Snapping a 54-race winless streak at Dover Motor Speedway on Monday, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Martin Truex Jr. has become the eighth different driver this season to earn a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs and NASCAR All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro Speedway on May 21.
CAMRY
Christopher Bell / No. 20 DEWALT-Rheem Toyota Camry TRD Preview – Daytona 500
DAYTONA 500: Christopher Bell will make his fourth NASCAR Cup Series (NCS) start in the Daytona 500 on Sunday, February 19th at Daytona International Speedway (DIS). The No. 20 Toyota Camry TRD will feature both DEWALT and Rheem as co-primary sponsors.
Denny Hamlin – No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD Preview – Busch Light Clash at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD News and Notes
- LA COLISEUM DEBUT: Denny Hamlin finished 23rd in last year’s inaugural trip to Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum after a mechanical issue ended his race early. To advance to the main event, Hamlin had to battle his way in through a last-chance-qualifying race where he started first and led all 50 laps to secure his position in the 150-lap race.
- HAMLIN CLASH HISTORY: Hamlin is a three-time Busch Clash winner with all three victories coming at Daytona International Speedway. He won the annual exhibition race to kickstart his rookie season in 2006 and followed up by winning again in 2014 and 2016.
- 2022 SEASON RECAP: Last season marked the fourth consecutive season where Hamlin ended up in the top five in the series standings. While the final result was solid, the road there was a trying one for the No. 11 team. After finishing every race in 2021, various misfortunes saw Hamlin out of the race at the end of four of the first nine events in 2022. A win at Richmond Raceway in early April solidified his place in the playoffs and Hamlin added another crown jewel victory to his resume when he won the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May. Once the playoffs began, Hamlin turned in an impressive stretch with a series-best 6.6 average finish over the final 10 races.
- SPORT CLIPS: Sport Clips will be featured as the primary sponsor for Hamlin at the Busch Clash. 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.
- JGR CLASH STATS: Joe Gibbs Racing has earned 10 victories in the Busch Clash. Kyle Busch (2012 and 2021), Denny Hamlin (2006, 2014, 2016), Erik Jones (2020), Matt Kenseth (2015) and Tony Stewart (2001, 2002, 2007) have all won the race while driving for JGR.
- TUNE IN: Coverage of the Busch Light Clash at The Coliseum begins Sunday, February 5, at 5 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN Radio, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio. The main event is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. ET.
Denny Hamlin, Driver of the No. 11 Sport Clips Toyota Camry TRD
What are your thoughts on returning to the LA Coliseum for the second time?
“I’m looking forward to going back. NASCAR has done a great job putting this event together and I know there has been a lot of effort put in when you look at the celebrities coming out and the musical acts. It’s a fun atmosphere and an exciting way to start the season. From a racing perspective, we definitely want to have a better showing than we did last year, and I think we will. We improved so much from the start of the season to the end and everyone has worked really hard this offseason, so it’s always fun to see where we stack up.”
Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Los Angeles Memorial Stadium
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17.0 | 23.0 |
Hamlin 2022 NASCAR Cup Series Season Stats
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 36 | 2 | 10 | 16 | 3 | 624 | 13.1 | 15.5 |
Hamlin NASCAR Cup Series Career Stats
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish | ||||||||
| 614 | 48 | 208 | 321 | 36 | 13,354 | 12.0 | 13.2 |
About Sport Clips Haircuts
Sport Clips Haircuts is headquartered in Georgetown, Texas. It was established in 1993 and began franchising in 1995. The sports-themed haircutting franchise, which specializes in haircuts for men and boys, offers online check in for clients, and ranks #30 in the Entrepreneur “Franchise 500” for 2023 and is listed in Franchise Direct’s 2021 “Top 100 Global Franchises”. There are almost 1,900 Sport Clips stores open in the U.S. and Canada. Sport Clips is the “Official Haircutter” of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), offers veterans preferential pricing on haircuts and franchises, and was named a 2021 Top Franchise for Veterans by Entrepreneur. Sport Clips provides “Haircuts with Heart” through its annual Help A Hero fundraiser that has contributed $13 million to the VFW; national partnership with St. Baldrick’s Foundation, the largest private funder of childhood cancer research grants; and other national and local philanthropic outreach. Sport Clips is a proud sponsor of NASCAR’s Joe Gibbs Racing team and SRX Racing, and partners with other NCAA and professional sports teams. To learn more about Sport Clips, visit sportclips.com.
