Martinsville Practice Notes: Gordon Dominates the Day, Fastest in Both Sessions

By Micah Roberts

Gordon gave us a blast from the past on Friday (Getty)

It’s been a while since we’ve seen Jeff Gordon thoroughly dominate a weekend practice schedule the way he did Friday in preparation for Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. In the only two practices of the weekend, Gordon came out on top with the fastest individual lap of each.

Gordon not only had the fastest lap of 97.028 mph in the final session, but it was almost 2 mph faster than the second fastest, Kurt Busch (95.937). Brad Keselowski was third fastest (95.728) followed by Ryan Newman (95.550) and a surprising name in the mix, David Stremme (95.463).

For Keselowski, who just won two weeks ago on the half-mile track of Bristol, he ran the second most laps (113) of the session just behind Kyle Busch (116). Busch came in 29th fastest, well off his second fastest run from the early practice. Newman also showed in practice once again that his car is capable of capturing his first Martinsville win.

Jimmie Johnson, who struggled in the earlier session, improved dramatically to 13th fastest but still doesn’t have the look of past No. 48 practices at Martinsville.

What Jeff Gordon did today is close, or better, to the standard Johnson has set at over the last few seasons at Martinsville. The fact that we rarely see this type of practice out of Gordon should say something about the seven-time Martinsville winner's chances on Sunday. Gordon’s domination in speeds were reminiscent of his practice times from his early years at Sonoma.

Gordon was also fastest in average speeds among all drivers that ran at least 30 laps. Having another good show in this category was Kevin Harvick along with Keselowski, Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Clint Bowyer.

For whatever it’s worth, Harvick also had the best 10-consecutive lap average followed by Gordon, Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr, Earnhardt Jr and Johnson.

In short track racing with lots of laps being run on a single tank of fuel, I usually throw out the 10-lap averages because it’s not enough data to go off of in the grand scheme of things. 10 laps is hardly enough data to form an opinion like at the bigger tracks. But in this instance, almost all the speeds correlate with the overall averages.

I’m not a fan of any particular driver, but I must say I was excited for Jeff Gordon giving us a blast from the past on Friday. He has easily surpassed Denny Hamlin, who struggled in the final session, as the favorite to win Sunday. It's also encouraging that Junior looks like he has a car that can win and end his 134-race winless streak. Should be a good show!

Top-5 Practice 2 Speeds
1) Jeff Gordon 97.028
2) Kurt Busch 95.937
3) Brad Keselowski 95.728
4) Ryan Newman 95.550
5) David Stremme 95.463

Practice 2 (Final) Speeds



Gordon Fastest in First Session, Hamlin Best Average Speeds

Jeff Gordon looking for Martinsville win No. 8 (Getty)

With only three minutes remaining in the first Goody’s Fast Relief 500 practice session at Martinsville Speedway, Jeff Gordon laid down the fastest lap of the day at 97.048 mph. The seven-time Martinsville winner eclipsed the lap of Kyle Busch (96.595), who was second fastest, that had stood at the top of the charts for about 45 of the 90 minute session.

Denny Hamlin had the third fastest lap (96.835) at about the same juncture Gordon did in the final stages. Hamlin will be looking for his fifth Martinsville win and if average time is any indicator (it is), he’s well on his way. Hamlin had a session high average speed of 94.077 mph while running 36 laps.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished runner-up in this race last season and all indications from the first practice is that he’ll be right there contending again for his first Martinsville win. Junior ran the fourth fastest lap (96.686) and finished with a very respectable average of 93.798 mph.

Ryan Newman brought his winning New Hampshire chassis from last year in hopes of recreating some flat track magic and finished with the fifth fastest lap (96.376) of the session. Newman also raced this car in both Martinsville events last season and led a combined 44 laps.

The surprise of the entire practice may have been the absence of Jimmie Johnson among the top-10, top-20 and even top-30. Johnson ran a session high 67 laps, but was only able to muster the 38th best time, or better yet, ninth worse among the 46 drivers attempting to qualify Saturday.

Friday’s final session will surely decide the fate of the six-time Martinsville winner and something tells me they’ll be just fine. The car Johnson's using this week is the same one that was runner-up last fall at Martinsville.

