FedEx Racing Express Facts – Bristol
FedEx Racing Express Facts – Bristol Motor Speedway
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Freight Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race
Date/Time: August 17/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps/266.5 miles
Track Length: .533 mile
Track Shape: Oval
2018 Winner: Kyle Busch
Michigan (Consumers Energy 400) Recap: Denny Hamlin finished second to Kevin Harvick at Michigan International Speedway Sunday in a race where the closing laps had everyone guessing who had enough to fuel to make it to the finish. Hamlin and the #11 team had a fast FedEx Office Toyota, shooting from their starting position of 14th to the top five by Lap 23 and to the lead by Lap 40. Hamlin stayed in the top five for most of the 200-lap event, well ahead of numerous wrecks that victimized several mid-pack cars throughout the race. He led twice for a total of six laps. The final pit stop of the day proved pivotal to the race’s outcome. The leaders all came to pit road after a caution on Lap 150, with some filling their fuel tanks enough to make it to Lap 200 and some coming up a little short. As the final laps of the race ticked down, some of the top five had to peel off for fuel, while Harvick stayed out front and Hamlin worked to chase him down. The #11 wasn’t fast enough and crossed the line for a runner-up finish – Hamlin’s fifth straight top-five finish.
Bristol (Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race) Preview: The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series heads next to the “World’s Fastest Half-Mile” for 500 laps of action at Bristol Motor Speedway for a Saturday night race on August 17. With five top-five finishes, including a win, in the past five races, Hamlin and team will be looking to continue their momentum as playoff racing approaches in the coming weeks.
Hamlin Bristol Statistics:
Track: Bristol Motor Speedway
Races: 27
Wins: 1 (2012)
Poles: 3 (2013, 2014, 2015)
Top-5: 8
Top-10: 13
Laps Led: 618
Avg. Start: 14.0
Avg. Finish 14.9
Hamlin Conversation:
How is your team making adjustments to racing at tracks the second time around?
“As we did in Michigan, the FedEx team did a great job adjusting from the last time we were there. The fastest car won the race, speed-wise, but I feel like we had a great FedEx Camry and performed better than last time. We secured a top-five finish last time out at Bristol, so our team is hard at work looking at what we can improve and how we can put ourselves in the best position to win.”
How is your team preparing for Bristol, and do you find it more difficult preparing for a night race?
“Our team is always working hard to prepare for every race, and of course we learn about ourselves and our Toyota Camry through practice, but how we practice is totally different from how we race at night. As a result, you see a lot of experienced drivers perform well at night races, and we will have to be at the top of our game to stay competitive.”
FedEx Office – Closest to Bristol Motor Speedway: 2116 N. Roan Street, Suite 1A, Johnson City, TN 37601, (423) 283-9503
| 2019 FedEx Racing Team Results | |||||||||
| DATE | EVENT | LOCATION | START | FINISH | LAPS | STATUS | LED | PTS | TREND |
| Feb. 17 | Daytona 500 | Daytona | 10 | 1 | 207/207 | Running | 30 | 1st | ▬ |
| Feb. 24 | Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 | Atlanta | 4 | 11 | 325/325 | Running | 0 | 1st | ▬ |
| March 3 | Pennzoil 400 | Vegas | 2 | 10 | 267/267 | Running | 0 | 3rd | ▼ |
| March 10 | TicketGuardian 500 | Phoenix | 3 | 5 | 312/312 | Running | 7 | 4th | ▼ |
| March 17 | Auto Club 400 | Fontana | 6 | 7 | 200/200 | Running | 8 | 4th | ▬ |
| March 24 | STP 500 | Martinsville | 3 | 5 | 500/500 | Running | 0 | 2nd | ▲ |
| March 31 | O’Reilly Auto Parts 500 | Texas | 6 | 1 | 334/334 | Running | 45 | 2nd | ▬ |
| April 7 | Food City 500 | Bristol | 5 | 5 | 500/500 | Running | 7 | 2nd | ▬ |
| April 14 | Toyota Owners 400 | Richmond | 30 | 5 | 400/400 | Running | 0 | 3rd | ▼ |
| April 28 | GEICO 500 | Talladega | 23 | 36 | 80/188 | DNF | 0 | 3rd | ▬ |
| May 6 | Gander RV 400 | Dover | 8 | 21 | 397/400 | Running | 0 | 4th | ▼ |
| May 12 | Digital Ally 400 | Kansas | 11 | 16 | 270/271 | Running | 0 | 6th | ▼ |
| May 26 | Coca-Cola 600 | Charlotte | 20 | 17 | 400/400 | Running | 21 | 7th | ▼ |
| June 2 | Pocono 400 | Pocono | 6 | 6 | 160/160 | Running | 1 | 6th | ▲ |
| June 10 | FireKeepers Casino 400 | Michigan | 4 | 11 | 203/203 | Running | 5 | 7th | ▼ |
| June 23 | Toyota / Save Mart 350 | Sonoma | 6 | 5 | 90/90 | Running | 4 | 6th | ▲ |
| June 30 | Camping World 400 | Chicagoland | 9 | 15 | 267/267 | Running | 5 | 6th | ▬ |
| July 7 | Coke Zero Sugar 400 | Daytona | 4 | 26 | 125/127 | Running | 5 | 6th | ▬ |
| July 13 | Quaker State 400 | Kentucky | 18 | 5 | 269/269 | Running | 5 | 5th | ▲ |
| July 21 | Foxwoods Resort Casino 301 | New Hampshire | 23 | 2 | 301/301 | Running | 113 | 4th | ▲ |
| July 28 | Gander RV 400 | Pocono | 9 | 1 | 163/163 | Running | 32 | 4th | ▬ |
| August 4 | GoBowling at The Glen | Watkins Glen | 6 | 3 | 90/90 | Running | 0 | 4th | ▬ |
| August 11 | Consumers Energy 400 | Michigan | 14 | 2 | 200/200 | Running | 6 | 4th | ▬ |
| Averages/Totals | 10.2 | 9.4 | 98% | 294 | |||||