Spoiler Alert: Hamlin Wins Fifth Race of 2010 June 14, 2010
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Denny Hamlin's won five of the last 10 races since NASCAR reverted to the spoiler earlier this season. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
Denny Hamlin must like NASCAR’s new spoiler.
When NASCAR made the switch from the rear wing back to the spoiler for the Sprint Cup Series in March, Hamlin won the first race at Martinsville, and so far, has four more wins, including the Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway Sunday. That’s five wins in the past 10 races – the most Hamlin’s ever won in his Sprint Cup career, now in its fifth full-time year.
Like last week at his win at Pocono, Hamlin dominated throughout the race, this time leading 123 of 200 laps at the two-mile track.
“All we do is win, baby – two in a row,” Hamlin said over the radio to his crew, a mantra that’s been the theme to the No. 11 team’s 2010 campaign. (more…)
Logano vs. Harvick Spices Up Hamlin’s 4th Career Pocono Win June 7, 2010
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Joey Logano tries to save his Home Depot Toyota from spinning out after making contact with Kevin Harvick's No. 29 Chevrolet. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
A funny thing happened on Denny Hamlin’s way to cruising to his fourth victory at Pocono Raceway. His teammate Joey Logano finished 13th, but picked up a bunch of new fans.
The fireworks at the end of Pocono Sunday between Logano and Harvick are some of the best NASCAR’s seen in a while. The post-race antics are the latest byproduct of NASCAR’s new “Have at it boys” mentality that’s led to more driver confrontation and has spiced things up in this year’s Sprint Cup season.
Rain at the start of the race led to an hours-long delay. But once the green flag finally waved, Hamlin led 88 of 204 laps, continuing his trend of schooling the field at NASCAR’s only triangle-shaped track. But with four laps to go, the front of Harvick’s car hit the rear of Logano’s coming out of turn three, sending Logano spinning. He almost saved his car from spinning out, a testament to the talent of the second-year driver and his future in the sport. (more…)
Bodine Wins Sixth Truck Series Race at Texas June 4, 2010
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Todd Bodine celebrates his sixth NASCAR Truck Series win at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
Todd Bodine ended a 24-race-long winless streak at Texas Motor Speedway Friday, a track where he’s now won six races, the most of any driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series at the track.
Bodine led 106 of 169 laps, a career high at TMS, while he held off Ron Hornaday during a green-white-checker overtime restart at the Fort Worth track. It’s the seventh Truck Series race at TMS to end under NASCAR’s overtime rule and it gave Bodine his sixth win at the track. That’s more wins than any driver in NASCAR’s Sprint Cup and the IRL Izod IndyCar Series and is tied with Kyle Busch’s record of six wins at TMS, five in the NASCAR Nationwide Series and one in the trucks. (more…)
Penske’s Busch Holds Off Ganassi’s McMurray For Coke 600 Win May 31, 2010
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Kurt Busch, driver of the No. 2 Dodge leads Jamie McMurray, driver of the No. 1 Chevrolet during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Photo Courtesy NASCAR
Kurt Busch ran 300 fewer laps and took home more than $600,000 less, but his win at the Coke 600 was no less sweet for the driver of the No. 2 car and team owner Roger Penske than Busch’s win last week at the All-Star race at the same track.
Penske’s main rival in the Izod IndyCar Series, Chip Ganassi, put two cars in the top five, including winner Dario Franchitti. Penske’s drivers finished 8th, 9th, and 24th.
But at Charlotte, for NASCAR’s longest race of the season, Penske’s driver Busch started the final restart from fourth, drove past three cars that didn’t pit for tires, and held off Ganassi’s Jamie McMurray in a 19-lap shootout to close out the 400-lap event. (more…)
One Busch Wins, Another Fumes May 23, 2010
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Sparks were flying on track after Kyle Busch wrecked, but the sparks were flying even higher in the garage after the All Star race. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
Kurt Busch took home the checkered flag and a million dollar payday at NASCAR’s All-Star race, celebrating with his “unwind” victory lap. But it was his younger brother Kyle’s post-race antics garnering all the attention at Charlotte Motor Speedway Saturday night.
