Like Being Stuck Without A Date To Prom

Going into Sunday's Good Sam Club 500 at Talladega, I was absolutely terrified.  After losing Dan Wheldon last Sunday in a horrific crash at Las Vegas during the IndyCar finale, I was more than a little unsettled at the idea of Denny Hamlin returning to the track.  But it wasn't just any track, it was Talladega, the sight of a scary crash for Hamlin just a few years ago that still has me shaking in my boots and thanking God for keeping Denny safe.  I cried as the cars began the pace laps, kept whispering prayers of protection for the FedEx wheelman and kept my eyes glued to the screen for every single lap.  But what I saw still leaves me baffled.  As the laps started to tick off, Hamlin found himself alone, without a drafting partner, even after Ryan Newman had promised to hook up with the #11 car.  Newman had found his team owner, Tony Stewart, and had abandoned Hamlin for a chance at leading laps with the #14 car.  This left Hamlin a lap down, searching for help anywhere he could find it.

Luckily, the caution came out, Hamlin was the Lucky Dog and he was back on the lead lap.  But still dateless.  He was searching for anyone who would help him, ticking off the likes of Earnhardt Jr, who used some pretty disgusting language to express his frustration.  But Karma is a cruel mistress and the #39 car of Newman was involved in a crash that ended his chances of being competitive and he ended the day 16 laps down.  Fellow JGR teammates, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano had been sambaing their way to the front of the field, only to have Logano involved in a crash and a flat tire destroyed his left front fender.  Finally!  A light at the end of the tunnel for Hamlin, who quickly paired up with Kyle Busch as Logano found his way to Tony Stewart and tucked his damaged fender behind the #14 to reduce the effects of his damage.  But just like the old saying goes, what goes around comes back around and Kyle Busch also found himself in an accident and Hamlin was once again searching for someone to dance with.

It was the #15 car of Michael Waltrip who came to Hamlin's rescue time after time.  He made sure Hamlin always had a partner and if he was needed, he found his way to the #11 and assisted however possible. Talk about your class acts! Thank you Michael Waltrip! You truly are a good friend to Denny and I can't tell you enough how much your support was appreciated.

By the end of the race, Hamlin must've felt like he'd been rode hard and put away wet. He saw more action than a gigolo on a Saturday night and no doubt needed a long hot shower with a good scrub brush to wash the effects of the day away. It was exhausting and heart breaking to witness and his 8th place finish was hard fought for.  At least when he spun in the late stages of the race he escaped with no ill effects and my heart could resume beating normally. 

It was a difficult day to say the least.  The thoughts of Dan Wheldon's wife and her two sons is still heavy on my mind and my heart aches for her and his family and friends. The motorsports community is reeling from tragic loss and this fan is still experiencing some sleepless nights worrying about the driver she cares so deeply for.  It is a dangerous sport made worse by drivers who outdrive their abilities and take stupid chances too early in the race.  Thankfully the day is over, everyone is safe and sound and Martinsville is only a few days away. 

If I were to sum it up, I think my words would fail me. So I'll quote Denny himself "The best I can describe it is we were stuck without a date to the prom, so I was just hitting on everyone's mom."  Well said Denny, and on that note I say...on to Martinsville

Leaving Las Vegas...

Never have three words sounded so sweet, nor the memory of a race been so great to forget. So Sin City didn't exactly try to hide that it wasn't fond of Denny Hamlin. Luck was certainly not on the Chesterfield, VA native's side. My only solace is that hopefully he won big in the casinos while hanging out with his buddies.

Just two laps into the Sam's Town 300, Hamlin found himself spinning out with none other than Brad Keselowski. Irony at its finest. He was able to recover from that debacle, only to be served with a pit road speeding penalty. As if that wasn't bad enough, the No. 20 car sped while serving its pass through penalty for that violation. The result, yet another pass through penalty. Misery indeed loves company.

The frustration mounted and wouldn't you know, the Interstate Batteries machine had a tire going down. Holding his own, Hamlin was handling the situation under the wise council of crew chief Dave Rogers, when the unthinkable happened. Mike Bliss, who's spotter was taking a break in the local casino and being derelict of his important duties, was unable to see the bright green car right in front of him and plowed Hamlin from behind, lifting his wheels off the ground and putting both cars into the wall.

When the dust settled, the flames that engulfed the Toyota holding Denny Hamlin were nothing short of terrifying. Mike Bliss failed to have an explanation for his stupidity and a despondent Hamlin tried to laugh it off, but the disappointment and frustration were evident. And from the appearance of the veteran driver, he was still a bit shaken from the incident. Well, he wasn't alone. That was quite scary and a fate I don't want to see repeated any time soon.

Hamlin rolled his Fed Ex Office Toyota off the grid in 34th starting position for the Shelby 427. When what do you know, new bestie Brad Keselowski found the No. 11 machine once again and caused yet another tangle between the two. I guess there is a drawing magnetism between the GoDaddy.com driver and his Fed Ex nemesis, because the two cars just simply couldn't avoid each other the entire weekend at Vegas.

The rest of the day was just more of the same and while Hamlin did his best to rebound, it just wasn't to be. He finished 22nd, a lap down, but was able to gain one spot in the points standings. His teammate, Kyle Busch, was victorious in his hometown for the first time and was overjoyed, kissing the start/finish line after doing his now signature bow and taking the checkered flag.

With snow back in NC stranding the drivers and their families in Vegas for a while, no doubt there was some celebrating going on amongst the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. Happy for his friend, Hamlin no doubt lifted his glass to honor a hard fought victory for the No. 18 team. But in his mind, Denny Hamlin was celebrating the end to his Las Vegas weekend and thanking his lucky stars he won't have to return to the scene of that fiasco for another twelve months.