Hamlin takes the flag
MARTINSVILLE, Va. — Denny Hamlin laid it all on the line — publicly — when he got to Martinsville Speedway. Objective 1 was winning the pole. Objective 2? Winning the race.
He also spoke of how the pressure was on points leader Jimmie Johnson, then went out and accomplished both objectives, and in a car that never felt like a winner until the end.
Confidence boost? Absolutely.
"Had we lost points to him here, it probably would have been a big blow as far as my confidence going forward," he said. "Because obviously this is probably my best race track. It's his best race track. I feel like I have been better than him in the last couple years."
Hamlin showed it, passing Kevin Harvick for the lead with 29 laps to go and earning his third consecutive NASCAR Sprint Cup win at the smallest, trickiest circuit in the series.
The victory closed Hamlin to within six points of Johnson in the season standings with four races left.
"I don't think I've ever closed that well, ever," Hamlin said after his 15th career victory, his series-best seventh this year and his fourth at the track in his home state.
The margin is the smallest with four races left since the Chase started in 2004.
Even better, the victory came after a miserable start. Determined to outqualify Johnson and get the sometimes critical first pit stall, Hamlin won the pole for just the second time this season. Johnson qualified 19th, and Harvick — who is third in points — 36th.
But once the race began, Hamlin went backward. By the first caution and restart about 50 laps in, he was behind both of them. Johnson was eighth, Harvick ninth and Hamlin 12th.
"I was very worried," he said. "Everyone saw how far back we were dropping and I thought it was the end of our day. We kept fighting, kept digging, kept making up spots."
Hamlin became the first driver since Johnson in 2007 to sweep both races here.
