When It Rains...It Pours!

As if last weekend wasn't bad enough....Denny Hamlin failed to qualify for the Diamond Hill Plywood 200 at Darlington after hitting the wall coming out of turn two. In order to make the race Hamlin had to complete a lap but the car was just too damaged to continue and he failed to make the field and defend his 2 race winning streak at the track too tough to tame. D Ham had it floored as he came through the turn and simply ran out of racetrack and made a killer Darlington stripe.

"I feel bad for him. He really laid it out there," said Carl Edwards, who was to start the race from the pole.
Carl Edwards qualified quickest in a record lap of 176.994 mph. Edwards' speed broke the mark of Ryan Newman (170.301) set in March 2001. Edwards said Hamlin had a hot lap going and could have challenged for the top.
"I hope he doesn't hang his head too low," Edwards said.
The crash continues a bad week for Hamlin. He was criticized last Saturday night when he purposely caused a caution so he could reach pit road for a tire change.
Then Hamlin fell hard on his left hip during a pickup basketball game. He limped into Monday's test session at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

The weekend wasn't a total loss as Denny was able to qualify a respectable 21st for Saturday night's race. Several drivers had to bring out backup cars including defending Series Champion Jimmie Johnson who spun his backup car and tagged the wall with the nose, wedging the splitter in the inside wall. So to be running your primary car and not have had a spin is saying a lot for a team. New asphalt or not, the lady in black is still a cruel mistress and she is in all her glory.

If it makes Denny feel any better, they're only 22 laps into the Nationwide Series race and Carl Edwards is already out. Gonna be a wild weekend.....