With that winning feeling still fresh in everyone’s mind, the #20 Rockwell Automation / JGR Busch Team prepared for the Sam’s Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.  With notes from a successful test session in February, the team prepared a car they felt capable of running well at a track that Denny Hamlin has struggled to find his groove at.

After an uneventful day of practice, the team prepared the machine for qualifying and the race.  With precipitation in the forecast, the teams expected to spend most of raceday dodging rain drops.  However, the skies were friendly but left it chilly as the temperature peaked at 44 degrees.   Hamlin was the 38th car to take his qualifying lap, but laid out a flawless first lap and missed the pole by one tenth of a second.

“We definitely had a shot at the pole,” commented Hamlin following his run.  “Our first lap was perfect, but on the second lap, I overdrove the corner getting into turn three and just backed out of it.  I figured I was better to start second, then win the pole but be unrolling the backup (car).  With my past history at this track, I am thrilled to have such a good view of the green flag.”

As the field took the green for the start of the race, Hamlin was forced to slow a little due to pole sitter Matt Kenseth getting a slow start.  By checking up, Kevin Harvick had a chance to make the field three wide on the first lap.  A couple laps later, the field got sorted out and Hamlin settled into the third position.  After an early caution, the field experienced a long green flag run that would result in cars being forced to pit under green for fuel and tires around lap 60.  Hamlin complained of the car being “very, very tight” when he ducked onto pit road for service.

“I really wanted to put a spring rubber in the car to help it turn better,” said Crew Chief Dave Rogers.  “But we just could not afford to give up the time on pit road especially under green.  In the long run, it would have greatly improved the handling of the car, but Las Vegas is such a ‘track position’ race track.  We are out there fighting for a tenth of a position on every lap; it is hard to justify spending the additional 3.5 seconds on pit road and give up that much time to the rest of the field.”

Hamlin was forced to settle for a major track bar adjustment, which helped some, but not enough.  Hamlin would continue to run in the top five until the last couple laps when Carl Edwards was able to take the fifth position and leave Hamlin to finish sixth, his third top-ten of the season.

“I wanted to score a top-five,” remarked a disappointed Hamlin following the race.  “I have always struggled at this track, so to be able to run in the top five all day and not be able to close the deal is frustrating.  Our car seemed to be loose at the beginning of the run, good in the middle and then tight at the end.  During the last run, we were just too tight in traffic and Carl (Edwards) took advantage of it.  But in the end it was a good points day and we learned a lot to help our intermediate program.  This finish is just a credit to Dave (Rogers) and the whole team for all the hard work they put in during the off-season.”

With Hamlin’s top-ten finish, he was able to move up to second in the NASCAR Busch Series points, just 42 points behind series leader Kevin Harvick.  Also, the #20 car sits first in Car Owner Points for the NASCAR Busch Series Championship.