Hamlin Strong in Traffic, Finishes Third in Martinsville

Coming off a strong performance in New Hampshire, the #20 Rockwell Automation / JGR Busch Team headed to one of NASCAR’s oldest and most storied tracks at Martinsville Speedway.  This would be the first time that the NASCAR Busch Series would be racing at Martinsville since 1994, but Denny Hamlin and crew chief Dave Rogers were up to the challenge bringing ample Cup experience to the table for the weekend.

The team arrived in Martinsville early Thursday morning with two cars to prep for an all-day, open test session at Martinsville.  With the Busch Series racing in Martinsville and the Cup Series heading back to Pocono, the #20 team would call on both Denny Hamlin and JGR Developmental Driver Aric Almirola to setup the car for the paperclip shaped, half-mile track.  By days end Thursday, both Rockwell Automation Monte Carlos were in the top-twenty in lap times, with the primary car racing the fifteenth fastest lap.  Heading into qualifying on Saturday, the team had managed to have the car running at the sixth fastest time by the end of second practice with Aric Almirola at the wheel.  With Saturday Cup Practice at Pocono being rained out, it was hoped that Denny Hamlin would be able to make it back to Martinsville in time to qualify the car, but an early qualifying draw made that hope impossible, and qualifying would be left up to Milwaukee Busch Pole Winner, Aric Almirola.  
       
In a car that Almirola had setup for the last day and a half, he managed to post a time of 19.896 seconds (95.175 mph) in qualifying.  At the time, he sat on the pole with 38 drivers left to qualify.  The #20 remained on the pole until eventual pole winner Clint Bowyer bested his time late into qualifying.  The #20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet would be placed third in the starting grid, but since Denny Hamlin was unable to qualify the car before the start of the race, the team would be forced to the rear of the field and start 41st.    

With threatening weather in the area and an eventual record-setting nineteen cautions, the #20 team would be forced to exercise urgent patience in order to navigate its way through the 43 car field.  It was evident that from the start of the race that the #20 would be in contention if they could manage to stay out of trouble.  It took Denny Hamlin only 67 laps to pilot his Monte Carlo into the top-ten.  By the time the lap 80 caution flew, it was decided that all of the cars could make it to the finish of the 250 lap race, and all of the leaders opted to pit under yellow.  During the stop, the #20 team worked on a slight tight condition that was causing the team to lose speed in the middle of the turns.  This would be the only pit stop made by the race leaders, and it would be up to Denny Hamlin to manage his car for the final 170 laps.

By lap 160, the #20 was running inside the top-five and it would be apparent that the team was headed to its ninth top-five of the season.  As the #20 car battled with the leaders, the plethora of late cautions hampered Hamlin’s chances to take the victory.  The team earned every bit of their 3rd place finish, a remarkable accomplishment with a car that started the day from the 41st position.

“We had a pretty good day today,” commented Hamlin following the race.  “It hurt having to come from the back and I was forced to the use up a lot more of the car and the brakes than I wanted.  At the end of the race, our car seemed really good on the longer runs.  The 21 & 2 would run away from us for six laps or so after the restarts, but then we would start reeling them back in.  I think if we had a 25 lap run at the end, we would have something for them, but with all the cautions it just kind of tied our hands.  I am just really proud of the effort of this team.  Last year, we would have given anything for a top-five finish and now we are disappointed with 3rd.”