Hamlin honored to carry patriotic paint scheme to wrap up NASCAR Salutes at Daytona

HUNTERSVILLE, N.C. — With NASCAR Salutes ramping up this weekend to coincide with the Coca-Cola 600 and “600 Miles of Remembrance,” Denny Hamlin unveiled his patriotic paint scheme on Wednesday morning that will help close out the 2018 running of the program in July at Daytona International Speedway.

The Joe Gibbs Racing driver pulled the cover off his No. 11 FedEx Cares Toyota at the team’s headquarters in Huntersville, North Carolina, alongside volunteers from Team Rubicon, which is also on the car and is an organization that unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams. The organization currently has teams working to help revive communities in Puerto Rico, Texas, Montana, California and more after last year’s natural disasters.

Check out @dennyhamlin’s special #FedExCares Toyota for the race @DISupdates on July 7! We will donate $1 for every RT and $1 for every share of our Facebook post – up to $35,000 total – to help further @TeamRubicon’s mission. pic.twitter.com/9bx67AK4Bk
— FedEx (@FedEx) May 23, 2018

“I think it’s a dual win to support an organization like them,” Hamlin said. “Not only (is Team Rubicon) helping the people that need help, whatever the disaster may be, but they’re also helping veterans that are done serving their country maybe overseas or here and now helping people within the community on a volunteer basis.

“That’s a great thing that they’re doing and I couldn’t be prouder to support them in Daytona. NASCAR Salutes is always a big program that NASCAR runs every year and this’ll be a great patriotic paint scheme that I’ll be looking forward to bringing to Victory Lane.”

NASCAR Salutes will be in full swing with the upcoming events at Charlotte Motor Speedway over Memorial Day weekend, as the NASCAR industry will honor United States Armed Forces heroes and their families as part of the program, which is a collective expression of reverence, respect and gratitude for those who served and continue to defend America today. It will commence with “600 Miles of Remembrance” during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 (6 p.m. ET on FOX, PRN and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio), the country’s largest Memorial Day weekend celebration.

While Hamlin’s family ties to the armed forces are limited — he mentioned his great-grandfather was a servicemember — he realizes the importance of what the troops mean to the country and our safety, and why it’s crucial to give them the recognition they deserve.

“To me, I’ve always not taken it for granted that we live in a country like we do and it’s because of the work that people do behind the scenes that make us able to do what we do,” said Hamlin. “I like seeing so many military members around the race track and you see in the garage the American flag is everywhere and flown on every single hauler and it’s something that we appreciate in the NASCAR community.”

MORE: Patriotic paint schemes for Charlotte | Top at-track military photos

Be sure to tune in to the Coca-Cola 600 on Sunday, and see Hamlin’s new paint scheme race under the lights at Daytona in the Coke Zero Sugar 400 (July 7, 7 p.m. ET, NBC, MRN, Sirius XM NASCAR Radio).