FedEx Racing Express Facts – Talladega Superspeedway - Speedway Digest

Sunday Race Info

Race: YellaWood 500

Date/Time: Sunday, October 6 / 2 p.m. ET

Distance: 188 laps / 500.08 miles

Track Length: 2.66 miles

Express Notes

Press Kit: Download the 2024 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedex.com/en-us/racing/press-kit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.

Talladega Notes: Hamlin is a two-time winner at Talladega Superspeedway with victories in 2014 and 2020. He has finished seventh or better in the past eight playoff races at Talladega dating back to 2016, including a third-place result last October. Earlier this season, Hamlin finished 37th at Talladega after being collected in a multi-car accident during the final stage.

Kansas Recap: The No. 11 team finished eighth in last weekend’s race at Kansas Speedway. After starting eighth, Hamlin finished fourth in stage one and 11th in stage two. He restarted 13th with 20 laps remaining and rallied back for his second consecutive top-10 finish.

Playoff History: This season marks Hamlin’s 18th appearance in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs giving him the most appearances since the postseason format began in 2004. Over the course of his career, Hamlin has finished in the top five in points nine times, including the past five seasons working with crew chief Chris Gabehart.

History of the 11: Throughout NASCAR history, the No. 11 has visited victory lane more than any other car number. Hamlin’s win at Dover Motor Speedway was the 234th time a No. 11 car has won in the Cup Series. For Hamlin, his 54 victories driving the No. 11 are only one behind NASCAR Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough for most on the illustrious list of drivers who have wheeled a No. 11 car to victory lane. That list includes Bobby Allison (3 wins), Mario Andretti (1 win), Buddy Baker (2 wins), Geoffrey Bodine (4 wins), Bill Elliott (6 wins), A.J. Foyt (1 win), Denny Hamlin (54 wins), Ned Jarrett (49 wins), Junior Johnson (11 wins), Parnelli Jones (1 win), Terry Labonte (4 wins), Darrell Waltrip (43 wins), and Cale Yarborough (55 wins).

Hamlin Statistics

Track: Talladega Superspeedway

Races: 37

Wins: 2

Poles: 1

Top-5: 11

Top-10: 16

Laps Led: 438

Avg. Start: 15.0

Avg. Finish: 16.8

Hamlin Conversation – Talladega

How do you approach this weekend’s race at Talladega?

“We have to be smart and be aggressive. It’s going to be an execution race trying to put yourself in the right position around the pit stops, when you pit, and how fast you can get formed back up in your group. Then, obviously you will have to miss the wrecks. That has been our biggest issue at these tracks this year is just getting caught in other people’s mistakes. So hopefully we can get some stage points early on and then be able to be aggressive later in the race, but overall, it’s going to come down to executing and then needing some luck.”

FedEx Along for the Ride at Talladega: For this weekend’s race at Talladega Superspeedway, the b-post of Hamlin’s No. 11 Camry will feature 1RATE. Race fans can now ship using FedEx One Rate, which offers simple and predictable flat-rate prices for their shipping needs. FedEx One Rate pricing allows customers to ship packages weighing 50 pounds or less to anywhere in the United States for a fixed price. For more information, visit fedex.com/onerate.

JGR PR