A driver who didn’t place in the top-10 during individual lap times, but excelled with his average speed was last year’s winner Kevin Harvick. He was best lap of 96.111 was good enough for 12th fastest, but his average speed of 94.053 was second best to Hamlin’s. Hamlin and Harvick were the only two drivers to average over 94 mph.

The final 90 minute practice session is for 3:30 pm (ET).

Top-5 Practice 1 Speeds:
1) Jeff Gordon 97.048
2) Kyle Busch 96.959
3) Denny Hamlin 96.835
4) Dale Earnhardt, Jr 96.686
5) Ryan Newman 96.376

Practice 1 Speeds

Hamlin Hangs on to Win at Phoenix, Takes Points lead

NASCAR Wire Service

Denny Hamlin captured his first Phoenix win and 18th overall (Getty)

AVONDALE, Ariz. -- At the race track that dashed his championship hopes in 2010, Denny Hamlin found redemption in Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.

In his second race with 2011 Sprint Cup championship crew chief Darian Grubb on his pit box, Hamlin held off Kevin Harvick in a 53-lap green-flag run to finish the 312-lap race at the one-mile track. Hamlin took over the series points lead for the first time since surrendering it in the final race of 2010 at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Harvick lost fuel pressure with fewer than two laps left but had enough to retain the second position, 7.315 seconds behind the race winner.

Greg Biffle came home third, followed by Jimmie Johnson and Brad Keselowski. Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, pole-sitter Mark Martin and Joey Logano completed the top 10.

Hamlin surged into the lead after a restart on Lap 254, passing Harvick and pulling away. Ryan Newman's hard contact with the Turn 4 wall two laps later caused the seventh caution of the afternoon, but Hamlin again stretched his advantage over Harvick after a restart on Lap 260 and held on the rest of the way.

Phoenix Results

Post-Race Notes
• Denny Hamlin earned his 18th career victory in his 225th start.
• This is Denny Hamlin's first career victory at Phoenix in his 14th start. He finished third four times before winning.
• Denny Hamlin is the 23rd different driver to win at Phoenix in 32 races at the track.
• Joe Gibbs Racing earned its 94th Cup victory and second win at Phoenix. All three JGR cars finished in the top 10.
• Toyota earned its second win at Phoenix -- both coming on the track's new configuration.
• Kevin Harvick (second) scored his second top-10 finish in 2012. He finished seventh at Daytona.
• Greg Biffle (third) earned his second third-place finish in two races in 2012.
• Jimmie Johnson (fourth) has finished in the top five in 11 of the past 12 races at Phoenix. He has never finished worse than 15th in his 18 races.
• Brad Keselowski (fifth) earned his best finish and first top-10 in six races at Phoenix.
• Kyle Busch (sixth) scored his first top-10 finish in his past six Cup starts.
• Martin Truex Jr (seventh) has finished 12th or better in six of his past seven Cup starts.
• There were a record 15 different leaders in this race breaking the old track record of 13.
• This is the 198th victory for the No. 11, tying the No. 43 for the most in NASCAR history.

Hamlin Thinks We'll See More Pack Racing in Budweiser Shootout

DENNY HAMLIN EXPRESS NOTES:

Denny Hamlin is 18/1 to win the Bud Shootout (Getty)

Shootout Preview: Denny Hamlin will kick off the 2012 NASCAR season in Saturday night’s Budweiser Shootout exhibition race at Daytona International Speedway. The season-opening 75-lap event will pit the top-25 drivers in the 2011 Sprint Cup Series standings and past Daytona winners against each other under the lights on the high-banked, 2.5-mile Florida oval.

Saturday’s race marks Hamlin’s seventh start in the prestigious event. The 31-year-old Virginia native became the only rookie to win the Shootout in 2006, leading 16 of 72 laps en route to victory lane. Hamlin was entered in the event in 2006 by way of his pole award win at Phoenix in November 2005.

Hamlin has three top-10 finishes in six previous Bud Shootout starts, including a fifth-place result in 2010 and ninth-place finish in 2008. Hamlin crossed the finish line first one year ago in the Shootout, but his pass for the lead was deemed below the yellow ‘out of bounds’ line, leading to a penalty and 12th-place finish.

The race also marks Hamlin’s first chance to work with new crew chief Darian Grubb, who joined the FedEx Racing team in December 2011 after helping guide Tony Stewart to last year’s Sprint Cup Series championship.

