AAA Texas 500 - Texas RESULTS

1. 14    Tony Stewart
2. 99    Carl Edwards
3. 4      Kasey Kahne
4. 17    Matt Kenseth
5. 16    Greg Biffle
6. 24    Jeff Gordon
7. 88    Dale Earnhardt Jr
8. 56    Martin Truex Jr
9. 33    Clint Bowyer
10. 43    A J Allmendinger
11. 9      Marcos Ambrose
12. 6      David Ragan
13. 29    Kevin Harvick
14. 48    Jimmie Johnson
15. 27    Paul Menard
16. 39    Ryan Newman
17. 21    Trevor Bayne
18. 42    Juan Montoya
19. 5      Mark Martin
20. 11    Denny Hamlin
21. 83    Brian Vickers
22. 00    David Reutimann
23. 78    Regan Smith
24. 2      Brad Keselowski
25. 13    Casey Mears
26. 51    Landon Cassill     -2
27. 31    Jeff Burton     -2
28. 47    Bobby Labonte     -2
29. 71    Andy Lally     -2
30. 22    Kurt Busch     -3
31. 38    Travis Kvapil     -3
32. 34    David Gilliland     -3
33. 18    Michael McDowell     -3
34. 32    Mike Bliss     -3
35. 35    Dave Blaney     -18
36. 1      Jamie McMurray     -39
37. 20    Joey Logano     Engine
38. 36    Geoffrey Bodine     Vibration
39. 46    Scott Speed     Rear Gear
40. 66    Josh Wise     Rear Gear
41. 37    Mike Skinner     Brakes
42. 87    Joe Nemechek     Cluth
43. 55    J J Yeley     Fuel Pressure
44. 83    Brian Vickers

AAA Texas 500 - Texas STARTING LINEUP

1. 16    Greg Biffle
2. 6      David Ragan
3. 17    Matt Kenseth
4. 27    Paul Menard
5. 14    Tony Stewart
6. 00    David Reutimann
7. 99    Carl Edwards
8. 2      Brad Keselowski
9. 4      Kasey Kahne
10. 78    Regan Smith
11. 48    Jimmie Johnson
12. 9      Marcos Ambrose
13. 21    Trevor Bayne
14. 22    Kurt Busch
15. 42    Juan Montoya
16. 88    Dale Earnhardt Jr
17. 18    Kyle Busch
18. 33    Clint Bowyer
19. 56    Martin Truex Jr
20. 83    Brian Vickers
21. 29    Kevin Harvick
22. 1      Jamie McMurray
23. 24    Jeff Gordon
24. 39    Ryan Newman
25. 20    Joey Logano
26. 43    A J Allmendinger
27. 55    J J Yeley
28. 11    Denny Hamlin
29. 51    Landon Cassill
30. 5      Mark Martin
31. 31    Jeff Burton
32. 47    Bobby Labonte
33. 13    Casey Mears
34. 34    David Gilliland
35. 66    Michael McDowell
36. 35    Dave Blaney
37. 32    Mike Bliss
38. 37    Mike Skinner
39. 46    Scott Speed
40. 87    Joe Nemechek
41. 38    Travis Kvapil
42. 36    Geoffrey Bodine
43. 71    Andy Lally

Texas Nightmare Straight Out of Halloween For Hamlin

Texas proved to be a trick rather than a treat for Fed Ex Toyota driver Denny Hamlin. He started the Dickies 500 in 17th position and finished in the exact same spot. Not exactly the way you want to come away from a race, especially when you're fighting for a spot in the Chase and there are just 2 races left.

The good news for Hamlin, however is that he heads into Phoenix just 2 points behind 11th place Dale Earnhardt Jr and 3 points behind teammate Kyle Busch who is clinging to the tenth spot in the Chase. There is a bright spot on the horizon for Denny Hamlin and when he shakes off the disappointment of Texas and rebounds, he just might make the stage at the Waldorf Astoria after all.

“We definitely fought a car that was really hard to drive all afternoon,” said a frustrated Hamlin after a long afternoon. “We just didn't get it figured out. The FedEx Office guys tried almost everything they could and we just couldn't get it right. We were loose on exit, tight in the center, we couldn't put the throttle down. There was no reaction out of the front end - you say it, it happened to us. Instead of going up in the points we dropped to 12th in the Chase. Again, we tried everything and nothing fixed the problems. We went 500-miles today - we started 17th and came home in the same spot - unreal. So, we're off to Phoenix where I hope we can rally one for the FedEx team before the season ends.”

