Fast Facts: Denny Hamlin

Credit: Debbie Ross for Skirts and Scuffs

Denny Hamlin, driver of the No. 11 FedEx Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing, is hoping to rebound from a less-than-stellar 2011 and get back to his near-championship form of 2010 – or better. Here’s a look at the career of the 2006 Sprint Cup Rookie of the Year.

• James Dennis Alan Hamlin was born November 18th, 1980 in Tampa, Florida, but grew up in Chesterfield, Virginia. He started racing go-karts at age 7, moving up to mini-stocks at age 16 at Langley Speedway – in his first start, he won the pole and the race. He proceeded to move up to Grand Stocks in 1998 and Late Models in 2000. In 2002 Late Model competition, Hamlin won 10 races; in 2003, he had 25 wins and 30 poles in 36 races.


• Hamlin signed a driver development contract with JGR in 2004, continuing in Late Models while also testing the waters of NASCAR’s Truck Series and Busch (now Nationwide) Series; he also made his first ARCA Racing Series start at Talladega, finishing third. 2005 was just as eventful, running full-time in the Busch Series for JGR while also making seven Cup Series starts.


• Hamlin’s rookie Cup Series season, 2006, was history-making, as he became the first rookie to compete in the Chase for the Cup, finishing third at season’s end. In addition to his Rookie of the Year title, Hamlin won both races at Pocono Raceway as well as the Budweiser Shootout at Daytona.


• Hamlin has won at least one race each year since 2006, with a career-high of eight wins in 2010, including both races at his home track of Martinsville Speedway and both Texas races.


• Find out more about Denny Hamlin at www.dennyhamlin.com.