The team looked to be business as usual as they went for their 3rd win in 3 years. They found themselves in a very familiar position during the finals competing against Jimmie Johnson’s 48 team for the top spot. This year though the 48 team would outperform them and take the their 3 peat away.

The FedEx team was still very strong and proved that they’re a pit crew to contend with week in and week out.

Darlington Recap: Denny Hamlin finished second in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, leading four times for 56 laps to take the checkered flag behind winner Jimmie Johnson. Hamlin — the 2010 Darlington winner — battled a tight car throughout the 367-lap event on the 1.333-mile egg-shaped oval, but a late call to stay out of the pits by crew chief Darian Grubb gave him the necessary track position to contend for the race win. A pair of late cautions set up a ‘green-white-checkered’ ending, where Hamlin was able to move up to second at the finish line. The finish kept Hamlin fourth in the NASCAR standings following Darlington, 17 points behind leader Greg Biffle after 11 of 26 regular season races.

All-Star Race Preview: Hamlin is making his sixth All-Star Race appearance on Saturday night at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The 31-year-old driver has three-consecutive top-10 finishes in the non-points, exhibition race, including a seventh-place result one year ago. Hamlin posted back-to-back fourth-place finishes in the All-Star Race in 2009 and 2010, and will look to take the checkered flag this weekend and the one million dollar first place prize.

FedEx Pit Crew to Defend Title: The FedEx Racing team will look to make it three-straight titles in Thursday night’s Pit Crew Challenge at Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. The #11 pit crew — made up of tire changers Mike Hicks and Nick Krizmanich, tire carriers Heath Cherry and Brandon Pegram, gas man Scott Wood and jack man Nate Bolling — have won the event the past two years. The team is led by pit crew coordinator Paul Alepa and Joe Gibbs Racing athletic director Mike Lepp. The team will race against other Sprint Cup Series crews to change four tires, add two cans of “fuel” and push the #11 FedEx Toyotaapproximately 50 yards to the finish line.

FedEx Office – Closest to Charlotte Motor Speedway: 7741 Gateway Lane NW, Ste 110, Concord, NC 28027, (704) 979-1971

Memphis-Germantown Along for the Ride at Charlotte: The FedEx Office location in the Germantown neighborhood of Memphis, Tenn., which leads the company’s President’s Club program, will be recognized with its “0512” store numbers on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION — Charlotte Motor Speedway

How do you expect the racing to be in Saturday night’s All-Star Race?

“I think you’re going to see great racing in the All-Star Race. Guys know that no points are on the line and there is a million dollars up for grabs, so you can take more chances than you normally would on a regular race weekend. This year, with the segment winners starting up front for the final segment, the racing will be great throughout. Hopefully we’ll be up front and challenging for the win.”

Are you going to be cheering on the FedEx team in the Pit Crew Challenge?

“Absolutely. It’s awesome for those guys to show what they can do in front of the crowd. They are there for me each weekend, picking up spots with quick stops. Obviously, I hope they win again so we can have the number one pit stall for the All-Star Race. It’s a great night for all the pit crew guys and the fans.”

Denny Hamlin finished second in Saturday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway, leading four times for 56 laps to take the checkered flag behind winner Jimmie Johnson.
Hamlin — the 2010 Darlington winner — battled a tight car throughout the 367-lap event on the 1.333-mile egg-shaped oval, but a late call to stay out of the pits by crew chief Darian Grubb gave him the necessary track position to contend for the race win. A pair of late cautions set up a ‘green-white-checkered’ ending, where Hamlin was able to move up to second at the finish line.

“We just didn’t get our car perfect during the race,” said Hamlin. “We were a top-five or top-10 car throughout the night, but never could get it just where we wanted it. Darian made a great call late in the race to get us track position, and a second place run is not too bad. We have some good tracks coming up for us, so hopefully we can get back into victory lane soon.”

The finish kept Hamlin fourth in the NASCAR standings following Darlington, 17 points behind leader Greg Biffle after 11 of 26 regular season races. The series returns to action at Charlotte Motor Speedway on May 19 for the Sprint All-Star Race

Early in the race Hamlin worked his way up to 5th position and hung there for most of the day. With 130 laps to go Darian Grubb, Hamlin’s crew chief made a decision to take no tires on a pit stop. This allowed Denny to take the lead and lead 56 laps.

Grubb elected to put Hamlin on 4 tires during the next caution which moved Hamlin back to 5th. Hamlin drove back up to 4th. On the final restart Hamlin found himself in 4th position behind Johnson, Stewart and Busch. Thanks to a push from behind Hamlin was able to take over the 2nd spot on the final restart and hold on for a 2nd place finish.

Jimmie Johnson went on to win the race. Congratulations to Hendrick Motorsports on their 200th win.

