Denny Hamlin and FedEx Pay Tribute to National Civil Rights Museum

During the NASCAR race at Talladega Superspeedway, Denny Hamlin raced in a tweaked livery for that weekend. As it turned out, his car’s bonnet displayed the logo of the National Civil Rights Museum, instead of FedEx’s logo. Interestingly, Hamlin and FedEx were the ones who mutually came up with the move to fight for racial equality.

Additionally, FedEx pledged to donate $500,000 to the museum in Memphis, Tennessee. The museum tweeted that the multinational delivery service wanted to support the museum’s mission. This kind of exposure is important because the museum traces the history of the Civil Rights Movement in the US.

Under normal circumstances, Hamlin’s #11 car bears the FedEx logo and colors. However, this time, the car has a black livery with the museum’s logo replacing the FedEx on the bonnet. To further state its commitment to the cause, FedEx removed its branding from Hamlin’s Talladega car to highlight the National Civil Rights Museum.

What did Denny Hamlin say about the decision?

Last week, Hamlin paid the museum a visit and promised that he would ‘listen’. He confessed that the experience was informative and truly humbling. In light of this, the 39-year old thanked the museum authorities for educating him on so many subjects.

FedEx and Hamlin’s decision comes on the back of nationwide protests over racial discrimination. The protests started after George Floyd died in an unfortunate incident. Floyd succumbed after Minneapolis police knelt on his neck during an arrest, effectively choking him.

Amid the national outrage, NASCAR driver Bubba Wallace became the flag bearer of NASCAR. After that, NASCAR banned the Confederate flags from all its events and Wallace piloted a Black Lives Matter car at Martinsville Speedway.

Additionally, things got to a head when a noose was discovered in Wallace’s garage stall at Talladega. Aside from NASCAR officials, even the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) got involved.