It was only the second time in seven starts that Hamlin finished outside of the top ten at Texas Motor Speedway and the result broke a string of two consecutive top-five finishes.

As early as the third lap of the 334-lap race Hamlin was struggling with an ill handling car. On his first pit stop on lap 50 the team made major changes – air pressure adjustment, a wedge adjustment and then added a spring rubber to help the handling of the car but, unfortunately the changes didn't have the desired effect. Hamlin continued to be passed and fell deeper back in the field.

On the radio, Hamlin stated “We just can’t put the throttle down,” referring to his constant struggle for grip off the corners. By his third pit stop on lap 113 he was running 26th and the leaders were catching him and threatening to put Denny a lap down. On lap 132 of 334, then leader Carl Edwards passed Hamlin to drop him a lap down. It was, unfortunately, a lap he would never make up despite several close calls throughout the afternoon.

More pit stops led to more changes and the car got neutral – not worse, for the remainder of the day. Hamlin continued to do battle working his back to 18th by his sixth pit stop on lap 241. He would hold that position as the laps counted down and would pick up the 17th position when Dale Earnhardt Jr. ran out of fuel.

Texas is a distant memory and right now I'm thinking about the drivel that I found in my inbox today. When I opened my email to check on my favorite NASCAR driver and a man who has become one of my closest friends, I read some of the most heinous words that I have ever had the displeasure to come across. Someone found it appropriate to call Denny a low life scum sucking excuse for a human being and said that he was more like a dog than a person.

Well I take that personally. Denny on the other hand doesn't really care what people have to say about him. While I admire that ability to just let it roll off his back, I just can't do that. Let me make one thing very clear. The media doesn't portray people accurately. You only see what a producer wants you to see. You are only given the questions the reporters are told to ask.

Microphones are thrust into a driver's face when they are at their most frustrating, disappointing, angry moments and their true emotions come out because they are men. NASCAR screams for more emotion and then the media rakes anyone who shows it over the coals and crucifies them for weeks and refuses to let the drama die.

Denny Hamlin's words after Michigan are still brought up by Alan Bestwick on a regular basis. Jimmy Spencer and Kyle Petty take pot shots at Denny every time they are allowed to open their jaws and spew their putrid opinions on national television. Truth is, those guys will never know Denny Hamlin as anything other than their replacement. He will always be the guy they could never be. He has more raw talent in his left arm than they will ever hope to have and they're jealous.

Kyle Petty may be a great guy and do remarkable things for critically ill children and honor the memory of his precious son Adam, but he is not his father. And he really needs to learn how to keep his personal opinions and confrontations out of the media. Yes, he is hired to share how he feels, but his anger and bitterness over a confrontation that is WAY over is still evident and Mr. Petty needs to get over it.

I don't demand that you like my driver. There are so many to choose from and they all deserve to be followed. Everyone deserves a fan. But before you write hateful things that are uncalled for about someone you don't know the first thing about... get to know them. Not what a TV camera shows you. If you don't like Denny Hamlin, that's fine with me. I hope you support someone who deserves your admiration.

To hold an on-track incident with NASCAR's favorite son or his errand boy against Denny is ludacris. There are more scrapes that you don't see than ones the camera actually catches. Let them fight it out and deal with it themselves. It was months ago and it's their battle. It makes for good drama and keeps me tuned in every week. It's inevitable in a male-dominated sport, there will be fights and it will be hilarious. They always are. But hateful words about someone you have never laid eyes on in person is never okay.

The man you called those things has been there for me personally when I needed him and has gone out of his way to be good to me. He's someone's son, friend and hero. He has feelings and the people that read your words care deeply about him even if you don't. You can express yourself without being so evil. I suggest looking at yourself in the mirror and asking how you'd feel if it was said about you or someone precious to you.

Hit send, post published.. blogger out. Off to Phoenix. Man I feel better. Sometimes you just have to get some things off your chest.

What Makes A Man A NASCAR Driver?

My favorite NASCAR driver is Denny Hamlin. His full name is James Dennis Alan Hamlin Jr. He was born on November 18,1980 to Denny and Mary Lou Hamlin in the small town of Chesterfield, Virginia. He stands just 6'0" tall and weighs only 170 pounds but he is larger than life. He has a warm, gentle smile that lights up a room and green eyes that can melt you with just one glance. The things they have seen in his short 27 years would probably leave a lesser man overwhelmed. But to watch Denny carry himself in his element is an honor that no one on this earth truly deserves.