After a round of green flag pit stops Hamlin had an eight second lead over second place Joey Logano when Kurt Busch slammed the wall bringing out a late race caution. This caution allowed Joey Logano and Elliot Sadler to catch up to Denny.

Logano pushed Sadler on a restart to take the lead away from Denny. Another caution flew and Denny was once again in the same position in second place on the outside line. Logano once again tried the same move of pushing Sadler but went a little too far. Logano turned Sadler into Denny Hamlin who was on the outside. This took Sadler out of the race and damaged Hamlin’s car.

On the final restart Denny was not able to out race Logano due to a damaged motor. Denny started to catch Logano at the end but it was too late. Hamlin finished 2nd overall.

Editors Note: Denny and his fans seemed rather frustrated by Joey Logano’s lack of teamwork. Hamlin had asked Logano prior to the wreck to “give him a break”. Unfortunately Logano continued to push Sadler which ultimately led to the wreck at the end. The frustration mainly stems from the fact that Hamlin had the dominant car and his teammate was helping another driver past Hamlin on restarts.

Is the track starting to ‘weather’ back to the way it used to be?
“It is. For me, that’s what’s so much fun about this track is the sun just bleaches the race track and, this time around, it’s
whiter than it was last year, which means you’re starting to see some rocks come back up. It’s fun for us drivers when there’s tire wear — the driver becomes more of a factor. You’re starting to move around now and see different lines around this track – around the fence is always the fastest.”

Were you satisfied with your practice runs?
“Very pleased. This is a new car for us and I was very happy with our speed, very happy with race trim, qualifying trim –everything. I think we should have a pretty successful race and hopefully have a shot at it.”

What do you think about racing at Darlington back in the 1960s?
“That’s what’s so amazing to me is you see the old video and it definitely doesn’t do it justice. These guys had no air
conditioning, no power steering, no nothing. They had to man through it and tough through it and when you saw them after the race and their face is all black and everything. That’s how it used to be. These guys were iron men back then.
Nowadays, the cars are hot because we’re closed in and not as much air comes in the cars today as what it used to be. You had to have some arms on you. You had to have mental toughness back then. That still applies today, but it’s just a different beast all together. It’s still racing and it’s still about beating 42 other guys.”

Would you like to have raced back in the 1960s?
“I would love it. Things have changed so much. It’s become so corporate now and everything. It’s what puts the people in the stands and puts the cars on the race track — everything evolves. The NFL is not what it used to be — nothing’s like it used to be. You have to take the time to honor the people that helped pave the way to get here.”

What kind of personality does a driver need to win the All-Star race?
“Bulldog. You have to be just a guy that puts it all on the line. Nowadays, more than ever, the All-Star race — teams pretty much take disposable cars that they know there’s a good chance it’s not going to come back. The driver’s mentality is that it’s all for money, so there’s nothing to lose. It takes someone who’s willing to drive 100 percent qualifying lap every single lap. Those are the guys that are usually successful in winning.”

Were you a hard kid or an easy kid to raise?
“Financially I was a tough kid to raise because I always wanted to race, so we didn’t have the money to do it. It was tough on my family because they used to be into old hot rods and things like that — classic cars. Obviously, when I decided I wanted to be a race car driver that had to go by the wayside. They had to sell all that stuff and buy race cars and tires and fuel from that point on. It was tough for them. We didn’t ever take any family vacations or anything. That money was spent if we had to go out of town and race somewhere. My parents luckily now, like you were saying, we do make more money now and now they get to enjoy the life that they should have been able to enjoy had I not been a race car driver. Had I just taken up baseball or something — I cost them a lot back in the day, but it all paid off in the end.”

Were you easy to raise other than the money side?
“If I wasn’t getting kicked off the school bus, I was good. If I could just not horseplay around on the school bus — luckily we had a family friend that drove the bus and he would always have to come and meet my dad after work and tell him, ‘I hate to do it, but I had to kick your kid off the bus.’”

What is your strongest skill for the All-Star race?
“Typically, the way I drive doesn’t suit the All-Star race because I feel like I’m more of a finesse guy — a guy who watches and conserves his tires and takes care of his car and brakes and things like that. We have run really well there. I think it’s just a good track for me. I’m not afraid to get my hands dirty on the last restart if need be and that’s typically what it comes down to is that last sprint. Second place — who knows who finished second the last two or three years there? We know who won. For us, it’s not just the money, but the pride of winning it and things like that. That’s something that you can’t buy is that trophy.”

