In a fairy tale reversal of fortune Denny Hamlin bounced back from last week’s blown engine to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Richmond International Raceway.
Holding off teammate, Kyle Busch, for the win, it was virtually a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep with Joey Logano finishing fourth behind four-time champion, Jimmie Johnson.
With Hamlin’s sixth victory of the year he now has a ten-point lead in the standings over Johnson as the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins in New Hampshire next Sunday.
For Hamlin, the win and the points lead gives his team a big morale boost. “It means a lot for this whole race team. A lot of people bash this raceteam about stuff like we can’t finish this or can’t finish that, but we got the most wins and hopefully that’s going to carry us through 10 weeks of the Chase,” he said.
With four straight championships behind him Johnson isn’t running scared. “If guys think we are vulnerable, it's my job to show up at Loudon, qualify in the pole and win the race. That's what we need to do regardless,” he said.
Going into the final round of regulation play Clint Bowyer was on the Chase bubble. Although he had a comfortable lead over Ryan Newman, still, he had to finish 28th or better to lock into the playoffs.
Bowyer did that with ease running in the top three but finishing sixth. He said: “As happy as I am with making the Chase, I was frustrated with the finish. Whatever happened that last run, we really fell off, we were a second place car and made an attempt to pass Denny a couple of times and slipped clear to sixth.”
Speaking of bouncing back, Bowyer and his two teammates, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, who failed to make the Chase last year, all made it this year.
In fact Harvick who led the points after the first 26 races is seeded third in the Chase as he had third-most wins and bonus points.
Harvick is optimistic at his chances for his first Cup title. “From our team standpoint, I think it's the best we have ever been prepared. It's definitely the most probably not the most races we have run up to one point in the year. But as far as the plan and the performance and everything leading up to this point, I think it's the best chance that we have.”
As a result of the points reset fourth through 12th in the Chase are Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, and Bowyer.
Sweden’s Mattias Ekström made his oval debut with a 26th place finish after qualifying 43rd.
"I have to say for the first race on an oval, I was expecting it to be long and hard, but didn't expect it to be so action packed. As soon as I started after the first restart, it was wild.
"That is nothing like what I have even come close to. I respect these guys even more who are doing this all the time -- the way you have to drive, stay focused on every single lap, hit your marks all the time, and tune the car up. Tonight is something to build on,” he said.
Holding off teammate, Kyle Busch, for the win, it was virtually a Joe Gibbs Racing sweep with Joey Logano finishing fourth behind four-time champion, Jimmie Johnson.
With Hamlin’s sixth victory of the year he now has a ten-point lead in the standings over Johnson as the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins in New Hampshire next Sunday.
For Hamlin, the win and the points lead gives his team a big morale boost. “It means a lot for this whole race team. A lot of people bash this raceteam about stuff like we can’t finish this or can’t finish that, but we got the most wins and hopefully that’s going to carry us through 10 weeks of the Chase,” he said.
With four straight championships behind him Johnson isn’t running scared. “If guys think we are vulnerable, it's my job to show up at Loudon, qualify in the pole and win the race. That's what we need to do regardless,” he said.
Going into the final round of regulation play Clint Bowyer was on the Chase bubble. Although he had a comfortable lead over Ryan Newman, still, he had to finish 28th or better to lock into the playoffs.
Bowyer did that with ease running in the top three but finishing sixth. He said: “As happy as I am with making the Chase, I was frustrated with the finish. Whatever happened that last run, we really fell off, we were a second place car and made an attempt to pass Denny a couple of times and slipped clear to sixth.”
Speaking of bouncing back, Bowyer and his two teammates, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton, who failed to make the Chase last year, all made it this year.
In fact Harvick who led the points after the first 26 races is seeded third in the Chase as he had third-most wins and bonus points.
Harvick is optimistic at his chances for his first Cup title. “From our team standpoint, I think it's the best we have ever been prepared. It's definitely the most probably not the most races we have run up to one point in the year. But as far as the plan and the performance and everything leading up to this point, I think it's the best chance that we have.”
As a result of the points reset fourth through 12th in the Chase are Kyle Busch, Kurt Busch, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Jeff Burton, Matt Kenseth, and Bowyer.
Sweden’s Mattias Ekström made his oval debut with a 26th place finish after qualifying 43rd.
"I have to say for the first race on an oval, I was expecting it to be long and hard, but didn't expect it to be so action packed. As soon as I started after the first restart, it was wild.
"That is nothing like what I have even come close to. I respect these guys even more who are doing this all the time -- the way you have to drive, stay focused on every single lap, hit your marks all the time, and tune the car up. Tonight is something to build on,” he said.