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| Denny Hamlin is 18/1 to win at Fontana Sunday. |
Denny Hamlin
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Auto Club 400
Date/Time: March 17/3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 200 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 2 miles
Track Shape: D-shaped oval
Banking: 14 degrees
2018 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2019 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.
Phoenix Recap: Denny Hamlin scored a fifth-place finish at ISM Raceway in Phoenix on Sunday, pushing his way into the top five in the final stage of the race. Denny rolled off third in the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota to start the 312-mile race but battled a loose condition for much of the event. Still, he remained in the top 10 for most of the event as the team worked on each pit stop to improve the handling of his Camry. Finding himself in 13th on a late restart, Denny found the speed to pick off car after car until he made his way to fifth with just a handful of laps remaining. With just enough fuel to make it to the end, he maintained his position until the checkered flag waved, earning the FedEx team a top-five finish. The Phoenix finish puts Denny fourth in the championship standings after four races. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wraps up the “West Coast Swing” Sunday, March 17, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
Fontana Preview: The Series heads to Fontana, Calif., for Sunday’s 400-mile race at Auto Club Speedway that marks the final leg of the “West Coast Swing.” After 17 career starts at the Southern California track, Hamlin has recorded two top-five finishes, five top-10 finishes and three pole positions, as well as a career-best finish of third (2008 and 2016). Following a top-five finish last weekend in Phoenix, Hamlin and team will be looking for Hamlin’s second win of 2019, thus moving forward in the standings, where Hamlin currently ranks fourth after four races into the season.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Auto Club Speedway
Races: 17
Wins: 0
Poles: 3 (2009, 2012, 2013)
Top-5: 2
Top-10: 6
Laps Led: 139
Avg. Start: 11.5
Avg. Finish 17.5
Hamlin Conversation:
Your team collected another top-five finish last weekend, the second best finish of the season. How do you feel about your team’s performance at Phoenix?
“Our FedEx Toyota was fast. We just got set back by a couple bad restarts and a little issue in the pits toward the end. But we restarted 13th and drove up to fifth. At that racetrack, you just can’t drive though the field when you have a fast car. You have to be patient and wait on everyone else to mess up, or you can run a different line, and our patience paid off with a top-five finish.
What will your team need to improve upon the most in order perform at the highest level this weekend to either win or secure another top-five finish?
“Every race is important and the #11 team is always working tirelessly to make sure we are putting ourselves in the best position to win. That being said, we will need to improve on all aspects in the pit so we don’t set ourselves back with any bad restarts. Our team has been working hard and has already shown we are capable of winning any race, so I am confident we will be ready for Fontana.
FedEx POCA Station Along for the Ride at Auto Club Speedway: The FedEx POCA Station, located in the LA Empire District of the Western Region, will appear on the B-posts of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota at the Auto Club 400. The POCA station has had to overcome difficulties and challenges of a major 36-month street closure project, which started in August 2017. Fullerton Road in the City of Industry (directly in front of the station) has been closed for 18 months and the team has responded.
#11 FedEx Express Toyota
Joe Gibbs Racing
Race Info:
Race: Auto Club 400
Date/Time: March 17/3:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 200 laps/400 miles
Track Length: 2 miles
Track Shape: D-shaped oval
Banking: 14 degrees
2018 Winner: Martin Truex Jr.
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2019 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.
Phoenix Recap: Denny Hamlin scored a fifth-place finish at ISM Raceway in Phoenix on Sunday, pushing his way into the top five in the final stage of the race. Denny rolled off third in the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota to start the 312-mile race but battled a loose condition for much of the event. Still, he remained in the top 10 for most of the event as the team worked on each pit stop to improve the handling of his Camry. Finding himself in 13th on a late restart, Denny found the speed to pick off car after car until he made his way to fifth with just a handful of laps remaining. With just enough fuel to make it to the end, he maintained his position until the checkered flag waved, earning the FedEx team a top-five finish. The Phoenix finish puts Denny fourth in the championship standings after four races. The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series wraps up the “West Coast Swing” Sunday, March 17, at Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, Calif.
Fontana Preview: The Series heads to Fontana, Calif., for Sunday’s 400-mile race at Auto Club Speedway that marks the final leg of the “West Coast Swing.” After 17 career starts at the Southern California track, Hamlin has recorded two top-five finishes, five top-10 finishes and three pole positions, as well as a career-best finish of third (2008 and 2016). Following a top-five finish last weekend in Phoenix, Hamlin and team will be looking for Hamlin’s second win of 2019, thus moving forward in the standings, where Hamlin currently ranks fourth after four races into the season.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Auto Club Speedway
Races: 17
Wins: 0
Poles: 3 (2009, 2012, 2013)
Top-5: 2
Top-10: 6
Laps Led: 139
Avg. Start: 11.5
Avg. Finish 17.5
Hamlin Conversation:
Your team collected another top-five finish last weekend, the second best finish of the season. How do you feel about your team’s performance at Phoenix?
“Our FedEx Toyota was fast. We just got set back by a couple bad restarts and a little issue in the pits toward the end. But we restarted 13th and drove up to fifth. At that racetrack, you just can’t drive though the field when you have a fast car. You have to be patient and wait on everyone else to mess up, or you can run a different line, and our patience paid off with a top-five finish.
What will your team need to improve upon the most in order perform at the highest level this weekend to either win or secure another top-five finish?
“Every race is important and the #11 team is always working tirelessly to make sure we are putting ourselves in the best position to win. That being said, we will need to improve on all aspects in the pit so we don’t set ourselves back with any bad restarts. Our team has been working hard and has already shown we are capable of winning any race, so I am confident we will be ready for Fontana.
FedEx POCA Station Along for the Ride at Auto Club Speedway: The FedEx POCA Station, located in the LA Empire District of the Western Region, will appear on the B-posts of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota at the Auto Club 400. The POCA station has had to overcome difficulties and challenges of a major 36-month street closure project, which started in August 2017. Fullerton Road in the City of Industry (directly in front of the station) has been closed for 18 months and the team has responded.
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