Denny Hamlin’s crew began tearing the livery off his No. 11 Toyota almost as soon as Saturday afternoon’s final practice session ended. When the car returned to the track for Sunday’s Quicken Loans 400, it carried the weekend’s most visible tribute to Jason Leffler.
Hamlin’s new paint scheme was the same as the one Leffler ran for Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005. Hamlin replaced Leffler, who was killed Wednesday in a sprint car crash, in the FedEx-sponsored ride.
It took some scrambling to make it happen.
“He was the reason FedEx came into the sport and it just made sense,” Hamlin said after finishing 30th. “We asked the sponsor if it was good and the biggest issue was time, but Joe Gibbs Racing found someone Saturday evening to get somebody here and get it done.”
Several Sprint Car drivers shared their memories of the late racer, who made 73 starts on the circuit, throughout the weekend and many cars carried decals paying tribute to Leffler. Defending series champion Brad Keselowski had Leffler’s Twitter handle on the rear of his No. 2 Ford.
A video tribute to Leffler was shown on video boards at Michigan International Speedway and fans observed a moment of silence in his honor.
“It was neat to see how much the fans and the racing community saluted him and supported him the last four days,” said Kasey Kahne, who flew from last week’s race at Pocono with Leffler. “It shows what kind of racer and person he was.”
Leffler died Wednesday when his sprint car struck a wall at a New Jersey dirt track. He was 37. A memorial service will be held Wednesday in Cornelius, N.C.
