Event: Ford 400
Date/Time: Nov. 20/3 p.m. ET
2010 winner: Carl Edwards
2010 polesitter: Carl Edwards
Distance:267 laps/401 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Banking: 18-20 degrees
Track Shape: Oval
EXPRESS NOTES:
Phoenix Recap: Denny Hamlin drove the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry to a 12th-place finish in Sunday’s Kobalt Tools 500 at Phoenix International Raceway, the penultimate race of the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season and Round 9 of the Chase for the championship. Hamlin attacked the newly-paved and reconfigured one-mile desert oval from the drop of the green flag, working through traffic from his 33rd starting position to climb near the top-20 by the race’s midpoint. A timely caution just past the halfway mark — in the middle of green flag pit stops — allowed the FedEx team to make a stop during the yellow and move to the brink of the top-10. Hamlin, who sat on the pole in his very-first Phoenix start in 2005, battled a nagging tight condition in the center of the corners which prevented him from challenging for the victory in the 312-lap event won by Kasey Kahne. Crew chief Mike Ford called for a variety of wedge and air pressure adjustments throughout the race in hopes of freeing up the #11 machine, but the track’s changing conditions throughout the afternoon made it a difficult task. The finish kept Hamlin 10th in the Chase standings following Phoenix, as only three points separate leader Carl Edwards and second-place Tony Stewart heading into Sunday’s finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Homestead Preview: The final race of the 2011 NASCAR season is Sunday at Homestead-Miami Speedway, and Hamlin will be making his seventh Cup Series start at the 1.5-mile oval. Hamlin has one victory (2009) and a pair of third-place finishes (2006 and 2007) at the track. During his 2009 victory in South Florida, Hamlin charged from his 38th-place starting position to lead a race-high 71 of 267 laps en route to victory lane. In 2006, Hamlin was looking to put an exclamation point on a record-setting rookie season, Hamlin drove an excellent race, bringing the #11 home in third place and locking up third place in the 2006 championship standings. The 2007 race at Homestead followed the same script as the 2006 edition – starting from deep in the pack, Hamlin wasted little time pushing forward and gained 15 spots through the first 18 laps. He would lead 19 laps on the day and ran in the top five for most of the 267 laps before finishing an impressive third. Hamlin owns an average finish of 11.2 in six Homestead starts. Hamlin, who turns 31 on Friday (Nov. 18), will also compete in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series and NASCAR Nationwide Series races this weekend.
Special Helmet: Denny Hamlin will wear a special helmet designed by FedEx team member Neil Cohen, from Cleveland, who won an internal helmet design contest.
FedEx Office – Closest to Homestead-Miami Speedway: 18755 S. Dixie Hwy, Ste 57, Miami, FL 33157, (305) 235-2911
South Bay Along for the Ride in Homestead: The FedEx Express ramp in the south bay of Northern California, covering Sunnyvale to Santa Cruz, will be recognized with its “SJCR” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota this weekend.
HAMLIN CONVERSATION – Homestead-Miami Speedway:
What do you think about Homestead-Miami Speedway?
“This can be a tricky place but it’s a place where we’ve been pretty good over the past two races. Qualifying is always a struggle but we usually turn it around on Saturday and then get ourselves in the right place on Sunday. The banking here gives you an opportunity to search for that place where your car can work into turns one and three without having to use a lot of brake and then being able to get back on throttle as soon as you can. It’s a fun track when your car is working – not as much fun when you are struggling to find the balance.”
What do you think about the new points system?
“I definitely like the new system. I feel like the two teams that have been the strongest through the Chase are right there neck-and-neck. So, I think as far as if you want to base it off overall performance — and you would think with all the wins that Tony (Stewart) has he should be ahead. But, he’s had some bad finishes and setbacks. So, I think it’s right where it needs to be. I think that Homestead, (Edwards) is going to be very strong, I think he’ll be one of the guys to beat in Homestead. I think this is going to be the key as far as those two guys to see who has what. I’m kind of leaning in Carl’s favor in the sense that he’s performed the best all year long and Tony is obviously very hot right now, but that’s not going to keep going on forever.”
- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing, Press Release