FedEx Office – Closest to Daytona International Speedway: 2274 W. International Speedway Blvd., Daytona Beach, FL 32114, (386) 323-7840

Rochester Ramp Along for the Ride in Daytona: The FedEx Express ramp in Rochester, N.Y. will be recognized with its “ROCR” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota for the Budweiser Shootout and Daytona 500.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION – Budweiser Shootout:

How do you expect the restrictor-plate racing to play out during Speedweeks?
“If I had to guess right now and they lined us up to race I’d say that you’d see a pack for most of the day. You’re going to see breakaways here and there but I think that for the most part the pack can run fast enough to keep up with the two-car tandem. The two-car tandem will get out there a little bit but I think that if you get a big enough pack with 20 or 30 cars they will eat up a tandem pretty quick.”

What did you take from last year that will help you this season?
“It was a trying year for everyone with the team and coming back I feel like we’re stronger than what we’ve ever been. We’ve made a lot of changes within our organization. Not just the crew chief, but a lot of people. We have a new spotter this year. All three teams have new spotters. There’s a lot of internal changes that’s gone on at JGR (Joe Gibbs Racing) and I feel like we’ve got good personnel. The way that we’re doing things within our shop I feel like is heading in the right direction. I think because of that you’re going to see a lot more success from everyone at (Joe) Gibbs (Racing).”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing

Hamlin Hoping to Recreate 2010's Texas Success

Denny Hamlin swept both Texas races last season (Getty)

DENNY HAMLIN
Event: AAA 500
Date/Time: Nov. 6/2 p.m. CT
2011 winner: Denny Hamlin
2010 polesitter: Elliott Sadler
Distance: 334 laps/501 miles
Track Length: 1.5 miles
Banking: 24 degrees
Track Shape: Quad Oval

EXPRESS NOTES:


Martinsville Recap: Denny Hamlin drove the No. 11 FedEx Ground Toyota to a fifth-place finish Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, leading 58 of the 500 laps en route to his fifth top-five finish of the season. With the result, Hamlin remains 11th in the Chase standings with three races remaining. Hamlin started 11th as Sunday’s starting order was decided by owner points when rain canceled qualifying, and was immediately collected in an early-race incident in front of him. With only minimal damage to the car, Hamlin used differing pit strategy and was soon able to work his way back up the field. It quickly paid off and Hamlin claimed the race lead by lap 63.

Most teams on pit road used different strategies as the #11 machine shuffled throughout the top-10 as the laps clicked during the caution-filled event. Crew chief Mike Ford worked to free up the car for Hamlin just past the race’s midpoint, and on fresh tires and with improved handling, Hamlin was able to pass Jeff Gordon on lap 320 to reclaim the lead. Making his final pit stop of the day with less than 50 to go, Hamlin was forced to restart on the outside line after a flurry of late-race yellows and was unable to challenge for the win. Hamlin also became the 23rd driver in NASCAR history to win at least one race in all three national series with a victory in Saturday’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series event.

Texas Preview: The Series shifts to Texas Motor Speedway for Sunday’s 334-lap event on the 1.5-mile Fort Worth oval. Hamlin is the defending fall race winner at the track, leading 31 laps last November to take the checkered flag. The Virginia native swept both races at the track in 2010, leading 12 laps in the spring en route to victory lane.

The FedEx team finished 15th at Texas earlier this year. Hamlin fought a loose race car throughout the 334-lap event, lost a lap to the leaders during a long green flag run in the race’s midpoint and never got a timely caution while in position for the “lucky dog.” In 12 starts at the track, Hamlin owns two wins and eight top-10 finishes, and has led 131 laps. Hamlin’s 9.3 average finishing position at Texas is second-best among active drivers, only trailing Matt Kenseth (6.8).

