Hamlin, FedEx give back to community, reveal new Indy look

RELATED: Indianapolis weekend schedule SPEEDWAY, Ind. – Denny Hamlin's paint scheme for this weekend's Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 was a community effort. The FedEx Cares scheme, the third such effort for the Joe Gibbs Racing No. 11 team and primary sponsor, was unveiled here Friday at the massive FedEx hangar located adjacent to Indianapolis International Airport. Rachee Powell, an assistant senior manager for FedEx Ground and a 22-year employee with the company, was chosen to travel to Charlotte and meet with Hamlin to help produce the design. But Powell, who will attend her first Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race here Sunday, said she represented her fellow Indy FedEx employees that work tirelessly and selflessly on community projects year round. "That's the reason they chose us this year, and this market," Powell said, "because we do community service here year round, and I lead a lot of the projects." That community service didn't stop even for the paint scheme unveil. As part of Friday's program, Hamlin joined approximately 75 FedEx team members in loading a company truck with food to be delivered to Gleaners Food Bank of Indiana. "It's been awesome," Powell said of her involvement. "I was driving to see my parents this past weekend, had the race on the radio and Denny was in fifth place. I thought that was awesome and then got to my parents and found out he had actually won. "I've learned a lot about the sport. Not only did I get to go to Charlotte to help design the paint scheme, but I got to go in Joe Gibbs Racing and I learned a lot about racing that I didn't know. I can understand how people become race fans now and really get into it. "I'm excited about being there Sunday for my first race." MORE: Hamlin storms to New Hampshire win Hamlin, who won for the first time this season last week at New Hampshire, called working with Powell a pleasure and said he's glad she'll be on hand Sunday to see the car on the track. As for the paint scheme, he said, "I like certain paint schemes, certain lines (on the car). I'm a simple guy, I like simple stuff. I don't like cars to be real wild and out there with different designs and stuff." Sunday's race is slated to get underway at 2:30 pm. ET (NBC, IMS Radio Network, SiriusXM NASCAR). As part of the FedEx Cares program this season, the company is donating $111 for each lap led by Hamlin and $11,000 for each race win to the nonprofit organization Safe Kids Worldwide. FedEx will contribute $111,111 to the organization should Hamlin win the series championship. Thus far this season, the company has contributed $36,752 for Hamlin's efforts.