NASCAR Cup Series News & Notes – Richmond Raceway
Richmond Raceway has been known by several different names and has been reconfigured several times over the years of its existence, but all the while it has been a staple on the NASCAR Cup Series schedule since 1953. This weekend’s race, the TOYOTA OWNERS 400 (April 18 at 3 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio) is looking to add the historic prestige that Richmond has built over the decades of great on-track competition and with how this season has been shaking out it shouldn’t disappoint. (more…)
Denny Hamlin/FedEx Racing Express Facts – Darlington
Race Info:
Race: Toyota 500
Date/Time: Weds, May 20/7:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 228 laps/311.4 miles
Track Length: 1.36 miles
Track Shape: Egg-shaped oval
2019 Winner: N/A
Express Notes:
Press Kit: Download the 2020 FedEx Racing press materials at www.fedexracing.com/presskit, including bios for Denny Hamlin, Chris Gabehart and Joe Gibbs Racing leadership, program highlights and statistics.
Darlington “The Real Heroes 400” Recap: Denny Hamlin battled the track “Too Tough to Tame” for a top-five finish in NASCAR’s return to live racing on Sunday. Hamlin finished fifth at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway in the Cup Series’ first event since going on hiatus in mid-March due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The #11 “Thank You FedEx Team Members” Toyota lined up 10th by virtue of a random draw for the one-day event. With no practice or qualifying laps before the green flag, Hamlin had to assess the car for the first time during the first part of the race. The FedEx Racing team had brought a fast car – they just worked on slight handling issues through the 400-mile event. Hamlin remained in the top 10 throughout the afternoon, but never had enough to challenge for the lead. Kevin Harvick dominated much of the race for the win, leading 159 of the 293 laps.
Darlington Toyota 500 Preview: The series heads back to Darlington Raceway Wednesday night for a 500-kilometer event on the egg-shaped oval. Hamlin is a two-time winner at the track, taking the checkered flag in 2012 and 2017. Hamlin owns eight top-five and 12 top-10 finishes in 15 career races at Darlington, leading a total of 562 laps. Hamlin and the FedEx Racing team will look to improve on their fifth-place finish in Sunday’s return-to-racing event at the South Carolina oval.
FedEx “The Real Heroes Project” Spotlight: FedEx is honored to highlight team member and “Real Hero” Jami Clark, from Afton, Wyo., with her name above the door of Hamlin’s car for the Toyota 500. Clark splits her time as a Sr. Global Operations Control Specialist with FedEx and as an Air National Guard C-17 pilot. Lately she’s been flying COVID-19 aid in missions for the 155 Airlift squadron. When she gets a free moment, she loves to go for runs with her dogs and train horses. FedEx is honored and thankful for her continued service during these challenging times.
FedEx “Delivering Strength” Paint Scheme: The #11 FedEx Toyota will sport a special paint scheme for the Darlington NASCAR race, carrying the message “Delivering Strength” on the hood and #fedexstrong on the back of the car. FedEx wishes to draw attention to not just its 475,000 FedEx team members, but all the organizations FedEx is working with during the COVID-19 crisis, including nonprofit organizations, the healthcare community and FedEx customers.
Hamlin Statistics:
Track: Darlington Raceway
Races: 15
Wins: 2
Poles: 1
Top-5: 8
Top-10: 12
Laps Led: 562
Avg. Start: 8.9
Avg. Finish: 7.6
Hamlin Conversation – Darlington:
How did it feel to be back on a real racetrack in the FedEx Toyota?
“It definitely felt good to be on the racetrack, that’s for sure. I’m proud of our FedEx team and everyone who helped put this program together. NASCAR and FOX did a great job to put together a process of making this a safe return that fans could enjoy on TV. Obviously, we wish we could do it with fans at the track, but that will come in due time.”
What do you need to do differently in the return to Darlington on Wednesday?
“I’m excited to go back and give it another shot. I like the process of figuring out what we can do better and getting to work on those things. Our FedEx Camry is going to be just as good, if not better, than it was Sunday.”