What do you think is a realistic expectation for Danica Patrick’s first Darlington NSCS race?
“It’s tough to put it into numbers. It’s going to be so hard because it’s going to be tough with the traffic and everything at this place. You know that once you get past, you lose so much time that you have another guy right on your tail again. It’s hard to keep pace if you’re off the pace, if that makes any sense at all. Passing too, you have to time your passes. If you can’t figure out a way to get around a person, you can lose a lot of time. Realistically, she needs to try to keep the right side on it. It doesn’t matter how many laps you are down, because that’s the reality — she will be laps down. It’s part of the learning curve. It’s going to be tough for her. I think physically, it will be the hardest race she’s ever competed in, no doubt about that. She just needs to make sure she’s out there for the whole distance as possible and she’s not in the garage fixing her car. I would just say, whatever it takes to stay on the track. Don’t care about how many laps you go down.”

Is Darlington a mentally tough race track?
“It is. It’s just a line-sensitive race track. That’s why it’s so mentally tough to run this race. When you run inches off the
wall, your room for error is zero. It’s as mentally tough as it is physically tough at this race track. I think that’s why you see the really premier guys in our sport that win here. You just have to look at the trophy and see all the people who have won here in the past — it’s the best of the best.”

What would it mean for your team to win the Pit Crew Challenge again?
“There already pumped up about it and thinking about it. Obviously, it’s a big pay day for them if they get it. It’s great for us because it gives us No. 1 pit stall for the All-Star race, which is very crucial. It was for us in 2010. It’s a big day for
them. It’s a day for them to shine in front of their friends and family at the arena. They don’t get to come out and visit a
whole lot and obviously to be in town for a couple weeks is big. The Pit Crew Challenge is their day. Our guys have been
working on our car and thinking about how to get faster and things like that. To be two-time winners, everyone knows
they’re going to be the ones to beat when it comes Thursday.”

Is it a relief to run a non-points event at this point in the season?
“It is. It’s kind of like a break. It is somewhat of an off weekend next weekend. The schedule is pretty slack and obviously you get to sleep in your own bed. You like that part of it, for sure.”

How do you train to get physically fit for racing?
“It’s big. It’s such a different toughness now than what it used to be. A lot of guys work out and train and things like that to try to get better inside the race car. Really for us, it’s about hydration more than anything. When you become dehydrated, your mind does not work the same. It’s been scientifically studied thousands of times, and every time, you’re dehydrated – you lose your focus by I think 15 percent. Especially when it comes to this race track (Darlington), you can’t lose that 15 percent of focus. I’ll spend the entire weekend just hydrating and hydrating as much as I can to make sure I make the best decisions possible at the end.”

Denny Hamlin drove the No. 11 FedEx Express Toyota to a 23rd place finish at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. With the result, Hamlin slides down one notch to fourth place in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points standings.

“It was a frustrating day to say the least, but I’m proud of the work the FedEx team put in today,” said Hamlin. “If it wasn’t for our late-race bad luck getting involved in a wreck, we may have been able to contend for a top-ten or even a top-five finish.”

Brad Keselowski claimed victory on a green-white checkered finish. Closely trailing Keselowski was Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch for second place. Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne and Greg Biffle rounded out the top five finishers. Hamlin and Busch’s teammate Joey Logano passed the finish line in 26th place after winning the Nationwide Series race the day before.

Perhaps not known as a super speedway racer, Hamlin has three top-five finishes and five top-10 results in 12 previous starts on the 2.66-mile oval coming into the weekend. This includes a career-best third place run in the spring 2008 event.

The day began nearly where it ended, with the FedEx team in the 22nd position. The early part of the race did not resemble past Talladega events with only one caution flag in the first 140 laps and very little draft racing. Hamlin worked the No. 11 FedEx car to as high as second place before falling back in the pack due to significant handling issues. By lap 110, Hamlin had lost ground and dropped down a lap to the race leaders.

The second caution flag on lap 141 seemed to have ushered in the traditional tight pack racing Talladega fans remember. The caution also benefited the FedEx team. Hamlin was granted the Lucky Dog pass to get back on the lead lap. The subsequent pit stop on lap 145 brought a welcome opportunity to make a wedge adjustment to go along with four tires and fuel.

When the green flag waved over the front stretch on lap 149, Hamlin had move up to seventh place. With a better handling car, Hamlin raced to the front of the pack. With a push from Clint Bowyer, Hamlin claimed the race lead on lap 159.

With Keselowski pushing Hamlin and Casey Mears pushing Bowyer and 25 laps remaining, an intense battle for the lead commenced. Hamlin moved in and out of first place before the third caution flag of the day slowed the field on lap 175. A quick pit stop under caution gave the No. 11 car four fresh tires and fuel.

The green flagged dropped with nine laps remaining and the FedEx team in seventh place. Kurt Busch ran into some trouble two laps later and once again the field went under caution. The green flag returned on lap 184 with Hamlin running in fifth place and aiming for some late-race heroics.

The FedEx team’s hopes were quickly dashed, however, when Hamlin got tangled in a wreck just after the restart. The damage sustained proved to be too much to overcome as the FedEx car was forced to visit the pits three times to receive sufficient repairs and allow Hamlin to cross the finish line.