NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
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CUP: Hamlin Loud At Loudon
Denny Hamlin leads 193 laps on way to win in second Chase race…
Mike Hembree  |  Posted September 23, 2012   Loudon, NH
Denny Hamlin called his shot early in the week, gingerly backed away from it later and then, on race day, cashed it in big time.

Hamlin, driving like a man on a mission, dominated Sunday’s Sylvania 300 Sprint Cup race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway and reasserted his strength in the race for the championship after a sour finish in the playoff opener at Chicagoland Speedway.

It was double redemption for Hamlin.

He had a strong car in the first Chase race last week but ran out of fuel on the final lap and finished 16th, losing the point lead. In July, in the season’s first stop at NHMS, Hamlin led 150 laps – half the race – but lost the win to Kasey Kahne because of a pit miscue in the closing miles.

Those facts were simply background noise Sunday as Hamlin rolled through the first third of the race with a clear target – take the lead. He started 32nd on the official grid after a mistake in qualifying Friday resulted in a poor time-trial run, but he roared steadily through the field to take the lead, passing teammate Kyle Busch for first place on lap 94.

Hamlin built a lead that eventually reached four seconds over the middle section of the race. His toughest competition for most of that period was Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Busch, whose day eventually darkened because of an apparent engine problem.

Brian Vickers and his No. 55 team tried to attack the Hamlin strength during a round of caution-flag pit stops on lap 177 by taking only two new tires and rolling into the lead.

But Hamlin needed only two laps under the ensuing green to slip past Vickers and return to the lead.

Hamlin built a six-second lead over Jimmie Johnson but saw that advantage disappear with 28 laps to go when a caution flew because of debris in turn two. With the race approaching its end, the top seven cars didn’t pit during the caution.

When green conditions returned at lap 278 (of 300), Hamlin led Johnson, Clint Bowyer, Jeff Gordon and Brad Keselowski (all Chasers). Hamlin got a good jump on the restart, wasn’t challenged and coasted home to the win.

He finished ahead of the second-place Johnson by 2.67 seconds. Following in the top five were Gordon, Bowyer and Kahne.

Johnson took the point lead from Keselowski and leads the Dodge driver by one going to Dover, DE next week.

After frustration last week at Chicagoland, Hamlin predicted a win at Loudon. But, after a ton of media attention to his “promise” of a win, he backed off the guarantee.

Then Sunday he rolled.

The competition was impressed.

“We just did all we could today,” Johnson said. “We just missed a little bit of speed, and the 11 (Hamlin) seemed to have everybody covered. And, after that, we were the next best car and I just kind of ran there all day.”

Gordon, who has dominant wins similar to Hamlin’s on his resume, said Hamlin “had it pretty easy today.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had a car that dominant and won with it. I’ve kind of forgotten what it’s like, but I have had them, and I’ve seen others have them. It’s certainly an amazing feeling, and it gives you a lot of confidence and allows you to make smart moves.”

The race was generally uneventful beyond Hamlin’s stunning performance. There were only four cautions – none for on-track incidents. Three yellow flags were prompted by debris, and the first flew at lap 42 as a competition caution after overnight rain.

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 30 years. He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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