The Definition of Pressure!
Think back to when you were a kid for just a moment, and took in a professional sports event. Remember how you said, "I
could do that." At that time, like many youngsters, you probably believed you could. For most, those thoughts end up as dreams, but for 25 year-old Denny Hamlin, it's much, much more than a dream.
You see, at 23 Hamlin was a kid in the stands at NASCAR races, doing the local short track scene in his Late Model. Now, at 25, he's strapped into Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEX Monte Carlo, and promptly won the 2006 Bud Shootout against the best of the best - not a bad start. Probably after that win, Gibbs knew he had something special.
Now fast forward a few weeks, and the Busch Series is in Mexico City for the Telcel-Motorola 200 - which is on a road course. Hamlin is once again in the field, this time in the #20 Gibbs Busch car. He qualified second - not bad for
his second time ever on a road course - ahead of even all the 'Busch-whackers' except one - Boris Said. Said has the pole, and as it turns out, Hamlin stops early during the 80 lap race - Said doesn't.
"If I see someone else doing something I start to panic and I wonder 'What's going on? Why are they doing that?'" Hamlin said. "When Boris stayed out there for as long as he did, I was wondering 'What is he doing? Is there something that he doesn't know or something that we don't know?'"
With 25 laps to go, you have a 25 year old 'non-roadracer' in the lead, and Said on his tail in his Evernham Dodge - talk about pressure. To have a world-class roadracer on your tail, not to mention, Said had three restart attempts in the dying laps to make his move on
Hamlin, is as much pressure as betting your mortgage that the Dallas Cowboys will win the Superbowl next year. But Hamlin did his 'job' - despite the pressure - and came home with his first Busch series win.
"We just got beat," Said said. "Denny Hamlin's the real deal." There can be a no bigger compliment from a roadracer. All this from a kid in the stands just a few short years ago.
For the two Canadians in the field, Ron Fellows and Paul Tracy, Mexico wasn't kind to either, with both ending up down the order with the noses of their cars crumpled in. Tracy, in true form, drove his smoking mount until NASCAR black flagged him, and Fellows' day ended with a broken radiator.
Behind Hamlin and Said was Kevin Harvick, who was probably the luckiest guy on the track. Harvick made a pass on the restart and got a penalty, even though the replay showed the pass was clearly legal. A yellow came out just as Harvick was serving his drive-through penalty, and that gave NASCAR more time to review a few additional angles. For the first time I can ever remember, a race had a penalty overturned while the race was going on, and NASCAR gave Harvick his third spot back.
NASCAR, that looks good on you. Enforcing the rules is one thing, making calls is another, and reversing a bad call is something altogether different, and for NASCAR to do that on the fly, shows the most important thing to them is to get it right. It should go down in history as probably the best call NASCAR has ever made.
Think back to when you were a kid for just a moment, and took in a professional sports event. Remember how you said, "I
 |
| Denny Hamlin took the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEX Monte Carlo to victory in the 2006 Bud Shootout against the best of the best a few weeks ago. (Photo: Dorsey Patrick) |
You see, at 23 Hamlin was a kid in the stands at NASCAR races, doing the local short track scene in his Late Model. Now, at 25, he's strapped into Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEX Monte Carlo, and promptly won the 2006 Bud Shootout against the best of the best - not a bad start. Probably after that win, Gibbs knew he had something special.
Now fast forward a few weeks, and the Busch Series is in Mexico City for the Telcel-Motorola 200 - which is on a road course. Hamlin is once again in the field, this time in the #20 Gibbs Busch car. He qualified second - not bad for
 |
| Has this kid got what it takes? Qualifying 2nd and pressing for the lead only to beat some of the best road racers in the world. (Photo: Bob LeSieur, General Motors of Canada) |
"If I see someone else doing something I start to panic and I wonder 'What's going on? Why are they doing that?'" Hamlin said. "When Boris stayed out there for as long as he did, I was wondering 'What is he doing? Is there something that he doesn't know or something that we don't know?'"
With 25 laps to go, you have a 25 year old 'non-roadracer' in the lead, and Said on his tail in his Evernham Dodge - talk about pressure. To have a world-class roadracer on your tail, not to mention, Said had three restart attempts in the dying laps to make his move on
 |
| No wonder he's smiling... all the way to the bank. (Photo: Dorsey Patrick) |
"We just got beat," Said said. "Denny Hamlin's the real deal." There can be a no bigger compliment from a roadracer. All this from a kid in the stands just a few short years ago.
For the two Canadians in the field, Ron Fellows and Paul Tracy, Mexico wasn't kind to either, with both ending up down the order with the noses of their cars crumpled in. Tracy, in true form, drove his smoking mount until NASCAR black flagged him, and Fellows' day ended with a broken radiator.
Behind Hamlin and Said was Kevin Harvick, who was probably the luckiest guy on the track. Harvick made a pass on the restart and got a penalty, even though the replay showed the pass was clearly legal. A yellow came out just as Harvick was serving his drive-through penalty, and that gave NASCAR more time to review a few additional angles. For the first time I can ever remember, a race had a penalty overturned while the race was going on, and NASCAR gave Harvick his third spot back.
NASCAR, that looks good on you. Enforcing the rules is one thing, making calls is another, and reversing a bad call is something altogether different, and for NASCAR to do that on the fly, shows the most important thing to them is to get it right. It should go down in history as probably the best call NASCAR has ever made.