October 29, 2009

Nascar - Denny Hamlin wins at Martinsville in the Sprint Cup

By Stephen Lars

With only a few races left to end the 2009 season of the Nascar Sprint Cup, the top 3 of the event’s 12 drivers are facing intensifying pressure, struggling to avoid being relegated to the bottom. The fight for the much sought-after title has generated a huge confrontation between the top drivers: Jimmie Johnson, Mark Martin, and Juan Pablo Montoya, among others.

Johnson leads the event, aiming for his fourth consecutive title, but is closely followed by Martin.

But at the Fast Relief Tums 500 - the sixth event of the Chase for the Sprint Cup - Denny Hamlin took first. The race was characterized by a number of incidents and a closely contested victory between Hamlin and Johnson.

In the Martinsville Speedway circuit, Hamlin, who exited the grid in seventeenth position, took the most out of his car and, from the beginning, proved himself a dangerous contender.

The race was plagued by a large number of accidents; as a result, the event was stopped constantly, and with each restart, drivers gained new opportunities to gain and change the lead.

Johnson and Hamlin in particular were both able to place themselves favorably after the restarts, often alternating for the top position. Hamlin in particular was able to take the most advantage of the constant interruptions.

With only 138 laps of the 501 scheduled, it was Johnson who was setting the pace of the competition, although he was closely followed by Hamlin. The driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing team managed, in the upcoming laps, to exceed Johnson in the considerable number of restarts during the race.

With just 52 laps to go, the race was given a new pole, and thus a new chance for the Toyota Camry #11 driver to dominate the challenge. With only 12 laps left, Hamlin eased into first, setting a gap between him and his closest rivals, who seemed unable to do anything to slim down the advantage.

With just two laps to go, the race was paused for the final time after an accident from Scott Speed.

Hamlin, completely separated from the vast majority of the drivers, drove the last leg with Johnson following desperately behind. Despite the challenge, Hamlin was able to maintain the lead.

"I knew he was going to be strong on the restarts," Hamlin said of Johnson. "I know those guys are going to be aggressive to try to win. We had the best car at the end. The 48 didn't do anything that he shouldn't have and made sure he protected his points lead. He gave us a little respect as well."

At the end of the final lap, the checked flag waved for Hamlin. Johnson followed in second.

Although Johnson missed first, he gained enough points in second to maintain his lead in the Chase for the Sprint Cup, capturing a total of 6,098 points.

The podium was completed with Montoya, who is at fifth in the standings.

Martin, Johnson’s greatest challenger at second overall, finished in eighth place and saw the gap between first and second widen substantially, to 118 points.

About the Author
Stephen Lars has been a prominent writer on daily NASCAR races; sports news and the sports book industry for many exceptional sport web sites. You may reprint this article in its full content, please note no modifications to it are accepted.