FedEx Office – Closest to Darlington Raceway: 2813 W Hwy 74, Monroe, NC 28110, (704) 289-3859
| 2020 FedEx Racing Team Results | |||||||||
| DATE | EVENT | LOCATION | START | FINISH | LAPS | STATUS | LED | PTS | TREND |
| Feb. 16 | Daytona 500 | Daytona | 21 | 1 | 209/209 | Running | 79 | 1st | ▬ |
| Feb. 23 | Pennzoil 400 Presented by Jiffy Lube | Las Vegas | 4 | 17 | 267/267 | Running | 0 | 9th | ▼ |
| Mar. 1 | Auto Club 400 | Fontana | 28 | 6 | 200/200 | Running | 0 | 7th | ▲ |
| Mar. 8 | Fan Shield 500 | Phoenix | 3 | 20 | 316/316 | Running | 0 | 11th | ▼ |
| Mar. 17 | The Real Heroes 400 | Darlington | 10 | 5 | 293/293 | Running | 0 | 6th | ▲ |
| Averages/Totals | 13.2 | 9.8 | 100% | 79 | |||||
Erik Jones / No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry Preview Darlington 400 at Darlington Raceway
No. 20 DEWALT ATOMIC Thank You Heroes Toyota Camry News and Notes:
- JONES AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Erik Jones will make his fourth start in the Cup Series at Darlington Raceway on Sunday, May 17, when NASCAR returns to the track. In his most recent trip to “The Lady in Black,” Jones captured his first Southern 500 victory and his second Cup Series victory in just his 100th Cup Series start. In his other two starts at the track, Jones recorded a fifth-place and an eighth-place finish. In addition to his Cup Series starts, Jones has two starts at the South Carolina track in the Xfinity Series where he earned a sixth-place and fourth-place finish.
- JGR AT DARLINGTON RACEWAY: Joe Gibbs Racing (JGR) has 88 total starts at Darlington Raceway in Cup Series competition. In those starts, the team has earned seven wins, 24 top-five finishes, 52 top-10 finishes and two pole starting positions. The team has led 1,595 laps, completed 29,735 of 30,465 attempted laps (97.6%) and earned an average start of 14.4 and an average finish of 11.7. Denny Hamlin leads the team with two wins followed by Bobby Labonte, Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Carl Edwards and Jones with one win each.
- THIS WEEK ON THE NO. 20 CAMRY: For the return to racing this weekend, the No. 20 Toyota Camry will carry the familiar black and yellow DEWALT paint scheme featuring DEWALT ATOMIC. The No. 20 Camry will also feature a “Thank You Heroes” message on the car to honor those what have been fighting and continue to fight the Covid-19 pandemic around the United States and the world.
- DEWALT ATOMIC:
- The ATOMIC Compact Series ™ is an addition to the 20V MAX* system, which is DEWALT’s largest cordless platform with 200+ products.
- Where Size Meets Power, the ATOMIC™ Compact Series combines performance and durability in a compact format for a variety of applications.
- RACE INFO: The Darlington 400 at Darlington Raceway is scheduled for Sunday, May 17, 2020. Coverage will begin at 3:30 p.m. ET on FOX, Sirius XM Channel 90 and MRN Radio.
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats at Darlington Raceway:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 79 | 10.7 | 4.7 |
Jones 2020 Season NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 17.5 | 19.8 |
Jones Career NASCAR Cup Series Stats:
| Starts | Wins | Top 5 | Top 10 | Poles | Laps Led | Avg. Start | Avg. Finish |
| 115 | 2 | 24 | 50 | 2 | 582 | 13.4 | 16.1 |
From the Driver’s Seat:
Erik Jones: “I’m looking forward to Darlington. It’s been a really good track to me in the past, over the last few years and especially last year getting the win there in the Southern 500. Hopefully I have another shot at a good run this weekend. It’s going to be a unique weekend with no practice or qualifying. We’re really going to have to hit it right off the truck and hopefully our car is where it needs to be when we start the race. I’m just excited to get back to the race track in general. The iRacing has been fun, but it’s nothing like really being in the car, really being at the track and working with your guys and having that team effort. It’s always a good feeling of everyone working toward one goal, it’s pretty cool. I’m just excited. Darlington has been a great track for me. It’s going to be a unique race and kind of knocking the rust off at first, and then hopefully getting in to a groove and being able to run up front and contend for a win. Really looking forward to it and getting back in the seat.
About DEWALT
DEWALT is obsessed with how users work in the real world and is relentlessly pursuing total jobsite solutions. By incorporating its latest technology and industry innovations, DEWALT is leading the charge for the jobsite of the future. DEWALT products. GUARANTEED TOUGH®. For more information, visit www.dewalt.com or follow DEWALT on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
