RACE INFO:
Event: NASCAR Banking 500
Date/Time: Oct. 17, 2009/8 p.m.
2008 winner: Jimmie Johnson
2008 pole winner: Rain
Distance: 334 laps/501 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Banking: 24 degrees
Track Shape: Quad Oval

EXPRESS NOTES:
Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team’s race at Auto Club Speedway started brightly, leading the field to the green from the pole and then leading the first ten laps, but the day ended agonizingly early when Hamlin – leading on a lap 190 restart – clipped the left rear of his car on Juan Pablo Montoya’s car and spun into the end of the infield pit wall. The wreck ended Hamlin’s afternoon and put a severe dent in his 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship aspirations. Hamlin who entered the race sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup points race, just 99 points behind the leader, scored a 37th-place finish to end the fourth race of the Chase ninth in points. He now sits 219 markers behind new points leader and Sunday’s Pepsi 500 winner Jimmie Johnson.

Denny in the Drop Box: In support of Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team, FedEx is installing custom sound devices featuring a special message from the driver of the #11 FedEx Toyota into more than 700 FedEx Express drop boxes in four race markets. The promotion will kick off in Charlotte, NC the week of Oct. 12, 2009 with the installation of over 300 devices into FedEx Express drop boxes – including one at the Joe Gibbs Racing headquarters in Huntersville. Over the next two months the one-of-a-kind drop boxes will roll into additional markets, including Greensboro, Birmingham, Ala., and Miami leading up to the season finale of the Sprint Cup Series at the Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Hamlin at Lowe’s Motor Speedway: This weekend will mark Hamlin's ninth Cup start at Lowe's Motor Speedway, 146th career Cup start and his fourth trip to Lowe’s in the midst of the Chase. Earlier this season, after a weekend full of rain-interrupted racing, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing Team posted a well-deserved 11th-place finish in the rain-shortened Coca-Cola 600. The #11 team ran in the top-ten throughout the race, only falling outside at the end when pit stops decided the final order. Hamlin’s overall performance in the fall at Lowe’s has paled in comparison to his top-ten average in four Coca-Cola 600 races. However, that doesn’t mean the #11 team hasn’t been competitive. A year ago, Hamlin ran comfortably in the top-ten before a lap 233 incident caused damage to the car and left Hamlin unable to regain the performance he enjoyed up to that point. In 2007, just as Hamlin appeared poised to bring home a top-five finish, transmission issues that had been threatening for much of the race finally crippled the #11 under caution. The ensuing repairs forced Hamlin to ride out the remainder of the race in fourth gear while mired back in the pack. He would ultimately take the checkered flag in 20th place. In 2006, a lap one multi-car wreck caught Hamlin and the ensuing damage sent him immediately to the garage for significant repairs. He returned to the track but wasn't able to improve beyond a 28th-place finish. Hamlin made his debut at Lowe’s in 2005. In only his second-ever Cup start, Hamlin pushed the #11 forward from a starting position of 39th to claim his first-ever top-ten finish.

Race Series Date Start Finish Laps (Led)
Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup May 24, 2009 13 11 227/227
Bank of America 500 Sprint Cup Oct. 11, 2008 12 16 334/334
Coca-Cola 600 Sprint Cup May 25, 2008 16 24 399/400 1
Bank of America 500 Nextel Cup Oct. 13, 2007 11 20 337/337
Coca-Cola 600 Nextel Cup May 27, 2007 6 9 400/400 1
Bank of America 500 Nextel Cup Oct. 14, 2006 22 28 265/334
Coca-Cola 600 Nextel Cup May 28, 2006 8 9 400/400 25
UAW-GM Quality 500 Nextel Cup Oct. 15, 2005 39 8 336/336 1______
Averages/Totals 15.9 15.6 97.5% 28

FedEx Office Center #4404 “Along for the Ride” in Charlotte: In recognition of their outstanding commitment to customer service, FedEx Office Center #4404 will be featured on the wing caps of the #11 FedEx Office Toyota this weekend at Lowe’s Motor Speedway. Store #4404, located in Brownsville, Texas is leading all FedEx Office locations in customer service standings.

