You know, there’s just some tracks Denny Hamlin thinks he owns. He’s almost automatic at Pocono, he’ll battle well at Richmond and Martinsville? Well, let’s just say he’s starting make a good case to one day dethrone the likes of Petty, Waltrip or Johnson as "Mr. Martinsville" with his victory in Sunday’s race, good for his second grandfather clock.
It’s a great bounce back week for Hamlin after a pair of DNFs. It’s also D.H.’s career-high third win of the season. You really get the feeling this guy is a bit underrated as one of NASCAR’s top talents. In this observer’s opinion, he just needs to properly channel all that emotion and avoid unnecessary adversity. Give him credit, Hamlin needed this win and he got it.
Points leader and defending champion Jimmie Johnson wisely let Hamlin off the hook for the win to finish second. Though he was denied a shot at a seventh career victory at NASCAR’s shortest track, he still extends his lead over teammates Mark Martin (who finished 8th) and Jeff Gordon (who tuned in a 5th place run).
Credit goes to the field in their quest to deny Johnson a shot
at history. Besides Hamlin and Gordon, Juan Pablo Montoya drove the wheels and the brakes off his car, and any one in this trio would have been more than quite willing move the "48" if necessary. Montoya and Gordon were especially combative with each other, giving the fans a taste of the full contact racing they’ve come to expect from this Virginia track.
This is also another week where the non-chasers made their presence felt. Kyle Busch gets my "Rocky Balboa Award" for his rally from 41st to 4th. Knowing how he can be on days like this, credit has to be given to Shrub for keeping himself mostly in check, and to his team for putting him in a good position to run.
Jamie Mc Murray quietly turned in a productive day, to finish 6th. If the rumor’s true, then Earnhardt- Ganassi Racing must be feeling vindicated in their choice to take over the ride of Martin Truex Jr. Kevin Harvick also clicked off a top ten, and considering the good runs made by Jeff Burton and Casey Mears, the RCR gang continues to show signs of life.
I must say as a frequent critic of Rusty Wallace, I do like him in his studio role. When he’s called upon a little less for commentary, he does more with less. Among some good comments he made, and one that I totally agree with, is that this chase is not over. To me, it’s a five, maybe six car chase, depending on the outcome next Sunday at Talladega. Thanks to solid runs at Martinsville, Martin, Gordon, Montoya, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch at least a slim chance of overtaking the front runner. Heck, I wouldn’t even rule out Ryan Newman, who’s had a good day or two on super speedways.
Attitude and confidence matter in this sport. I detect a bit of wobble in Jimmie concerning next Sunday’s race, and at Martinsville, we saw once again where that sense of assertion paid dividends for the boy from Chesterfield.
Given that, we have an interesting week ahead of us.
PHOTO CREDITS- Hamlin and Johnson racing by Streeter Lecka/ Getty Images. Gordon and Montoya racing by John Harrelson/ Getty Images for NASCAR, Martinsville fans by Jason Smith/ Getty Images for NASCAR.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
You know, It’s kind of sad when every story written about Hamlin contained the same BUT.
I guess Pee Wee Herman was right…”Every one has a big butt.”
I was glad to see Jamie have a good day. Even if it did go unnoticed in the booth.
The most frustrating thing I saw yesterday from the front strip was near the end (can’t remember the exact lap because my son asked me something he was looking at on the scanner, but it was definitely under 11 to go)….Jeff Gordon had slipped under Jimmie Johnson in turn 4 and was about to overtake for “2nd”……Jimmie kept pushing him down (Gordon’s wheel was easily below the line) instead of letting him take the pass clean that he obviously had won……the result?, both teammates come off the turn door bumping, losing time, and falling further behind Hamlin…..also, Jimmie screwed Gordon as all that allowed Montoya and Kyle Bush to sneak up. Gordon needs to stop being such a “nice” guy……Jimmie has enough, he needs to remember his other teammates when there’s a situation where it’s clear they’ve bested him for the moment….especially when those teammates are Gordon and Martin who have given him much…..this little battle seemed to go unnoticed on Sunday
Steve, seriously, you want Jimmie to move over for Jeff Gordon? Jeff is one of those still in contention to beat JJ for the championship – no way should he give him an inch until it’s over. “Jimmie has enough” you say. Well, he doesn’t have enough points yet, so he doesn’t need to give positions to anybody – teammate or not. If Gordon couldn’t hold off JPM and Shrub, that his problem, not JJ’s.