Sunday Race Info
Race: Dixie Vodka 400
Date/Time: Sunday, Oct. 23 / 2:30 p.m. ET
Distance: 267 laps / 400.5 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Express Notes
Press Kit: Download the 2022 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.
Las Vegas Recap: The FedEx Racing team kickstarted the Round of 8 with a fifth-place finish at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. For Hamlin, it was his ninth top-five finish of the season and his fourth top-five in seven playoff races.
Homestead Notes: Hamlin leads all active drivers with three NASCAR Cup Series victories (2009, 2013, 2020) and three pole awards (2015, 2017, 2018) at Homestead-Miami Speedway. He has finished 12th or better in the past nine Homestead races dating back to 2013. In 17 career starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Hamlin has completed 4,536 of 4,541 total laps.
Starting Up Front: Hamlin has started on the pole for the past five races at Homestead and six of the past seven. After turning the fastest time in time trials in 2015, 2017, and 2018, the FedEx Racing driver received the pole in 2019 when rain washed out qualifying and the lineup was determined by points. In 2020, a random draw put Hamlin on the pole. Last season, he lined up first based on NASCAR’s metric qualifying system when teams were not allowed to practice or qualify. Overall, he has started inside the top five in eight of the past nine Homestead races with the only outlier being an eighth-place qualifying effort in 2014.
Homestead Test: Hamlin and the No. 11 team recently participated in a two-day test at Homestead-Miami Speedway on September 20-21.
Playoff Performance: Hamlin leads all playoff drivers with six top-10s, a 6.6-average finish, and 254 points through the first seven playoff races. He is also tied with his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Christopher Bell for the most top-five finishes in the playoffs with four.
Hamlin Statistics
Track: Homestead-Miami Speedway
Races: 17
Wins: 3
Poles: 3
Top-5: 5
Top-10: 11
Laps Led: 393
Avg. Start: 16.5
Avg. Finish: 10.0
Hamlin Conversation – Homestead
How do you feel going to Homestead this weekend?
“I’m looking forward to Homestead. We had a very good test there a few weeks ago and really felt like we unloaded as one of the best cars. After two days, the field kind of caught up to us a little bit, but I have a lot of confidence going there. I feel like the driver can make a difference just with the different lines you can run, so I think that fits into our strengths on top of just how strong we have been on these types of tracks this year.”
JGR PR