Lowe’s Motor Speedway – JGR 256 and 253: The team will unload JGR 256 this weekend in Charlotte. This car last ran two weeks ago at Kansas where Hamlin posted a fifth place finish, and before that at New Hampshire where Hamlin piloted it to a second-place finish. JGR 253 will serve in backup duty.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION – Lowe’s Motor Speedway:
Obviously last week was a disappointment. How do you and the #11 team respond this week?: “It was a huge disappointment but I look at the situation and know that I made the mistake and I owe it to this team to go out and run as hard as I can this and every weekend. I know I’ve said it before but this Chase is so tight and there is no room for error. The responsibility is on me and if I had it to do over again, I would have done it differently. It really hurt us in the points and that is tough to take but it won’t change our approach. We feel like we’ve been good enough this season to run for a championship.”

You had another good run here this year at the 600, can you replicate that here this weekend?: “I think we can, we are looking forward to getting to Charlotte because we believe in our equipment and our intermediate program – which is getting better and better. We’ve seen all Chase long that the best teams continue to rise to the top and they do that by bringing good cars and making them better throughout the practices and all race long. Everyone is building for the end of the race when everything is on the line. We are in the same boat and expect to be competitive this weekend.”

FEDEX RACING – 2009 SEASON RESULTS:
Race Track Date Start Finish Laps (Led)_
Daytona 500 Daytona Feb. 15 10 26 152/152
Auto Club 500 Auto Club Feb. 22 23 6 250/250
Shelby 427 Las Vegas March 1 34 22 284/285¬¬¬¬¬
Kobalt Tools 500 Atlanta March 8 6 13 329/330
Food City 500 Bristol March 22 24 2 503/503 7
Goody’s 500 Martinsville March 29 8 2 500/500 296
Samsung 500 Texas April 5 22 12 334/334
Subway Fresh Fit 500 Phoenix April 18 12 6 312/312
Aaron’s 499 Talladega April 26 18 22 188/188 28
Crown Royal 400 Richmond May 2 3 14 400/400 148
Southern 500 Darlington May 9 23 13 367/367
Coca-Cola 600 Charlotte May 24 13 11 227/227
Autism Speaks 400 Dover May 31 13 35 232/400
Pocono 500 Pocono June 7 7 38 178/200
LifeLock 400 Michigan June 14 13 3 200/200 1
Toyota/SaveMart 350 Sonoma June 21 24 5 113/113 33
Lenox Tools 301 New Hampshire June 28 7 15 283/283 1
Coke Zero 400 Daytona July 4 6 3 160/160 63
LifeLock.com 400 Chicago July 11 4 5 267/267
Brickyard 400 Indianapolis July 26 14 34 144/160
Pennsylvania 500 Pocono Aug. 3 6 1 200/200 91
Heluva Good! at the Glen Watkins Glen Aug. 10 3 10 90/90
Carfax 400 Michigan Aug. 16 16 10 200/200 2
Sharpie 500 Bristol Aug. 22 41 5 500/500
Pep Boys 500 Atlanta Sept. 6 10 6 335/325 23
Chevy Rock & Roll 400 Richmond Sept. 12 3 1 400/400 299
Sylvania 300 New Hampshire Sept. 20 4 2 300/300 22
AAA 400 Dover Sept. 27 13 22 398/400
Price Chopper 400 Kansas Oct. 4 22 5 267/267 1
Pepsi 500 Auto Club Oct. 11 1 37 195/250 21__
Averages/Totals 13.6 12.9 96.9% 1036

2009 FEDEX RACING – TEAM ROSTER
Crew Chief: Mike Ford – Morristown, Tenn.
Car Chief: Chris “Spider” Gillin – Smithtown, NY
Shocks: Tim Sparkman – St. Louis, Mo.
Engineer: Mike Wheeler – Southholt, NY
Front Tire Changer: Jonathan Sherman – Monroe, La.
Tire Specialist: Patrick Mullen – Brick, N.J.
Windshield: Bobby “Spike” Christenson – Spokane, Wash.
Mechanic: Rick Bray – Placerville, Calif.**
Rear Tire Changer: Mike Hicks – Salisbury, N.C.
Rear Tire Carrier: Heath Cherry – Belmont, N.C.
Spotter: Curtis Markham – Fredericksburg, Va.
Front Tire Carrier: Brandon Pegram – Statesville, N.C.
Jackman: Nate Bolling – Swanton, Ohio**
Motor Specialist: Chris Woodward - Franklin, NH
Gas can: Scott Wood – Liberty, S.C.
Catch Can: John Eicher – London, Ky.
Hauler Driver: Jerry Hess – Lancaster, Pa.
Mechanic: John Furino – Long Island, NY
Hauler Driver: Frank Hodel – Blythe, Calif.
JGR Athletic Director: Michael Lepp – Charlotte, N.C.