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Hamlin, FedEx Racing Soaked in New Hampshire - Finish Eighth
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When Denny Hamlin pulled the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota off of pit road on lap 278, both the driver and team thought they had done enough win Sunday's Lennox Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Though not leading the race, the #11 lined up as first car off the pit road by virtue of a lightning-quick fuel-only stop and would restart as first car sure to have enough fuel to make the end of the scheduled 301-lap race. Unfortunately, while the team had balanced performance, track position, pit stops and fuel mileage expertly throughout the day, they were unable to hold off Mother Nature. When the clouds opened on lap 284 to end the race, Hamlin and the team were forced to settle for a frustrating eighth-place finish - a good result for a team looking to solidify their place in the top-ten, but not at all indicative of just how well the team performed Sunday.
"I guess all things considered this a good result for this FedEx team," said Hamlin as he stood trackside after climbing from the #11 car. "Congrats to the guys that figured the rain just right. We made the call we had to and this FedEx team was awesome on pit road to get me out in good position. We would have run out if we didn't pit and we thought we had a chance to win this race had it gone to the end. All in all, this helps us in the points and that's the goal this time of the year. We'll take it and look ahead to next week."
By virtue of the rain that ended the race before it reached its scheduled length, several cars that had made the decision to stretch their fuel loads ended up out front, while the leaders who pitted were forced back in the field. Kurt Busch claimed the win while Micheal Waltrip, and J.J. Yeley filled out the top three. Tony Stewart led a race-high 132 laps and looked to have the field covered before he met a fate similar to Hamlin and finished 13th. Kyle Busch finished 25th on the day but maintains his points lead heading to Daytona. The eighth-place finish moves Hamlin up one spot, from eighth to seventh, in the Sprint Cup standings.
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Hamlin started the race from the 12th position on the grid and was on the radio immediately to tell the crew that he was extremely tight from the drop of the green. This would be a reoccurring theme throughout the afternoon but, in the short term would force Hamlin to persevere through the opening laps while dropping back to 14th place. At that point, it was almost as if someone flipped a switch to give the #11 the front grip Hamlin needed and he wasted no time charging forward. By lap 17, Hamlin had worked the FedEx Ground Camry into the top ten. By lap 49, he had carved his way into the top five, was posting the fastest times on the track, and had moved to within five seconds of the leader.
Crew Chief Mike Ford called Hamlin in for his first stop of the day under green on lap 68. The crew went to work on the car, changing four tires and making a small track bar adjustment before sending Hamlin out to cycle through in fifth place.
The first caution of the day flew on lap 85 and, with Hamlin again struggling to find grip on the restart, Ford called him onto pit road for fuel, two tires and a slight wedge adjustment. Hamlin restarted sixth on lap 90 and the early-run struggles continued as he dropped back to ninth place as he waited for the car to come to him. It did, predictably, as the run continued and he worked his way back into eighth place by the time the caution came out on lap 140.
On pit road again for fuel, tires and an air pressure adjustment, the team worked quick and sent Hamlin out to restart ninth on lap 140. He would stay out through a quick caution on lap 153 and would then begin another charge forward. By lap 200 he was again posting the fastest laps on the track and had passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. for seventh place when the fourth caution of the day flew on lap 203.
With rain moving into the area, all of the teams on pit road were carefully watching their radar screens and planning their race strategy accordingly. With only 100 laps to go, the teams were looking at least one more stop but were worried about the race ending early on account of weather, or a string of cautions offering a lifeline in the way of improved mileage to those willing to risk it.
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With all factors considered and the decision made, Hamlin pulled the #11 onto pit road for four tires, fuel and a very small air pressure adjustment. The crew worked fast to get Hamlin out sixth for the restart on lap 209.
Another caution saw Hamlin stay on the track and line up fifth for the restart, then pull one of the moves of the race as he dove inside of Clint Bowyer and Jeff Gordon to claim third place on lap 230. He held that position, despite pressure from Gordon in fourth, until the race entered the final thirty laps and the team set their strategy for fuel.
With the caution out on lap 273 and Hamlin nearing the end of fuel run, Ford called the #11 onto pit road on lap 276 for 2.8 seconds of fuel - enough, by the #11 team's calculations, to make the end. The crew worked extremely fast and sent Hamlin out ahead of all the other cars that pitted and he would line up behind eight cars that made the decision to stay out.
The race went green on lap 279 but only for one lap, and only long enough for Hamlin to pick up one spot, before the caution flag flew again. Unfortunately, as the field turned laps behind the pace car, the clouds opened up above New Hampshire Motor Speedway and NASCAR called the competitors to pit road. The race was called shortly after.
The Sprint Cup Series continues on Saturday night when the teams visit Daytona International Speedway for the Coke Zero 400.