Hamlin Unfazed by Double-Duty Driving

As the #20 Rockwell Automation / JGR team enters the heart of the NASCAR Busch season, new challenges lurk around every turn.  In the next two months, the Busch Series and Cup Series will be at different tracks four separate weekends, meaning that driver Denny Hamlin will be spending the next few months racing at tracks and racing to tracks.  The race at Nashville was to be the first real test for the #20 team as adjustments were made to compensate for their already extremely active driver.    

In a race weekend where the Cup schedule conflicted with Busch Series practice time, the #20 team would be forced to use a substitute driver to fill in and provide detailed feedback to allow Crew Chief Dave Rogers to set up a balanced and adjustable car for Hamlin.  Kertus Davis, who in addition to Nashville will also fill in at Kentucky and Memphis, has been making starts in the Busch Series for the past five years.  Davis handled jumping into a car that was top-five in Busch Series Points and showed speed early, easily posting a top-five practice time.  The car would need to be dialed in because Hamlin’s first laps of the day would be his qualifying attempt in which he posted the seventh quickest time.

As the green flag dropped Saturday evening, it was clear that the #20 machine would be a contender all night.  Breaking into the top five after only a couple of laps, Hamlin remained there until the leaders pitted under caution on lap 35.  During the next sixty laps, the #20 overcame a 3.5 second deficit to the leader, and by Lap 93 had managed to take the lead.  Lap 97 had another caution in store for the field, and Hamlin concerned about being a touch loose in the center of turns, looked to the crew for four fresh tires and a round on the track bar.  The #20 continued to lead the pack until a mid-race caution shook up the field.  With only 20 green flag laps on the tires, Rogers chose for the #20 car to remain on the track during the lap 126 caution period.  The rest of the 22 lead-lap cars hit pit-road for tires and adjustments, but looking back, Rogers was confident in the car and his driver.

 "At the time it seemed like the right call," commented Crew Chief Dave Rogers following the race.  "There were 22 cars on the lead lap and we only had a handful of green flag laps on the tires.  I was sure at least half the field would have stayed out.  At Nashville, track position is important and I didn't want us to get too far back fighting through lap traffic trying to get to the front.  When everyone else pitted, it looked like we were going to be a sitting duck, but Denny did a great job staying up on the wheel and we only dropped to third, so it worked out fine.  We were where we needed to be at the end of the race."
   
After falling to third, the team faced dire straits when a long green flag run was going to force the #20 to make a green flag stop for fuel at Lap 180.  But in a twist of luck, the caution flew at Lap 172, just in time for the #20 to refuel and work on making the car tighter for the early part of the fuel run.  The pit stop called for new tires, fuel and a ¾ round of wedge.  The wedge seemed to be the right call during the stop, but ended up keeping the car out of victory lane contention.  Hamlin would go on to complete the final 47 circuits and finish in the 4th position.  Hamlin would also maintain his fourth place point’s position in the NASCAR Busch Series Driver’s Points competition.

"We were just too tight at the end," said Hamlin following the race.  "Our car was really good later in the run, but we were just too loose early.  The last stop we made an adjustment to try to win the race and just went a little too far.  I asked Dave to make sure this car cut in the center and that part was perfect.  I want to thank Kertus Davis and the team for giving me a good car this weekend.  Drivers are so particular about their cars and Kertus really did a good job giving me a balanced car that I was able to drive to the front."

Scoring a top-five finish in the Busch Series, the travel did not seem to affect his Nextel Cup Performance either.  Hamlin led 83 at Pocono Speedway on route to winning his first Nextel Cup Points race of his career.  This week, the NASCAR Busch Series heads to the Kentucky Speedway for another double-duty race.  The Meijer 300 presented by Oreo will race at 8:05 p.m. on Saturday and will broadcast on FX.