As a child, his dream was to drive a race car. Not exactly Little League or Pee Wee Football and so much more expensive. How does one teach their son to drive a race car and win? It takes a talent and a gift that only comes around once in a lifetime. The truly great ones are special and priceless. When they work their way through the ranks of small hometown tracks to the circuits and divisions sponsored by NASCAR, they must prove that they have something spectacular that sets them apart from the rest of the guys trying to live out the same dream.


To catch the attention of an owner in the sport of NASCAR is nothing short of miraculous. Being able to win races against other guys who are just trying to chase the dream is so much different than competing with guys who have won more races than years he has lived and is a defending champion. You have to have a drawing point and that is exactly what Denny Hamlin has.


When Joe Gibbs took notice of the young phenom from Virginia, little did he know how special his young protege would be. At just 24 years old, Denny Hamlin was about to be thrust into the most harsh, unforgiving, life changing career of his life. He had the talent, but nothing could prepare him for the demands of fans, sponsors and the media. Every person he came in contact with was a threat and he had to constantly question their motives and protect himself.


With fame came fortune and for such a young man, it was going to be blinding and difficult. But Denny Hamlin was raised well by his Mama who taught him to always be respectful and to be a gentleman. But all of that came easily to Denny. It was the trust that would have to be earned by every person entering his life that would be the most terrifying hurdle to overcome. The constant question of "are they out for my money and my fame or do they really care about ME" would keep him up more nights than how the car would perform come race day.


As a wide-eyed kid, Denny Hamlin could never imagine what awaited him in the process of seeing his biggest dream come true. But with his friends who have stuck with by him since childhood, a good boss who knows what it's like to corral young, handsome talent in early stardom and the values he was raised with, Denny Hamlin has proven that it is possible to live your dream and not forget who you are or where you came from.


He never picked up a basketball and desired to be like Mike. The thrill of the Super Bowl winning touchdown pass didn't call him to be the next Troy Aikman. The crack of the bat just didn't have the same thrill for him as it did for Babe Ruth. Denny Hamlin wanted to race and be like his hero, Bill Elliott. He watched his NFL favorite Washington Redskins but instead of wanting to play for Coach Joe Gibbs, he wanted to drive a race car for him. In fact, he told Joe that he would be driving for him one day. A premonition at its most glorious. Joe Gibbs just laughed and when he was later reminded of that conversation noted that he never realized that he'd have to pay the kid so much to do just that.


Denny's father, big Denny, when interviewed following his son's first victory at Pocono in 2006, said if he had known his son would be that great he'd have had a bunch more and sold them off. A very fitting tribute to one of the most talented, down to earth, genuine, caring guys in the sport of kings.


As Denny returns to Texas, the sight of his very first Cup race to mark his 113th career start, I am reminded of that awkward, nervous, yet excited young man who was about to steal my heart and change the way I view NASCAR forever. I had come to believe that rubbing was racing and that tearing up race cars was just par for the course. When it came to winning, every driver would take out his own mother to get that trophy. But that's not Denny Hamlin. He doesn't tear up race cars and he doesn't crash his friends. He gives respect and demands it in return. He isn't larger than life.... he's just James Dennis Hamlin Jr and he likes to race. It's an amazing hobby that has taken him places he never imagined and has taken its own toll and changed him forever.


Every time I see him on TV, I remember that he is flesh and bone and feelings and emotions. He wasn't born in that fire suit, he put it on one leg at a time just like I did when I got dressed that morning. The only difference between Denny Hamlin and the average man is he can do what most can't. Drive 180 mph and not get pulled over by the cops for doing it.

So what makes a NASCAR driver? Just an average guy who is willing to leave behind life as they know it and climb behind the wheel of a multi-million dollar car and be the center of attention and the object of desire for millions of people seeking to destroy them. The bright lights are mesmerizing and the fame is overwhelming. But for the select few who are grounded with a good head on their shoulders, they emerge as the true heroes. To me, that is Denny Hamlin. Just a man who happens to drive for a living. I want to be just like him when I grow up. Ah, who am I kidding? I'm never growing up.

Ryan Newman penalized after failing post race inspection

Due to the right rear quarter panel being too high in post-race inspection following the Samsung 500 in Texas, NASCAR has issued fines and penalties to the # 12 Alltel Dodge team. Driver Ryan Newman and car owner Roger Penske have been penalized 25 championship driver and 25 championship owner points respectively. Crew Chief Roy McCauley has been fined $25,000 and placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31st.

The penalty drops Newman from 8th to 10th in the points standings with 876 points. He is now 189 points behind leader Jeff Burton.

All I can say is "Ah..Newman!"