After spending 18 years at Joe Gibbs Racing, it’s not a surprise that Denny Hamlin is a mainstay in the team. But one thing came to light on the #11’s sponsor, FedEx’s 50th anniversary, and that is the fact that Denny was hired based on an ultimatum.
Denny Hamlin made his big cup series debut back in 2005 when he only got 6 races at the end of the season. He was put in the #11 car when it was sitting pretty far down in the standings, tasking Hamlin with bringing the team back up on his feet and proving himself.
“Joe came to me and says, okay. You’ve got your shot, you got your seven races, but we’re only six points in good in the top 35. And if we get kicked out, we’re missing races. I’m like, ‘oh, boy, I’m not ready for this.'”
Hamlin went on to take three whole Daytona 500 wins, coupled with 48 wins in the #11 car. He got some of the best finishes that the team had all year in just a matter of six races.