Hamlin, FedEx Score Another Top-Ten at Michigan
For the second consecutive weekend, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team ran near the front and managed an effective fuel strategy to score an impressive tenth-place finish.  Hamlin led on one occasion for two laps on his way to his 11th top-ten finish on the season and second consecutive top-ten at Michigan. Unlike a year ago, when a DNF at Michigan had Hamlin and team sitting precariously in the 12th position heading to Bristol, the result last weekend sees Hamlin hold onto fifth place in the Sprint Cup standings with only three races remaining before the field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup is set.


Hamlin at Bristol Motor Speedway
This weekend will mark Hamlin's eighth career Cup start at Bristol Motor Speedway and 138th Cup start of Hamlin’s career.  In March, Hamlin and team turned in a great performance, charging forward from a starting position of 24th to battle for the lead and ultimately claim second place on the day.  Hamlin took the lead on lap 317 and held the point for seven laps before surrendering the lead under caution.  Despite restarting second for the green-white-checkered finish, he couldn’t reach the bumper of his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate and eventual winner, Kyle Busch. A year ago, Hamlin brought the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota home in third place after working his way into second as Carl Edwards and Busch battled for the lead.  In March of last year, Hamlin led 98 laps and held the lead for the green-white-checkered restart before a fuel-pickup problem stalled the car as he took the green flag on lap 504.  With only intermittent power, it was all he could do to bring the car home in sixth.  In the fall 2007 race Hamlin was forced to the back for the start after a post-practice engine change, but that didn't stop him from making his way up to sixth place in only 103 laps.   It was at that time, however, that the first signs of engine trouble started and the #11 FedEx machine would only make it 100 additional laps before the engine let go and Hamlin was forced from the race.  Much like the race at Bristol in the spring of 2008, the spring of 2007 event ended with fuel pick-up agony.  Hamlin led 177 laps before a late fuel-pickup problem stalled him on a restart with less than 20 laps to go and relegated him to a 14th-place finish.


Bristol Motor Speedway Chassis – JGR 196 and 225
The #11 team will unload chassis #196 this weekend for the third time this season.  This car posted a 13th-place finish in Atlanta this spring, and then ran to a fourth place finish in the Sprint All-Star Challenge in May.  JGR 225 is the back up and has one start this season, a 22nd-place finish at Las Vegas in March.


FedEx Ground – Florida Region (FLDA) “Along for the Ride” at Bristol Motor Speedway
FedEx Ground – Florida Region will ride along with Denny when the he takes to the track at Bristol Motor Speedway this weekend.  The #11 FedEx Ground Toyota will feature “FLDA” on the wing caps to recognize the team for leading all FedEx Ground regions in customer service scores.


Hamlin Conversation – Bristol Motor Speedway


You’ve been really close but that win at Bristol has been elusive – have the near misses altered your approach at all?
“Coming so close before has really only made us want to win one of these Bristol races more than ever.  We’ve felt like we’ve had the car on a couple of occasions but had some bad luck in terms of parts going bad at the worst possible times.  Twice we ran almost 500 laps around Bristol to get in position to win only to have things go wrong at the very end.  This team regroups and works even harder because we know we can run well at Bristol.  We build really competitive cars, and I have learned a lot about racing here and how to get around this place whether I am running at the front and worrying about clearing traffic or coming from way back in the field and trying to get to the front.   I always like our chances coming here and I also feel that we are getting back to our best as a team.”


Does the intensity of the racing change as the Chase grows closer?
“I think it comes down to where you are.  Are you a team trying to get into the top-12, a team trying to protect your position in the top-12, or a team that is in the Chase and going for bonus points?  This race will be very exciting seeing just how tight that fight is for the last spots. The new surface makes for much better racing in terms of being able to run both grooves and pass on both grooves.  There might not be as much contact as their once was but that’s a tribute to the work the folks at Bristol put into making this a better overall racetrack.  It’s a great track to race on and Bristol is a race that everyone wants to win so you’ll see everyone out there on Saturday night doing whatever they can to get to the front.”