Hamlin Survives Marathon Busch Race and Finishes Top-Ten

After two rough weekends to end the month of September, the #20 Rockwell Automation / JGR Busch Team used an off weekend to recharge their batteries and get ready for a race in front of the home crowd at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in Charlotte, NC.  The Dollar General 300 would be the last Friday Night race of the season.

As the car unloaded off the truck, Denny Hamlin was extremely happy with the handling of the car, just concerned because they lacked the speed of the other cars.  Unfortunately pulling an early number for qualifying, Hamlin jumped to the top of the board, but as the sun set and the track cooled he began to drop on the leader board.  Starting 11th for the main feature, Hamlin was confident the car was capable of getting in the top five by the end of the race.  

As the green flag flew to start the race, the caution flag flew early and often.  On lap 21, Jimmie Johnson bounced off the wall blowing his radiator and completely covering the windshield of the #20 car with fluid.  Hamlin was forced to pit off sequence to have his windshield cleaned.  Crew Chief Dave Rogers used this as a chance to change four tires and make some adjustments to the car.  Although back in the pack, the majority of the field pitted during the next caution flag returning Hamlin to the top-ten.

Still trying to make it to halfway, the field would continue to be slowed by several caution periods.  Hamlin continued to stay on the same pit cycle as the leaders as he ran as high as 6th and as low as 12th.  Following the lap 125 caution, the field settled in for a long green flag run.  Forced to pit for fuel at lap 172, Rogers called for 2 tires to try to gain some positions on the track.  With a caution on lap 184, the #20 car was held at the tail end of the lead lap for five cars that had not pitted.  As NASCAR tried to sort out a scoring error regarding the 60 car and the 42 car the field came to 10 laps to go in the race.  With NASCAR’s rules of a single file restart with the lead lap cars at the front of the field, it was thought that the cars pinned a lap down would be able to go around the pace car and move back into their position.  Instead NASCAR’s Race Control moved the five lead lap cars behind the pace car and pinning the cars on the tail end of the lead lap one lap down.  Hamlin dodged the final two cautions and was able to come home with a disappointing 8th-place finish.  

“I just don’t understand how I can lose a lap under caution,” commented a frustrated Hamlin after the race.  “It just doesn’t make any sense to me.  We did not have the best car tonight, but had we been able to race the lead lap cars during the last 10 laps, we were capable of finishing in the top-five and even have a shot at the win.  We seem to be on the wrong end of those type of calls all season.”