Coming off a successful weekend at his home track, featuring his 7th top-ten finish in the Busch Series and a runner up spot in the Nextel Cup Race, Denny Hamlin and the #20 Rockwell Automation / JGR Team headed for the track “Too Tough to Tame.”  Darlington Raceway holds special meaning for Hamlin as it is where he made his first Busch Series start (2004) and went on that weekend to score his first Busch Series top-ten finish.

With a full schedule on Friday, Hamlin and his team hit the track early on Friday.  In the first practice, they struggled.  Putting their heads together during the break, they quickly jumped to third on the speed chart but more importantly learned that lap times later in the run were extremely consistent and did not fall off as quick as the rest of the field.  Being the 36th car to take his qualifying lap, Hamlin stunned himself and his crew with a lap of 167.67 mph that put him on the top of the board.  The time would hold and Hamlin would go on to score his 3rd pole position of the season.

“I really didn’t think it would hold up,” commented Hamlin following the run.  “We got a little loose coming off two and I just didn’t feel like we got a good enough run off the backstretch.  Track position is extremely important at this track because the surface just eats tires alive.  It will also be a big deal to have that first pit box.”

As the sun set and the green flag dropped, Hamlin had trouble getting his car to turn in the middle of the first turn and was forced to fall in line behind Jamie McMurray and Matt Kenseth.  When the caution flag fell on lap 20, Hamlin followed the leaders to pit for tires and some much needed adjustments.  Restarting in the fourth position, Hamlin would lose two spots early, but 15 laps later, he would begin his assault on the front of the field.  Working his way back up to third, the caution flag fell on lap 62.  This time the #20 team turned around a 13.72 second stop and returned Hamlin back to the track in the first position.  Hamlin radioed into the crew that if Kenseth passed him on the start then he would let McMurray go also and save his tires for the long run.  Falling 4.5 seconds behind the leaders, Hamlin was not concerned.  Once 20 laps had gone by, Hamlin began working his way to the front.  Chopping off almost four tenths of a second on the leaders each lap, Hamlin recovered 2nd place within 12 laps and was knocking on the leader’s bumper when the caution flew on lap 116.  

All the cars headed to pit road for their final stop of the night.  Hamlin radioed into the crew, “Just get me out front and I will bring it home.”  The crew turned around another 13-second stop and returned Hamlin to the track with the lead.  The final 30 laps would be slowed four different times for caution periods and the longest they would run under green was six laps.  Kenseth and McMurray were never able to mount a charge as Hamlin quickly built five car length leads after each restart.  Hamlin would go on to win his second Busch Series race of the season and the first on an oval track.

“I was a little concerned when we made our final stop with 30 laps to go,” said Crew Chief Dave Rogers.  “All day, our car seemed to be strong on the long runs, but Denny had never really pushed it on the short runs.  That could be the smartest race I have seen a driver run.  Denny took his time, followed his strategy and made sure he had enough car left to race them hard at the end.  The crew did a great job with their stops and getting him out front.  Tonight’s win was a total team effort.”

“This is a great win for us especially in Rockwell Automation’s backyard,” commented Hamlin following the race.  “I love coming to this track.  It tests the driver and every lap.  I kept telling myself, ‘Just race the racetrack.  Those guys will come back to us’.   I am glad they did.  The crew deserves the credit; they kept getting me out front all night.  Dave made some great calls to get the car better especially on the short run.  After the final two restarts, I knew those guys behind us had nothing for us.”