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NASCAR Sprint-Cup Series
CUP: Hamlin Survives Wild Finish
Denny Hamlin won the rain delayed NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Fast Pain Relief at Martinsville Speedway...
Mike Hembree  |  Posted March 29, 2010   Martinsville, VA
Denny Hamlin celebrates in the #11 FedEx Toyota after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Denny Hamlin, whose team made a questionable late-race pit decision, turned in some of the best driving of the season over the final two laps and won Monday’s Goody’s Fast Pain Relief 500 Sprint Cup race at Martinsville Speedway.

LINK >UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500- MARTINSVILLE

The race ended with a green-white-checkered finish thanks to tight three-wide racing and contact that sent Kyle Busch into the outside wall with a lap to go in regulation.

Jeff Gordon and Ryan Newman led the dash to the race’s final green flag. Hamlin, who had given up the lead to pit for four tires with nine laps remaining, stormed from fourth place to challenge for the lead almost immediately.

When Gordon got loose in turn one after contact from third-place Matt Kenseth on the restart, Kenseth slipped inside to push to the lead down the backstretch. But Kenseth’s momentum and a tap from Gordon carried him high in turn three and into the wall, and Hamlin was there to inherit the lead.

He stayed out front over the final lap to win for the first time since last season’s closing race at Homestead, Fla.

Hamlin and Kyle Busch were the only leaders to pit for tires with nine to go, leaving Gordon in the lead. When the green flag fell with four to go, Hamlin was ninth. He moved up to fourth quickly and then to first on the green-white-checkered.

“I can’t believe it,” Hamlin said. “I thought it was the end. That’s for all the people who doubt us. We’re still going to get this done before the year is over with.

“I had to bully my way through there near the end, but everybody was running like that. I somehow made it work.”

Ironically, Hamlin was supposed to be undergoing surgery Monday. Instead, he operated on everyone else.

Hamlin injured his left knee while playing basketball in January, and he had been scheduled to have reconstructive surgery Monday in Charlotte, N.C. When rain postponed Sunday’s race to Monday, the surgery was rescheduled for Wednesday.

Gordon, who finished third behind Hamlin teammate Joey Logano, was searching for his first win since April of last year at Texas Motor Speedway.

Gordon was pushing toward the win when Kyle Busch, racing three wide with Marcos Ambrose and Paul Menard, made contact with Menard and hit the outside wall, sparking caution as the leaders eyed the white flag.

“The real unfortunate part was that the yellow came out then,” Gordon said. “We had the thing wrapped up. On the last restart, I didn’t get a great start, but it was pretty decent. I drove into one trying to not overcook it. He (Kenseth) drove into the back of me so hard, but I made sure he wasn’t going to win the race after that.”

Hamlin survived a parade of caution flags, tire failures and typical short-track bump-and-thump racing.

Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Jeff Burton and Gordon had significant runs at the front, but Hamlin was the day’s top gun.

Hamlin and Burton battled over the final hundred laps as rain threatened to end the race early.

Burton lost his shot at a win with 18 laps to go when the right-front tire on his Chevrolet started losing pressure.
Burton eventually tapped the outside wall, causing the caution with nine laps to go.

Hamlin, then leading, surprised virtually everyone by giving up first place and pitting for four tires. In the end, the gamble worked.

Harvick had brake problems early in the race and gave up the seasonal point lead to Jimmie Johnson. Harvick fell to fourth.

LINK >UNOFFICIAL RESULTS: Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500- MARTINSVILLE

Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEEDtv.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.

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