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.....

Hamlin's Turn: Two-Time Defending Winner Rides Emotional Wave

If Denny Hamlin (No. 18 Farm Bureau Insurance Toyota) wasn't an excitable guy in the past, this last week surely has changed his demeanor.
After winning his first race of the season at his home track of Richmond International Raceway last Friday night, the native of Chesterfield, Va., rides that emotional wave into Darlington where he's won the last two races - each from the pole - at the 1.366-mile "Lady in Black."
Hamlin will be making his 100th career start in the series at Darlington - the track where he made his series debut in November 2004, finishing eighth.
That start was in the No. 18 car for Joe Gibbs Racing, his only start in that ride until Friday night.
Although Clint Bowyer (No. 2 BB&T Chevrolet) leads the series driver standings, it's JGR that leads the owner standings thanks to a five-race winning streak by the team.
"I'm excited to get back with the 18 guys since they were the team to give me my first series start back in 2004 at this very race track," Hamlin said. "The core group of guys that were with me then are still a part of that team, so it's going to be special to be back with them at Darlington."

Hamlin Feeling Better After Basketball Spill

Sprint Cup driver Denny Hamlin was limping as he entered Lowe's Motor Speedway for testing Monday. Hamlin was playing some pick-up basketball with some friends on Sunday, in an attempt to take his mind off of his horrible race at Richmond, when he took a tumble and injured his hip. "It was a little sore for the first couple of days," Hamlin said. "It was a case of going up and just getting clipped a little bit and coming down hard on my side. I would like to say I was going up for a dunk, but I don't think anyone is going to believe that. "As bad as it hurt on Sunday and Monday, it's already feeling a lot better, and it won't be an issue this weekend at Darlington."