Denny Hamlin made a promise to his team and then kept it with a win at Texas Motor Speedway.
“I’m going to be more aggressive with three to go,” he told crew chief Mike Ford. And after coming back from a 30th starting spot held off Matt Kenseth for his eighth win of the year and took the points lead away from Jimmie Johnson.
Even a late race restart where he briefly lost the lead to Kenseth could not ruin his day.
After qualifying a lowly 30th there might have been some doubters, only the Texas race started in warm daylight and ended in cool weather after the sun went down.
"As soon as it went nightfall the car took off," Hamlin said, adding "that’s why you can’t look at qualifying. It’s unbelievable to me to have eight wins. I had to drive my heart out to do it."
Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR champion, has struggled and is winless this year, so he takes home the knowledge that he’s getting back his competitive edge.
"Surprisingly my car was pretty stable and it lasted for a lap, and I just lifted real early because we were side by side and I wanted to actually keep him outside of me, and I thought if we left turn 2 at least nose to nose and I could get into 3 and still have him outside of me that we'd have a shot to the finish line. So I lifted real early when he lifted, and then I got back to the gas real early, and he must have slipped a little bit, and I got a really good run. When Mike told me clear, I was a little surprised we cleared him, and I just pulled up in front of him and starting getting off the corner," explains Denny Hamlin.
Mark Martin finished third. Denny Hamlin now leads Jimmie Johnson, who finished ninth, by 33-points and Kevin Harvick, who finished sixth, by 59-points.
Although Greg Biffle would lead a race-high 224 laps, out of the 334-lap, 500 mile race, a gearbox problem hurt his and Jimmie Johnson’s chances on the final restart.
Jimmie Johnson had a strange day, but his teammate, Jeff Gordon’s stranger day, ended up helping the Johnson who is looking for a record fifth straight championship.
After a poor pit stop costing Johnson about five track positions crew chief, Chad Knaus was at wit’s end.
Then two of the most respected and level headed driver, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon, had an on camera melt-down of shocking proportions.
With about 200 laps completed the caution came out as the sun was setting causing visibility issues. Burton said that the moved his car over towards Gordons to explain and instead slammed Gordon’s car into the outside wall.
Jeff Gordon got out of his wrecked car and walked slowly, but, deliberately toward Burton then shoved his rival and they had to be separated. Ironically, they had to share an ambulance to ride to the infield care center where they were found uninjured then they were released.
After Jeff Burton apologized and said it was never his intention to wreck Gordon. Gordon said he accepted Burton’s apology.
Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, then requested and got Gordon’s entire pit crew to service Johnson’s car for the final part of the but Johnson finished tenth and thus fell behind Hamlin in the Cup chase.
Patrick Carpentier had been running 22nd but spun late in the race, likely due to a tire being cut down, and finished 31rst.
“I’m going to be more aggressive with three to go,” he told crew chief Mike Ford. And after coming back from a 30th starting spot held off Matt Kenseth for his eighth win of the year and took the points lead away from Jimmie Johnson.
Even a late race restart where he briefly lost the lead to Kenseth could not ruin his day.
After qualifying a lowly 30th there might have been some doubters, only the Texas race started in warm daylight and ended in cool weather after the sun went down.
"As soon as it went nightfall the car took off," Hamlin said, adding "that’s why you can’t look at qualifying. It’s unbelievable to me to have eight wins. I had to drive my heart out to do it."
Matt Kenseth, the 2003 NASCAR champion, has struggled and is winless this year, so he takes home the knowledge that he’s getting back his competitive edge.
"Surprisingly my car was pretty stable and it lasted for a lap, and I just lifted real early because we were side by side and I wanted to actually keep him outside of me, and I thought if we left turn 2 at least nose to nose and I could get into 3 and still have him outside of me that we'd have a shot to the finish line. So I lifted real early when he lifted, and then I got back to the gas real early, and he must have slipped a little bit, and I got a really good run. When Mike told me clear, I was a little surprised we cleared him, and I just pulled up in front of him and starting getting off the corner," explains Denny Hamlin.
Mark Martin finished third. Denny Hamlin now leads Jimmie Johnson, who finished ninth, by 33-points and Kevin Harvick, who finished sixth, by 59-points.
Although Greg Biffle would lead a race-high 224 laps, out of the 334-lap, 500 mile race, a gearbox problem hurt his and Jimmie Johnson’s chances on the final restart.
Jimmie Johnson had a strange day, but his teammate, Jeff Gordon’s stranger day, ended up helping the Johnson who is looking for a record fifth straight championship.
After a poor pit stop costing Johnson about five track positions crew chief, Chad Knaus was at wit’s end.
Then two of the most respected and level headed driver, Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon, had an on camera melt-down of shocking proportions.
With about 200 laps completed the caution came out as the sun was setting causing visibility issues. Burton said that the moved his car over towards Gordons to explain and instead slammed Gordon’s car into the outside wall.
Jeff Gordon got out of his wrecked car and walked slowly, but, deliberately toward Burton then shoved his rival and they had to be separated. Ironically, they had to share an ambulance to ride to the infield care center where they were found uninjured then they were released.
 |
| Jeff Burton and Jeff Gordon get physicals - Image nascar.com |
After Jeff Burton apologized and said it was never his intention to wreck Gordon. Gordon said he accepted Burton’s apology.
Chad Knaus, Johnson’s crew chief, then requested and got Gordon’s entire pit crew to service Johnson’s car for the final part of the but Johnson finished tenth and thus fell behind Hamlin in the Cup chase.
Patrick Carpentier had been running 22nd but spun late in the race, likely due to a tire being cut down, and finished 31rst.