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No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes

• DEFENDING WINNER: Denny Hamlin won the 2022 Coca-Cola 600 for his first career victory at Charlotte Motor Speedway. After starting on the pole, Hamlin led 15 laps and ran solidly inside the top 10 for most of NASCAR’s longest race of the season. Prior to a late caution, he was running in the top five before a four-tire pit stop and some nifty accident avoidance propelled him to the lead for a second overtime restart. He was able to fend off Kyle Busch on the final lap to secure his 48th career victory.
• HAMLIN AT CHARLOTTE: In addition to his victory in last May’s Coca-Cola 600, Hamlin has also posted 11 total top-five finishes, 20 top-10s, three pole awards, and 395 laps led at Charlotte Motor Speedway. He has three consecutive finishes of seventh or better on the 1.5-mile track and five top-five finishes in his past eight starts overall. The Chesterfield, Virginia native is also a former NASCAR Xfinity Series winner at Charlotte.
• ALL-STAR RECAP: Hamlin finished 13th in last weekend’s NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway. After starting ninth, he quickly rocketed up to second before a caution on lap 16. The No. 11 team elected to stay on track while several cars pitted for fresh tires. The decision resulted in Hamlin slipping back to seventh before a competition caution on lap 100 provided teams the opportunity to pit for fresh tires. Hamlin lined up sixth with 90 laps remaining but could never find the grip he needed as he ultimately finished the night in the 13th position.
• REGULAR SEASON HALFWAY: Hamlin ranks fourth in the driver’s points standings as the NASCAR Cup Series has reached the midway point in the 26-race regular season. So far, the No. 11 driver owns one victory, three top-five finishes, five top-10s, two stage wins, one pole award, and 202 laps led. His 12.3-average finishing position leads drivers who have started all 13 races.
• CAPTAIN KEVIN J. SMITH: As part of the 600 Miles of Remembrance program, the windshield of the No. 11 Camry will carry the name of Captain Kevin J. Smith. 1st Lt. Smith, a West Point graduate, was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 76th Field Artillery, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 3rd Infantry Division, based out of Fort Stewart, Georgia. He was killed in action in Baghdad on December 8, 2005, while serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom. Following his death, 1st Lt. Smith received a posthumous promotion to Captain.
• SPORT CLIPS: Sport Clips will be featured as the primary sponsor of Hamlin’s No. 11 Camry this weekend at Charlotte Motor Speedway. The sports-themed haircutting franchise based in Georgetown, Texas is a longtime supporter of Joe Gibbs Racing dating back to 2009 and has more than 1,850 stores in the United States and Canada.
• HONOR A HERO: Sport Clips is proud of its relationship with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the Honor A Hero scholarship program that was established in 2013. The program has awarded more than 2,500 scholarships totaling $11.55 million. The Honor A Hero scholarship program is open to active-duty service members and veterans pursuing a variety of degrees. Learn more at www.VFW.org.
• JGR AT CHARLOTTE: Joe Gibbs Racing owns eight NASCAR Cup Series victories at Charlotte Motor Speedway, including five in the Coca-Cola 600. In 146 combined starts on the track’s 1.5-mile quad-oval layout, the organization has tallied 57 top-five finishes, 87 top-10s, 11 pole awards, and 3,818 laps led. Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Dale Jarrett, Bobby Labonte, Tony Stewart, and Martin Truex Jr. join Hamlin on the list of drivers who have taken JGR to victory lane at Charlotte.
• TUNE IN: Coverage of this weekend’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway begins Sunday, May 28, at 6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio.

Denny Hamlin, Driver of the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD

What is your mindset going into the Coca-Cola 600 this weekend?

“I feel like our cars have definitely gotten better on the mile-and-a-half tracks. Obviously, we did win the last mile-and-a-half at Kansas, so I’m optimistic going into this weekend. We know we will have to beat the Hendrick guys if we want to have a shot, but I feel like we’ve been trending in the right direction on these types of tracks. We have as good a chance as anyone. We just have to execute throughout the race and be there at the end.” 

Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Charlotte Motor Speedway

Hamlin 2023 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats

Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats

JGR PR