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Hamlin Fights Back for Eighth-Place Finish at Martinsville
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“I am short-track guy, I know this track and I know it suits my driving style,” said Hamlin. “We had a great test here and I feel really comfortable in this Cup car so I believe if we can get the car where we want it, we can have a good day here.”
Following his performance, Hamlin's words appear almost prophetic, though he never could have expected he would battle all the way back from early-race trouble that put him a lap down to score his second consecutive eight-place finish in only his third Cup start. The result marks the third top-ten finish of the 2005 season, and a comfortable place in the top-35 for the FedEx Racing team as they head to Atlanta next weekend.
Jeff Gordon took the checkered flag Sunday, followed closely by the series leader Tony Stewart and Gordon’s teammate Jimmie Johnson. Along with top ten efforts by Stewart and Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing's Bobby Labonte posted a fourth-place finish to cap a great weekend for JGR. In addition to the three top-ten finishes on Sunday in the Nextel Cup, JGR Busch Series entries driven by Hamlin and J.J. Yeley both scored top-ten finishes on Saturday in Memphis.
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After pacing the field in practice Hamlin took the green flag from the fifth spot, starting the FedEx Freight Monte Carlo alongside defending Martinsville champion Jimmie Johnson on the inside of row three. From the start Hamlin's familiarity with the track and willingness to take his time catching and passing the cars in front of him showed. Hamlin’s Martinsville experience also taught him that conservation of his brakes over the 500-lap event would be integral to his success at the end of the day.
Hamlin was running comfortably in 5th place on lap 15 when he radioed that the car was very loose through the center of the turns. Despite the handling, Hamlin would work his way past Newman for 4th soon after and would hold that place until the first caution of the day flew on lap 47. The FedEx crew made track bar and air pressure adjustments before sending Hamlin off pit road, however traffic backed-up at the tight pit-road exit and Hamlin found himself boxed in and lost several places as the cars fell into line. He would take the green flag in 11th place on lap 51.
The changes had an immediate effect and Hamlin quickly moved past Travis Kvapil and Michael Waltrip before the second caution flew on lap 85. Crew Chief Mike Ford called for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment before sending Hamlin out. The caution flag flew again on lap 96 and Hamlin would bring the FedEx Chevy onto pit road to replace the tires following contact with Dale Earnhardt Jr. Much of the field stayed out, pushing Hamlin back in the field where he would take the green flag in 18th place on lap 99.
On lap 108, while running 18th place, the #4 car of Mike Wallace made contact with the rear bumper cover, tearing it away from the body of the car and leaving the piece hanging from the right rear side of the car. It soon became clear NASCAR would not let the #11 car continue in this state the team was forced to pit for repairs. Given Martinsville’s quick laps and the challenge of passing, green flag pit stops are to be avoided if at all possible but in this instance the team had no choice but to bring Hamlin in for repairs on lap 113. As the field continued under green, Hamlin had barely entered the pit stall before the over-the-wall team quickly tore the dangling sheet metal from the rear of the car and sent Hamlin on his way. Hamlin rejoined the field in 35th place, one lap down and in danger of dropping two-laps down to the lead pack if not for the cooperation of teammate, and race leader, Tony Stewart as the caution flag flew on lap 123.
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The caution gave the crew the opportunity to again change four tires and fill the #11 with fuel. Hamlin would restart in 35th on lap 132, the fourth car one-lap down. From this point in the race there was one clear objective, race the other cars one-lap down for position and put the #11 in line for the free pass back onto the lead lap. Hamlin quickly went to work, passing Kasey Kahne for 34th, Scott Wimmer for 33rd, then Bobby Hamilton Sr. for 32nd and the free pass if the caution flag flew. Unfortunately, the caution didn’t come in time as the leaders put two more cars a lap down prior to the caution on lap 175. With the car a little tight through the center of the turns and a little tight back on the throttle, the crew brought the #11 in for wedge and track bar adjustments, four tires and fuel.
Restating as the third car one-lap down, Hamlin raced Elliot Sadler and Casey Mears for position over the ensuing 29 laps, eventually passing both and earning the “lucky dog” pass when the caution flew on lap 210. Taking only two tires, the FedEx crew rattled off a lightning-quick stop and sent Hamlin out to restart 25th prepared to claw his way through the field in what he radioed to the crew was a “great car.”
Hamlin took the initiative immediately following the green and wasted no time passing Michael Waltrip, Scott Riggs and Jeff Green. Hamlin’s patience in setting up and passing cars would last throughout the afternoon as he fought off thirteen cautions, and subsequent restarts, and the FedEx team used great pit strategy to move the #11 forward in the field.
On lap 262 Hamlin worked his way past Mark Martin and back into the top-20 – 156 laps after being pushed out earlier in the race. Through three more cautions on laps 286, 297 and 311 Hamlin made steady gains on the field, working the #11 up to 13th place before the caution flew for a front stretch spin on lap 322. Another great stop and one more place earned on pit road saw Hamlin restart 12th. Two more quick cautions limited what Hamlin could do on the track and also saw him tighten up significantly, but after a stop for a caution on lap 366, Hamlin again found the balance he needed to pass.
Hamlin worked past Greg Biffle for tenth and Ryan Newman for ninth, setting each of them up and passing them over 12 patient laps. At this point the goal was maintaining position and despite car remaining a little tight, Hamlin did well to keep the #11 from dropping many positions and took the yellow flag on lap 437 in 12th place.
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Another great stop by the crew for track bar and air pressure adjustments saw Hamlin beat the #17 of Matt Kenseth to the line and take the green in 11th place. When the next caution flew, the team made the decision to stay out and give Hamlin, with his handling and brakes both good, the chance to restart ninth with only 19 laps to go.
Hamlin once again showed his mettle as he held off a challenge from Kyle Busch down the stretch and picked up one last spot to score a well-deserved eighth-place finish.
The NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series continues with the Bass Pro Shops MBNA 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday, Oct. 30 at 12 p.m. EST. The race will air live on NBC and can be heard on PRN.
Hamlin's Quotes:
“First and foremost, I had a great car today. I have to give a lot of credit to the crew and all the guys at the shop for giving me the opportunity to race out there in such a good car.
“I have been here enough to know that going two laps down here would have been near impossible to fight back from so I really drove my guts out to keep us one lap down, then get us back on the lead lap. Once we were back, I knew we had the car to get back into the top-ten. The car belonged there all day – we were just unlucky to get dropped back following the green flag stop, but we fought back and got the result we deserved.”
Joe Gibbs Racing:
In addition to the 8th-place finish of the FedEx Freight Chevrolet, Hamlin’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte finished 2nd and 4th, respectively. Following the Subway 500, Stewart and the #20 Home Depot team remain in first place in the Chase for the Nextel Cup, 15 points up on Jimmie Johnson, while Bobby Labonte and the #18 team moves up to 24th place overall.