After a weekend full of near constant rain-interrupted racing, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing Team posted a well-deserved 11th-place finish in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600 at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Monday afternoon.


Hamlin and team waited out the rain on Sunday, only to have the race postponed to a Monday start and they started the race knowing they would have their hands full with a car that was set up to run from the heat of the day into the cool of the night.  The noon start on Monday meant the conditions would be essentially reversed, rain notwithstanding.   That didn’t keep them from running in the top-ten nearly throughout the race and only falling outside at the end when pit stops decided the final order.  All told, there were three long delays for rain before NASCAR finally pulled the plug on the race after 227 laps and a rain delay that lasted just over two hours.


I hate it (the rain shortened race) for the fans,” said Hamlin. “They just wanted to see the cars on track and to see us race.  It's hard to sit through one delay, let alone coming back the next day and sitting through even more delays.  Thanks to all of them for sticking it out.  The FedEx team was awesome on pit road and on the box and that really paid off today.  We worked a lot on the car and it was a case where we had a top-ten car, but with a little track position and some clean air, we could have found out how good we really were.  By the time you clear traffic on restarts and get your car working, the leader has already checked way out. Overall, it's a good finish for us - it keeps us fifth in the points.  We'll take it and move onto Dover."


David Reutimann did not pit when the final caution of the day flew and held the top spot when the race was declared final.   Ryan Newman, Robby Gordon, Carl Edwards and Brian Vickers filled out the top five.  Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates both recorded top-ten finishes with Kyle Busch and Joey Logano finishing sixth and ninth, respectively.   The result sees Hamlin hold onto the fifth spot in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings heading to Dover International Speedway next weekend.


Hamlin started the day from the 13th-spot on the grid, on the inside of row seven, and wasted little time making up ground.  By the time the first caution flew on lap six, Hamlin ran in eighth and reported that the #11 machine was handling very well.   Hamlin battled teammate Logano, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon for a handful of laps and ran in eighth place when NASCAR brought out the yellow flag for a competition caution on lap 40.  FedEx Crew Chief Mike Ford called Hamlin to pit road for four tires, fuel and an air pressure adjustment and the #11 team responded with a very quick stop – something they would replicate throughout the race.


Hamlin restarted in sixth place and held the position until rain brought out the caution on lap 74 and the teams hit pit road for changes.  Ford called for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment, and then sent Hamlin out to turn seven circuits before NASCAR brought out the red flag and halted the race for 57 minutes.   


After returning to the car, Hamlin lined up in the 18th spot for the restart, deep in the pack on account of many cars not pitting before the red flag was shown.    Once again Hamlin pushed the FedEx Camry forward, claiming 11th place when he passed Reutimann on lap 120.


Hamlin turned onto pit road for his first green-flag stop of the day on lap 130 and the team made substantial changes in a short amount of time before sending Hamlin out to cycle through in tenth place.  The wedge adjustment and removal of a spring rubber from the left rear seemed to give Hamlin the significant handling improvement he was looking for.


On lap 166, at approximately 3 p.m., NASCAR called a caution and, in a poignant gesture of respect for all those who have or are currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, brought the field to a halt on pit road for a moment of silence. 


Hamlin restarted ninth on lap 174 and faced a car that was growing tighter and tighter with every lap.   By lap 212 he ran in tenth place but as rain surrounded the track it became clear that the race was in for another significant delay.   The initial drops brought out the caution and brought Hamlin to pit road for changes.  After four tires and fuel, Hamlin was scored in the 11th position as a handful of cars did not stop or only took two tires.  After a two-hour delay, NASCAR called the race on account of rain, leaving Hamlin and team in 11th place on the afternoon – a good result though not necessarily representative of how well the team performed throughout the afternoon.