Bristol Notes: Denny Hamlin is a four-time NASCAR Cup Series winner at Bristol Motor Speedway, including the past two trips to the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. Overall, Hamlin owns 11 top-five finishes, 18 top-10s, four pole awards, and 1,199 laps led at Bristol. He has earned four consecutive top-10 finishes at the track dating back to 2021. In the past two Bristol races, Hamlin has led a combined 305 of 1,000 laps.
Bristol Qualifying: Hamlin leads all active drivers with four pole awards at Bristol. He has started inside the top 10 in nine consecutive Bristol races going back to March 2019. Hamlin has qualified fourth or better in three races at Bristol with the Next Gen racecar.
Conquering the Concrete: Hamlin owns six NASCAR Cup Series victories on concrete tracks – four at Bristol Motor Speedway and two at Dover Motor Speedway. The FedEx Racing team has won three of the past four races on concrete tracks dating back to last September at Bristol. Earlier this season, Hamlin won on the concrete at Bristol Motor Speedway in March and Dover Motor Speedway in April. He was leading with two laps remaining in the most recent race on a concrete track at Nashville Superspeedway in June before a late caution sent the race into an unprecedented five-overtime finish that forced Hamlin to pit for fuel when the race ran 31 laps past the scheduled distance.
Watkins Glen Recap: The No. 11 team finished 23rd in last weekend’s race at Watkins Glen International. Hamlin was involved in a multi-car accident on lap one and another incident early in the final stage. He was scored outside the top 30 before several late-race cautions sent the race into overtime. On the final restart, the Virginia native maneuvered his way to a 23rd-place result.
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: Bristol Motor Speedway
Races: 34
Wins: 4
Poles: 4
Top-5: 11
Top-10: 18
Laps Led: 1,199
Avg. Start: 12.0
Avg. Finish: 13.6
Hamlin Conversation – Bristol
How do you feel about your chances this weekend at Bristol?
“I feel like we can go to Bristol and win. We can control our own destiny there. If we can run in the top two or three all day and score stage points and be there at the end like we are capable of doing, then I feel good about it.”
FedEx Along for the Ride at Bristol: For this weekend’s race at Bristol Motor Speedway, 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.
Saturday Race Info
Race: Bass Pro Shops Night Race
Date/Time: Saturday, September 21 / 7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 500 laps / 266.5 miles
Track Length: 0.533 miles
JGR PR
