New father Denny Hamlin bounced back in 2012 after a disappointing 2011 campaign. The Joe Gibbs Racing driver suffered a let-down in 2011 after finishing runner-up to Jimmie Johnson in the Chase for the Sprint Cup in 2010, winning just once and finishing ninth in points. In 2012, Hamlin added five wins to his resume on his way to a sixth-place finish in the Chase.
With Kyle Busch off racing for his own team last season, Hamlin ran 12 Nationwide Series races for JGR in 2012, the most he’s run since 2008. Hamlin went winless in the Nationwide Series, but did earn nine top 10 finishes in those 12 starts. Hamlin also jumped into Busch’s Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundras twice last season, finishing fifth at Pocono and winning at Martinsville.
Little has been mentioned about Hamlin’s 2013 schedule, outside of his full-time FedEx ride in the No. 11 in Cup. He was fast in testing at Daytona in January, as were his JGR teammates Busch and Matt Kenseth.
Denny Hamlin statistics:
- Best Cup Series tracks (average finishes) – Darlington Raceway (5.9 in seven races), Kentucky Speedway (7.0 in two races), New Hampshire Motor Speedway (7.9 in 14 races)
- Worst Cup Series tracks (average finishes) – Sonoma Raceway (22.9 in seven races), Daytona International Speedway (21.0 in 14 races), Dover International Speedway (19.6 in 14 races), Watkins Glen International (19.6 in seven races)
- Most wins in Cup Series – Martinsville Speedway (four wins), Pocono Raceway (four wins)
Get ready for the 2013 season with JGR at joegibbsracing.com.
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