History shows Hamlin has secret to success at Pocono
By SceneDaily Staff
Sunday, August 03, 2008
- TEXT SIZE: Increase Text Size Decrease Text Size Reset Text Size
- 2 Comments. Leave a Comment
- Digg This
- Add to Del.icio.us
- RSS Feeds
Jason Smith / Getty Images for NASCAR
Latest Headlines
LONG POND, Pa. – Pocono Raceway tests the mettle of the most talented Sprint Cup Series drivers, from newcomers to veterans.
Getting a handle on the tricky three-turn, 2.5-mile track often demands time, skill and patience.
For some drivers, it takes years and many disappointments to earn their first Pocono win. For others, it never comes.
For Denny Hamlin, it took only one try.
“We were really fortunate to have a race-winning car the first time that I came here,” said the Joe Gibbs Racing driver, who scored his first Cup points-paying victory at Pocono in June of his rookie season of 2006. “I’m able to base it on feel ever since I came back even though we are in a different race car now.
"Once you have a winning combination at a race track, it’s easier to go back and try to find that same combination than it is to go somewhere that you’ve struggled and try to figure out what you need to win. I think it’s kind of a snowball effect from the first race.”
Call it whatever one may, Hamlin’s Pocono success didn’t stop with one victory. When the series returned later that summer, the Chesterfield, Va., native won again. Both Pocono triumphs came after starting from the pole.
In three starts at the triangular-shaped track after his two wins, Hamlin has placed sixth, third and third. He has an overall average starting position of 5.2 and finishing position of 2.8 in five Pocono races.
While many struggle to adapt to the high-horsepower, low-banked facility, Hamlin says most of his success at the track has to do with “having a feel for it.”
“When I come here and I’m first back on the race track, I know exactly what I need right away,” he said. “At some race tracks it takes a little while, but here it’s just a comfort level that I’ve just acquired. It all goes back to the very first time I came here.
“I just went and followed Mark Martin for two laps - I waited on somebody and I figured that he was a good guy to follow. Ever since then, it has just taken off and it seems like he definitely showed me the line around here and I have been able to find it since then.”
The timing of today’s race couldn’t be much better for Hamlin. Saddled eighth in the series standings, the driver needs a solid finish to further cement the distance between himself and Richard Childress Racing’s Kevin Harvick, who is 13th in points and the first driver who would be shut out of the Chase For The NASCAR Sprint Cup if the field was set based on the current standings.
Hamlin enters today's race with a 93-point advantage on Harvick. Prior to a third-place finish in last week’s Allstate 400 at Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Hamlin was 12th and in considerably more danger of falling out of Chase position.
If past results mean anything, the driver who is making his 100th Cup start today won’t have to worry about that at Pocono.
“I don’t know in history if someone has won in their 100th start or not,” Hamlin said. “It would be a fun thing to get my very first points win here and then to get a win in my 100th career start. … I think it’s fitting that it comes here on this race track.”
- Mentioned Drivers:
- Denny Hamlin
Comments
2 responses to "History shows Hamlin has secret to success at Pocono"
Mark Ernst said:
Aug 3, 2008 at 4:38 PMDidn't work today did it!!!
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse ReportTimothy Schultze said:
Aug 3, 2008 at 6:24 PMMaybe he told Carl !!!
Report as AbuseReport Abuse
This feature is intended to allow you to report comments that are abusive in terms of foul/vulgar language, harassment, racial/religious prejudice and any words/phrases of a related nature. This feature should not be used to report users who simply make a comment about your favorite driver, with which you do not agree. Commenting is a forum in which we can all express our opinions. Reporting abuse of others should be done with this in mind.
» Confirm Abuse Report