followed by a 10-lap dash to the finish line. A tight condition throughout the race prohibited Hamlin from challenging for his first All-Star win at the end, while Jimmie Johnson was victorious.
“We were just too tight to run up front and I had to protect my position quite a bit tonight,” said Hamlin, following the race. “We couldn’t get the car to turn off the corner like we wanted, but we definitely learned a lot for next weekend and believe we have a direction to go.”
Hamlin started seventh in his seventh-career All-Star Race, and stayed among the top-10 before rain brought out the caution on Lap 8. The persistent precipitation necessitated a red flag, and NASCAR brought the teams down pit road to dry the track. When the race resumed, Hamlin finished the first segment in eighth.
The FedEx team used a variety of pit strategies following each of the first four segments to work on the car and gain track position, using two-tire stops following the second and third segments (after finishing ninth and seventh, respectively). Hamlin finished 14th in the fourth segment and his 9.5 average placed him ninth prior to the mandatory four-tire pit stop before the final segment.
Quick work by the FedEx crew moved the #11 up to seventh for the final restart, and Hamlin gained one spot before the checkered flag. The Series returns to action on May 26 back at Charlotte Motor Speedway for the 400-lap Coca-Cola 600.
Via FedEx Racing
All-Star Race Preview
Denny Hamlin will climb into the #11 FedEx Express Toyota in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the seventh start for Hamlin in the non-points exhibition event. One year ago, Hamlin started third and led 16 laps in the five segment, 90-lap race, but fell to 20th in the final 10-lap run won by Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin has recorded three top-10 finishes in six previous All-Star races, including career-best fourth-place runs in 2009 and 2010. He has qualified for the All-Star Race in every season after his 2006 rookie campaign (2007-2012) by virtue of race wins. This year’s field will again compete for the $1 million first place prize, with an additional $1 million up for grabs if a driver can win all five segments in the race. Qualifying on Friday night will be comprised of three laps on the track as well as a mandatory four-tire pit stop by the FedEx Racing crew.
Darlington Recap
Denny Hamlin finished second in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in his first full event since suffering a back injury on March 24, crossing the finish line 3.155 seconds behind teammate Matt Kenseth in the #11 Sport Clips Toyota. Hamlin qualified sixth and ran among the leaders throughout the 367-lap event on the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. Long green flag runs tested the FedEx Racing crew on pit road, and crew chief Darian Grubb made changes to the car to keep up with the track conditions after nightfall. In the end, the car was at its best for the final 30-lap run, with Hamlin following Kenseth to the checkered flag for the 1-2 Joe Gibbs Racing finish. Hamlin moved up four spots to 27th in the NASCAR standings following Darlington, 61 points behind Jeff Burton in 20th after 11 of 26 regular season races.
Charlotte Team Along for the Ride at the All-Star Race
This weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the #11 FedEx Express Toyota will carry the letters ‘CLTR’ on the b-posts to recognize the Air Ground & Freight Services operations teams in the Charlotte market.
FedEx Racing Conversation – Denny Hamlin
What are your goals for the All-Star Race?
“Obviously, the All-Star Race is a great event for the fans and one that the drivers can hang it all on the line. The All-Star Race this year, for me, is another chance to get back into racing shape after missing a month or so. Last weekend at Darlington, it felt good to just be competitive again. Watching the races from the sidelines for really five weeks, it was tough. You know you can change things. You can do things to change your outcome. But you’re not in the race car. My back held up good, but I was more sore in the shoulders and neck, things like that. I have to get back in racing shape. It will take time to get back to where I need to be, and the All-Star Race will help that.”
Via FedEx Racing
Returning to the #11 Toyota for his first full race since being sidelined earlier this season following a late-race accident at Auto Club Speedway, Denny Hamlin proved he was ready to get back to racing by securing the sixth starting position for the Southern 500 at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway. Denny battled a tight-handling Camry from the start of the 367-lap event and slid back to 11th by lap 46. Settling in for a long span of caution free racing, the #11 team made several green-flag pit stops over the first 300 laps of the race, making adjustments on each stop to improve the handling of the #11 car. The improved handling combined with fast pit stops by the #11 crew during some late race cautions allowed Hamlin to climb through the field during the closing 25 laps of the 500-mile race to finish second behind his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth.
Via FedEx Racing
Denny Hamlin swapping drivers at Talladega with Brian Vickers
Denny Hamlin returned to the #11 FedEx Express Toyota on Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway after missing the last four NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races with a back injury. He started the race and was replaced by Brian Vickers, who was collected in an early incident and finished 34th.
Hamlin was seventh on the starting grid based on practice speeds, as qualifying Saturday was cancelled by rain, but dropped to the back for the green flag knowing the team’s plan was to switch drivers at the first caution to allow Hamlin another week to heal. Driving single-file behind the lead pack to avoid trouble early on, Hamlin and the FedEx team waited for the first yellow flag. The first caution came out on Lap 22, and the team executed a flawless driver change, with Hamlin climbing out for Vickers.
“I knew in my head that I wasn’t going to be competing today, I wasn’t going to be in the middle of the pack trying to make passes,” Hamlin said. “The toughest part of every weekend has been watching the cars go off the starting grid and on to the race track for the green flag. I was able to get out there today and run some laps, and the team did a great job getting Brian in the car.”
The team did not lose a lap under the caution, and Vickers restarted at the tail end of the field. He started moving forward in the draft to gain track position for later in the race, but less than 20 laps after climbing in the car, unfortunately, Vickers was collected in a multi-car incident in Turn 2 triggered at the front of the field, and he sustained heavy front and side damage that required extensive time in the garage for repairs.
After returning to the track and waiting through a three-hour rain delay, Vickers took the checkered flag in 34th position behind race winner David Ragan.
Hamlin hopes to run the full race at Darlington Raceway on Saturday, May 11, as he hopes to climb back up in the points in his quest to qualify for his eighth-consecutive Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
Denny Hamlin started 17th in Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Party in the Pocono’s 400 at Pocono International Raceway and appeared headed for a top five finish, but handling issues late in the race left him with an eighth-place result in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota Camry.
Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Office Toyota finished fourth in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway behind race winner Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne and Kurt Busch. Starting from the pole after setting a new track record of 195.624 mph on Thursday, Hamlin led the first seven laps before being overtaken by Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Matt Kenseth as his car began to tighten up in the afternoon sun.
Denny Hamlin finished sixth in Saturday night’s NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, learning valuable information for next weekend’s longest race of the season — the Coca-Cola 600 — on the 1.5-mile oval.
