The Franklin News-Post
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Monday, October 26, 2009
By STEVEN MARSH - Sports Editor
MARTINSVILLE -- In April, Denny Hamlin fell victim to a champion flexing his muscles on Martinsville Speedway's paper-clip-like short track.
In October, Hamlin stayed ahead of a possible repeat of that scenario and scored his second career victory on a bullring where he once cut his racing teeth driving Late Model Stock cars.
"Experience at this race track does matter. ...Track time goes a long way, especially at this race track,' Hamlin said.
Sunday, Hamlin denied three-time reigning champion Jimmie Johnson, the driver who delivered that April shove and run, his sixth win in his last seven starts at Martinsville in the TUMS Fast Relief 500.
Hamlin of Chesterfield led three times for a race-best 206 laps. His victory coincides with his triumph in September at Richmond International Raceway, his home track.
And it comes on the heels of bad finishes in his last two races, both of which Hamlin had chances to win.
"It's a good bounce back,' Hamlin said. "...Even last week after our troubles, I said we were going to win another race because every single week, whether it be a super speedway, a short track or intermediate, we can win.'
Johnson, who finished second, extended his lead over Mark Martin in the Chase for the Sprint Cup to 118 points. Only four races -- at Talladega, Texas, Phoenix and Homestead -- separate Johnson from a historic, fourth-consecutive series crown.
"Jimmie gave us a lot of respect towards the end,' Hamlin said. "He knew that we had a fast car and he decided to protect his points lead.
"That was a good situation we were in. We were kind of racing for nothing. He is racing for a championship.It was a great run at the end,' Hamlin said.
A green-white-checkered flag finish extended the race to 501 laps.
Juan Montoya, Kyle Busch and Jeff Gordon rounded out the top five.
Claiming spot Nos. 6-10 were Jamie McMurray, pole winner Ryan Newman, Martin, Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick.
Johnson said he had one chance to muscle his racer past Hamlin's machine, but that chance to did not present itself in the racing's closing stages.
"I had one chance. (Denny) caught the curb with about 40 to go and lost some drive off of turn two,' Johnson said. "I got inside of him and I thought, 'Man, I've seen this movie before.' He came to block the position like he did in the spring...I didn't try to hit him last time and that time he was coming again.
"I wasn't far enough in there to stay in there like I did in the spring, so I backed out of it, and I think I actually hit the curb and screwed up my line,' Johnson said.
This was the first Martinsville race where double-file restarts were in effect and that may have played a part in there not being a repeat of the April finish.
As the leader, Hamlin had the inside line on those restarts, while Johnson started to the outside.
"You actually feel a little bit better with (Johnson) being on the outside of you than you do right behind you on a restart because if I can clear him, then he's going to have to deal with the guy running third,' Hamlin said.
"I was nervous with those restarts at the end. I hoped that
Johnson, who started 15th, did lead the race five times and was one of 12 drivers to pace the field. His last lead, however, occurred during a 42-lap window from lap 321 to lap 362.
"Over the long haul, we were probably the second-best car, the last two or three stops and finished where we should have, so I'm happy with that,' Johnson said.
Hamlin's victory is his third this season and his 17th top 10 finish. Johnson has been in the top 10 in 15 of his last 16 Martinsville races.
Montoya has placed in the top 10 twice in six Martinsville events.
"We didn't quite have enough at the end. We lost our balance a little bit right before the long run. We got a little bit of it back, but not all of it back,' Montoya said. "Overall, the car was pretty good.'
Martin, in his first year driving for Hendrick Motorsports, is a past two-time race winner and multiple pole winner at Martinsville. But he's never considered the track to be one of his favorites.
"We got everything that we could, it just was not quite good enough,' Martin said.
And of his chance to unseat Johnson as Cup champion?
"We need to pick it up. Now, eighths, sevenths, that won't get it,' Martin said.
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