Forget a scheduled knee surgery; or even a four-tire gamble on a late race pit stop. Virginia native, Denny Hamlin, crushed the competition overcoming any perceived disadvantages at the rain-delayed Martinsville Sprint Cup race.
“It was an eventful day for us,” he said. “I can’t believe it,” he radioed his crew chief, Mike Ford, speaking of the win. Hamlin added, talking about the yellow flag with ten laps to go.“I thought it was the end for us.”
After holding off another Virginian, Jeff Burton (who succumbed to a blown right front tire), Hamlin appeared to have the race in the bag only a caution came out with about ten laps to go. Ford said that the yellow “came right at the point where it's probably the most difficult call on pit road leading the race inside 10 to go, had 65 laps on our tires, new tires were going to be fast, but you don't know what everyone else is going to do.”
Hamlin and teammate, Kyle Busch, then running one-two pitted and none of the other leaders followed. They took four tires, meaning a longer pit stop. They fell to ninth and tenth. That put Jeff Gordon in the lead.
On the restart lap Kyle Busch spun bringing out yet another caution and set up the green-white checkered finish. By this time Gordon was still first on the high side. Kenseth was below him in second. Ryan Newman was third on the low-side and Hamlin was fourth on the high side.
When the green came out Kenseth’s Ford bumped Gordon’s Chevy getting him a little loose. Hamlin who had one of the two best cars went for the hole, got it and took off.
As they got to the second turn Gordon shoved Kenseth out of the way and Joey Logano, Hamlin’s younger teammate, put his Toyota in second marking a one-two for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jeff Gordon said "he (Kenseth) drove into the back of me so hard I made sure he wasn’t going to win the race after that. I made sure he didn't win the race down the back straightaway."
Matt Kenseth admitted “I guess it looked like it was my fault. I did go in there and I did get into Jeff a little bit, really not that hard. "It was a dumb move on my part. I should have just finished third ... but I figured I’d go for the win.”
While Jimmie Johnson didn’t figure in the race his ninth-place finish put him in the points lead as previous points winner, Kevin Harvick, had brake problems.
While Hamlin was delighted with his repeat win, in his home state, he still faces surgery and recuperation, so the rain delay was on his mind. "To me, I need every hour in my mind to recuperate in time for Phoenix," he said. "It was frustrating that we couldn't get it done, but this is definitely a good alternative."
“It was an eventful day for us,” he said. “I can’t believe it,” he radioed his crew chief, Mike Ford, speaking of the win. Hamlin added, talking about the yellow flag with ten laps to go.“I thought it was the end for us.”
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| Kevin Harvick in the garage - Photo: NASCAR Getty Images |
After holding off another Virginian, Jeff Burton (who succumbed to a blown right front tire), Hamlin appeared to have the race in the bag only a caution came out with about ten laps to go. Ford said that the yellow “came right at the point where it's probably the most difficult call on pit road leading the race inside 10 to go, had 65 laps on our tires, new tires were going to be fast, but you don't know what everyone else is going to do.”
Hamlin and teammate, Kyle Busch, then running one-two pitted and none of the other leaders followed. They took four tires, meaning a longer pit stop. They fell to ninth and tenth. That put Jeff Gordon in the lead.
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| Matt Kenseth cut across the field but couldnt stay in the groove - Photo: NASCAR Getty Images |
On the restart lap Kyle Busch spun bringing out yet another caution and set up the green-white checkered finish. By this time Gordon was still first on the high side. Kenseth was below him in second. Ryan Newman was third on the low-side and Hamlin was fourth on the high side.
When the green came out Kenseth’s Ford bumped Gordon’s Chevy getting him a little loose. Hamlin who had one of the two best cars went for the hole, got it and took off.
As they got to the second turn Gordon shoved Kenseth out of the way and Joey Logano, Hamlin’s younger teammate, put his Toyota in second marking a one-two for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Jeff Gordon said "he (Kenseth) drove into the back of me so hard I made sure he wasn’t going to win the race after that. I made sure he didn't win the race down the back straightaway."
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| Victory for Denny Hamlin Photo: NASCAR Getty Images |
Matt Kenseth admitted “I guess it looked like it was my fault. I did go in there and I did get into Jeff a little bit, really not that hard. "It was a dumb move on my part. I should have just finished third ... but I figured I’d go for the win.”
While Jimmie Johnson didn’t figure in the race his ninth-place finish put him in the points lead as previous points winner, Kevin Harvick, had brake problems.
While Hamlin was delighted with his repeat win, in his home state, he still faces surgery and recuperation, so the rain delay was on his mind. "To me, I need every hour in my mind to recuperate in time for Phoenix," he said. "It was frustrating that we couldn't get it done, but this is definitely a good alternative."