Suddenly the pre-season predictions that Denny Hamlin would challenge Jimmie Johnson for the NASCAR Sprint Cup title seem more possible.
It didn’t appear that way after the Bristol race. Denny Hamlin had only a 17th as his best finish. Then he won at Martinsville and had left knee surgery. He drove the entire race at Phoenix, but, finished 30th. That should have dashed his title hopes. But he didn’t quit.
In the rain-delayed 500 miler at Texas he led only a few laps, but held off a hard charge from Jimmie Johnson to win his second race in three weeks in spite of knee surgery only nine days ago. It’s the stuff of sports legends. Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch finished third.
“I knew that for the next month it was going to be tougher to get good finishes than what it would, you know, pre-surgery.”
Despite the pain and poor finish at Phoenix last week he had kept his goal on his mind.“I did this for September,” Hamlin said. I knew that if I did it now, come Chase time, if I'm lucky enough to be in one of those top 12 positions, it was going to make me more prepared to make a run for the championship at that time.
“I didn't feel like we were that good where we could just give up a month and still make the Chase. I knew we still had to perform well, but I did it for the long run,” Hamlin added.
The race came down to a 12-lap sprint after a red flag for a wreck which took out Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart and seven others.
Denny Hamlin said “obviously, a win like today obviously makes you feel a little bit better. Gives you a little bit of confidence from here on out. We're still a good month away from getting back where I was.”
Johnson who was fifth on the final restart had taken four tires and just ran out of time as he chased Hamlin like the champion he is.
Referring to the red flag stoppage he said “I think we sat too long and the front-tire pressures dropped," said Johnson, who extended his lead in the standings to 108 points over 20th-place finisher Matt Kenseth. "I lost a few spots. I almost hit the wall down in [Turns] 1 and 2, trying to work the top. Once those front tire pressures came in and the splitter got off the ground, I started coming -- but it was like a lap too late."
Of note was an incident mid-way in the event when Gordon and Johnson banged doors off each other. And, this was the first race at a mile-and-one-half track with the spoiler replacing the rear wing.
As a result of the win, Hamlin’s 10th he jumps to 11th in the standings.
The rain delayed Nationwide Series race, which ran on Monday evening went to Kyle Busch, his fifth straight win in the series’ race in Texas. Busch, who led 153 laps of the 200 lap race beat Joey Logano by just .688 seconds.
It didn’t appear that way after the Bristol race. Denny Hamlin had only a 17th as his best finish. Then he won at Martinsville and had left knee surgery. He drove the entire race at Phoenix, but, finished 30th. That should have dashed his title hopes. But he didn’t quit.
In the rain-delayed 500 miler at Texas he led only a few laps, but held off a hard charge from Jimmie Johnson to win his second race in three weeks in spite of knee surgery only nine days ago. It’s the stuff of sports legends. Hamlin’s teammate, Kyle Busch finished third.
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| A multiple-car incident on lap 319 brought out the red flag after collecting Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Carl Edwards, AJ Allmendinger and Juan Pablo Montoya. Also involved were Jamie McMurray, Joey Logano, Clint Bowyer and Paul Menard. No one was injured. (Photo: NASCAR) |
“I knew that for the next month it was going to be tougher to get good finishes than what it would, you know, pre-surgery.”
Despite the pain and poor finish at Phoenix last week he had kept his goal on his mind.“I did this for September,” Hamlin said. I knew that if I did it now, come Chase time, if I'm lucky enough to be in one of those top 12 positions, it was going to make me more prepared to make a run for the championship at that time.
“I didn't feel like we were that good where we could just give up a month and still make the Chase. I knew we still had to perform well, but I did it for the long run,” Hamlin added.
The race came down to a 12-lap sprint after a red flag for a wreck which took out Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart and seven others.
Denny Hamlin said “obviously, a win like today obviously makes you feel a little bit better. Gives you a little bit of confidence from here on out. We're still a good month away from getting back where I was.”
Johnson who was fifth on the final restart had taken four tires and just ran out of time as he chased Hamlin like the champion he is.
Referring to the red flag stoppage he said “I think we sat too long and the front-tire pressures dropped," said Johnson, who extended his lead in the standings to 108 points over 20th-place finisher Matt Kenseth. "I lost a few spots. I almost hit the wall down in [Turns] 1 and 2, trying to work the top. Once those front tire pressures came in and the splitter got off the ground, I started coming -- but it was like a lap too late."
Of note was an incident mid-way in the event when Gordon and Johnson banged doors off each other. And, this was the first race at a mile-and-one-half track with the spoiler replacing the rear wing.
As a result of the win, Hamlin’s 10th he jumps to 11th in the standings.
The rain delayed Nationwide Series race, which ran on Monday evening went to Kyle Busch, his fifth straight win in the series’ race in Texas. Busch, who led 153 laps of the 200 lap race beat Joey Logano by just .688 seconds.