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Hamlin, FedEx Racing fight for second place at Martinsville
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MARTINSVILLE, VA (October 23, 2006) - Following two weeks of tough breaks, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team hoped the short track racing of Martinsville Speedway would provide an opportunity to run up front, and get their quest for a championship back on track. Though their day was not without its fair share of drama, Hamlin and team persevered through engine trouble to claim second place and move within 50 points of the point lead.
Restarting in second place with only six laps to go, Hamlin chased race leader Jimmie Johnson, getting to his rear bumper on two occasions before settling for second at the line. The finish marks Hamlin’s sixth top-five and 15th Raybestos Rookie of the Race award of the season.
“I really wanted to keep this grandfather clock in Virginia, that’s for sure,” said Hamlin of his near win. “I’m just so proud of this whole FedEx Freight crew. We had a scare today but they did a great job. In the end we tried to steal a win from those guys and it didn’t quite work out but it was still a great day for this whole team.”
Bobby Labonte, Joe Gibbs Racing’s Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon joined Hamlin and Johnson in the top five.
Starting the race from the third spot on the grid, Hamlin wasted little time pushing the #11 FedEx Freight Chevrolet past Kurt Busch and into second place. With track position at a premium and passing extremely difficult, it looked as though Hamlin was poised for a strong run. However, as lap 50 passed off Hamlin radioed the crew that the engine on the #11 was missing and he was losing power off the corners.
Already frustrated by the situation, Hamlin and crew chief Mike Ford were forced with an immediate decision when the second of eighteen caution flags flew on lap 66. Choosing between opening the hood and trying to diagnose the cause of the problem or pushing on, the team decided to hold on to track position and hope the engine would hold on long enough for them to make repairs or finish the race.
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From the restart, Hamlin was down on power off the corner but was maintaining very fast lap times. What he was losing back to the gas he was gaining through the center of the turns where he was arguably the fastest car on the day.
By the time the third caution flag flew on lap 155, Hamlin ran in sixth place and was turning some of the fastest laps on the track. With the engine trouble intermittent, the crew again decided to change only four tires and make an air pressure adjustment instead of working on the engine.
A quick stop by the FedEx crew had Hamlin out to restart fifth on lap 160 and he would make his way past teammate Tony Stewart for fourth before the caution flag flew again on lap 205.
Another set of tires and fuel and Hamlin lined up to restart fifth on lap 208, engine concerns in tow but determined to make the most of the day. Through a succession of cautions on laps 223, 233, and 243, Hamlin and the FedEx team moved their way up to second place. On lap 256, Hamlin pulled by then leader Jeff Gordon and led 26 laps.
With the caution out on lap 281 Hamlin pitted for a slight air pressure adjustment while Johnson and Dale Earnhardt. Jr. stayed out. The #11 FedEx Freight Chevrolet would restart fifth and Hamlin would take fourth place from Elliott Sadler. Hamlin would run in fourth until the next caution flew on lap 333 and Hamlin would again visit pit road with the leaders, this time for tires, fuel and a track bar adjustment.
Restarting fourth behind Kurt Busch, Johnson, and Earnhardt, Hamlin made his way to third before the race lost all momentum as a string of four cautions flew between lap 340 and 371. Reporting to the crew that the engine was as good as it had been all day, Hamlin visited pit road on lap 402 for four tires and a small air pressure adjustment. Surrendering several spots to the field in exchange for the new tires, Hamlin had his work cut out for him after restarting eleventh on lap 407.
Over eleven laps Hamlin moved from eleventh to sixth, sliding past cars for position while negotiating lapped traffic at the same time. By lap 444 he had passed Clint Bower then made up a one second gap on Gordon before passing the #24 for fourth.
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Five cautions would keep the racing close and ultimately give Hamlin his last shot at a win after he passed Bobby Labonte for second before the final yellow flew on lap 491. With six laps to catch and pass Johnson, Hamlin did his best to win in front of the standing and supportive Virginia fans but settled for second and a shot at the bigger prize.
With six of the ten Chase races complete, Hamlin heads to Atlanta in fourth place, 37 point s behind leader Matt Kenseth. Green flag for the Bass Pro Shops 500 drops at 2:55 p.m. EST on Sunday, Oct. 29.
Hamlin on his last-lap battle with Jimmie Johnson:
“You don’t want to wreck from the lead and you don’t want to win one like that. You can maybe rub the guy out of the way and take the win but you don’t want to wreck them. That’s just a bad deal. You don’t want to do that. I had that in mind and Jimmie had the best car and he deserved to win.
You want to give yourself a chance to win. On the other hand, you don’t want to take the guy out for a win. Hopefully I’ll be in this series for years and years and that same situation is going to come about and hopefully when the tables are turned, he’s going to race me the same way. I’m proud to be racing Jimmie.”
Hamlin on his Chase chances leaving Martinsville:
I think we’re right back in it. Now it just makes you kick yourself for all those points you lost on the other races but that’s just part of it and everyone is dealing with it. We’ve got to march on and do the best we can. I feel like right now we’re championship material.”