Michigan and Sonoma produced less than stellar performances for the #11 Fed Ex team. After finishing 14th in the LifeLock 400 and 27th in the Toyota Save Mart 350, Hamlin has fallen to 8th in series points and is just one race away from falling out of the top 12 in points.But it's not time to hit the panic button just yet. Last year Hamlin rolled in New Hampshire in an eerily similar predicament and won the race to give his team the rebound it needed to turn their season around. Denny runs well at New Hampshire and the team is hoping to pull off a repeat of last year's performance. Can anyone say Deja Vu?
When you gamble, you run the risk of losing. When you race in the Sprint Cup series you run the risk of showing your hand too early and having it come back to bite you. That has been the case over the last two weekends for the Joe Gibbs Racing team that is playing catch up to Kyle Busch. While they're faring better than fellow teammate Tony Stewart, a few more victories of their own would certainly make Busch's overwhelming success a little easier to swallow.
Not that watching the candy man rack up 5 wins in just 16 races is easy for anyone, but it's bound to be baffling for his teammates. Is the kid just that good or have they hit on something that the other guys just haven't figured out yet? Busch can pretty much drive anything. The looser the better. He bounced his car off the wall numerous times at Darlington and still ran away with the victory. Something's gotta give.
Hamlin likes slick race tracks, has a knack for handling a loose race car, so what's the difference? Seems logical that the driver and crew chief Steve Addington, who is looking like a total genius at this point, have gelled remarkably well and know how to set up the car to corner like it's on rails. Not that Busch hasn't had his share of crashes and poor finishes, but you can't argue with 5 wins. Those little road blocks don't hurt as bad when you're winning like he is.
Cautions have played a huge part in the last two races. If not for the accident involving Michael Waltrip and Patrick Carpentier during the green white checker attempt at Michigan, Dale Earnhardt Jr would have run out of gas and someone else would have been celebrating in victory lane. Another green white checker situation lead to Kyle Busch's win at Sonoma. Were it not for a red flag situation that bred a stack up and contact from behind by Scott Pruett, Hamlin may have made it out of 27th place to salvage the afternoon.
Regardless of the past weeks' finishes, the Fed Ex crew is making great progress and will no doubt race hard over the next 10 races to cement their position in the top 12 going into the Chase. Some of Denny's best tracks lie ahead on the schedule and I look for impressive results.
2 comments:
If Denny should look at your blog, he will more than recognize my comments. First Denny is a fine young man, who is climbing the ladder to more success. Denny appreiciates every accomplishment he has come by. He did not have a famous racing father, like some of todays drivers. Denny has to reach all of his goals on his own. Beyond a doubt Denny Hamlin will be a name that want be forgotten in the history of NASCAR. Debbie Driggers
I've been a NASCAR fan a long time and there isn't a driver that even holds a candle to Denny Hamlin. He is the beat all, end all and I wouldn't want to support anyone else.
Having a high class owner doesn't hurt any either.
Thanks for the great comments about my Denny...he truly hung the moon!
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