Kyle Busch and teammate Denny Hamlin restarted the final segment of the race side-by-side, ready to battle it out between them for the million dollar first place money. As Hamlin tried to keep his lead, he put a block on teammate Busch, cutting off the No. 18 car, who otherwise would have passed the No. 11 car on the outside. (more…)
Busch Capitalizes on Rare Johnson Mistake May 16, 2010
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Kyle Busch took advantage of a rare Jimmie Johnson mistake to win at Dover. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
If Kyle Busch edges out Jimmie Johnson for the 2010 Sprint Cup Championship, prognosticators will look at the spring Dover race as the beginning of the end of the No. 48 dynasty.
The hallmark of Johnson’s reign as four-time champion is consistent, mistake-free racing. But on lap 363 of the 400-lap event, Johnson was flagged for speeding at the one-mile, high-banked oval. The resulting penalty put Johnson, who led 225 laps, a lap down, and left him with a 16th-place finish. (more…)
Once, Twice, Three Times a Winner May 10, 2010
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Denny Hamlin and the No. 11 team had stiff competition from Jeff Burton, before a pit road penalty put the No. 31 team out of contention. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
Denny Hamlin made it a weekend sweep at the Lady in Black, becoming the first driver in 17 years to win both the Nationwide Series and Cup Series events at Darlington Raceway and winning his third race of the season.
Hamlin led 107 of 367 laps, holding off the “two Jeffs” – Burton and Gordon – to win at one of NASCAR’s most historic tracks.
But mistakes on pit road – Gordon’s bad timing coming in during green, but stuck when the caution came out, and Burton incurring a penalty after he accidentally drove over the air hose – put Hamlin’s two competition out of contention. (more…)
Kyle Busch is Back May 2, 2010
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Kyle Busch leads the field at Richmond International Raceway to win his first race of 2010. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
Kyle Busch made a triumphant return to victory lane Saturday, winning the pole and taking the checkered flag at Richmond International Raceway.
Busch held off Jeff Gordon, who’s been denied a win four times this season, to get his first victory in 21 races.
It’s the eighth time that Gordon’s finished second since tackling one of his worst tracks, Texas Motor Speedway, in April 2009.
“It stinks to not win every single weekend or not every 21 weekends or 21 races,” Busch said. “But it certainly feels nice to come out here with another good win and get another good finish.” (more…)
Harvick Edges out McMurray for Talladega Victory April 25, 2010
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Kevin Harvick crosses the finish line in his No. 29 Chevrolet, edging out Jamie McMurray driving the No. 1 Chevy at Talladega Superspeedway. Photo courtesy NASCAR.
One year ago, a horrific crash sent Carl Edwards’ car into the catch fence at Talladega Superspeedway, causing outcry in the NASCAR community. Sunday’s race at the Alabama track marked the fourth race that the rear spoiler was back on the car, replacing a wing that bared the brunt of the criticism for cars going airborne.
The result? A race with no major incidents, but by no means was it boring. The race set new records for the number of leaders and lead changes in a Cup Series event, and after three green-white-checker restarts, ended with Kevin Harvick making a breath-taking last-second pass on Jamie McMurray for the win. (more…)
Hamlin Wins Second Monday Race of 2010 April 19, 2010
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Denny Hamlin crosses the start/finish line to take the checkered flag and win the Samsung Mobile 500 at Texas Motor Speedway. Photo courtesy NASCAR
In the second rained-delayed race of the year, Denny Hamlin – bum knee and all – took his team to Victory Lane at Texas Motor Speedway.
It’s only the second time a Cup race was run on a Monday at the Ft. Worth track and despite the delay, a significant number of fans still attended the event, which featured not only the Cup race, but also Saturday’s rain-delayed Nationwide Series race.
Hamlin held off a charging Jimmie Johnson to take the checkered flag for his second Monday win of the year, the first after having surgery on his left knee to repair a torn ACL. (more…)