Hamlin not happy about Pocono finish, hoping to atone at Watkins Glen
By SceneDaily Staff
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
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Last weekend's Sprint Cup Series race at Pocono Raceway was supposed to be a golden opportunity for Denny Hamlin to boost his chances of making the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup. It didn't happen.
Instead of adding another strong finish to an impressive Pocono resume that includes two wins, Hamlin finished 23rd after coming out on the short end of a pit-strategy shakeup in the second half of the race.
The result dropped the Joe Gibbs Racing driver two spots to 10th in the series standings, just 46 points ahead of the 13th-place driver, with five races left before the 12 Chase drivers are locked in. Hamlin hopes to make up for his losses in Sunday's Centurion Boats at The Glen.
"We didn't do ourselves any favors at Pocono, especially considering the fact that we saw that race as a big opportunity," the driver of the No. 11 Toyota said. "But even though we dropped some spots, we were by no means safe or comfortable heading to Pocono, so our focus doesn't change. We need to go out, get good results and try to lock up a place in the Chase.
"We still have some good tracks left for us leading into the Chase, so we're certainly not overconfident but like the way the schedule looks given our past performances. Of course, Pocono proved that anything can happen."
Hamlin enters Watkins Glen coming off a second-place finish at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn road course last season. In his other start at the track, in 2006, Hamlin placed 10th.
He has come to enjoy competing at Watkins Glen and Infineon Raceway, the two road courses that the series visits each year.
"It's something different than what we are used to, and it tests the drivers and teams in some different ways," Hamlin said. "Just like we'll go test and prepare for going to a road course, I know the guys on the over the wall team have been practicing pitting the car from the right side, which is something unique to The Glen, so a lot goes into it.
"I have a lot of respect for the guys that road-course race, and I enjoy watching the different series that run these courses."
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Denny Hamlin
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