Race to Prepare: Hamlin, FedEx and the American Red Cross will team up to teach school children the importance of disaster preparedness and help build kits to be used in the case of weather-related disasters on Thursday at Cross Timbers Middle School in Grapevine, Texas.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION :

How do you focus on the final three races of the season? “We just have to manage our expectations from here on out. I finished outside the top-eight in points only once in my career, so that’s something I’d like to keep going. We’re trying to get as much as we can. Obviously, being set back so far the first three races — we’re still at the same deficit we were at a few weeks ago. So, we’re maintaining it at this point with those top guys. It’s just hard to overcome that. My goal is to win a race before the end of the season. I feel that would go a really long way with our FedEx team and myself and the confidence level, and I feel like we could do that. We have some awesome race tracks ahead of us.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing, Press Release

Hamlin's Watkins Glen Race Has All Kinds of Implications Towards Chase

Denny Hamlin was runner-up at the Glen in 2007 (Getty)

EXPRESS NOTES:


Watkins Glen Preview:
The Sprint Cup Series shifts to upstate New York for the season’s second and final road course event, Sunday at Watkins Glen International. Hamlin is making his sixth-career Cup start at the 2.45-mile, 11-turn circuit, looking to avenge a crash one year ago that led to a 37th-place finish. Hamlin finished in the top-10 in his first four trips to The Glen, including a career-best runner-up result in 2007. He finished eighth in 2008 and owns a pair of 10th-place finishes — in 2006 and 2009. In five events, the FedEx team has never started worse than 14th, including an outside pole run in 2007 and third-place starting position in 2009. Hamlin qualified fourth and led 12 laps earlier this season on the road course at Infineon Raceway.


HAMLIN QUOTES

What are you expecting to see at Watkins Glen this weekend?
“I think this weekend will be a crazy race for a lot of reasons. Many of the guys outside the top-10 will be looking to do anything to get that first or second win, the road course guys will be in the mix and battling, and the guys at the back half of the top-10 will try to avoid the madness and get a good finish. As we saw in Sonoma earlier this year, guys drive very aggressive on these road courses, and with the new ‘wild card’ format for the Chase, anything is possible. Our team is in a position where a string of good finishes can get us back into the top-10, and a second win would put us in good shape for a ‘wild card’ spot. Watkins Glen has been a good track for us in the past, and our road course cars have been pretty fast lately. We had a good car in Sonoma, and I’m expecting another fast car this weekend. We’ll see how it shakes out.”

What are the keys to success at Watkins Glen?
“Compared to Sonoma, the Glen is a lot faster. You need to be smart with the brakes, especially running down into turn one where you have your main opportunity for passing, and it’s a place where you are carrying a bunch of speed. You are working to get the car slowed down and trying to turn as all of that weight is shifting to the front of the car under braking. Getting that brake balance right is really important, and like Sonoma, fuel strategy is big, too.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing, Press Release

Hamlin Hoping to Top 7.6 New Hampshire Average Finish

Hamlin has a 7.6 average finish and 2007 win at New Hampshire (Getty)

Event:Lenox Industrial Tools 301
Date/Time: July 17/1:00 p.m. ET
2010 winner: Jimmie Johnson
2010 polesitter: Juan Pablo Montoya
Distance: 301 laps/301 miles
Track Length: 1 mile
Banking: 7 degrees
Track Shape: Oval

EXPRESS NOTES:

Kentucky Recap: Denny Hamlin finished 11th in Saturday’s inaugural Sprint Cup Series race at Kentucky Speedway, a good result for the FedEx Racing team considering a post-practice engine change and last-place starting position. Hamlin battled throughout the 267-lap event on the 1.5-mile oval, working his way up the field in the early going as crew chief Mike Ford called for some wedge adjustments to dial in the #11 Toyota. Moving into the top-15 by the race’s midpoint, Ford called Hamlin to pit road under caution on Lap 139 for fuel and more adjustments, and as a result of the ensuing green flag run, the #11 inherited the lead on Lap 194 and led for five circuits before its next stop for service. Hamlin cycled back through in 10th place, and made his final stop with 16 laps remaining. The race’s final caution flag waved on Lap 263 to set up a ‘green-white-checkered’ finish, with Hamlin crossing the stripe in 11th behind winner — and Joe Gibbs Racing teammate — Kyle Busch. The finish moved Hamlin up one spot to 10th in the NASCAR standings following Kentucky, 95 points behind new leader Busch at the halfway mark of the 2011 season (18 of 36), and with eight races to go before the Chase cutoff.

New Hampshire Preview: Hamlin is making his 11th Cup Series start at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (NHMS) on Sunday. The 30-year-old Virginia native has one victory (summer 2007) and seven top-10 results in 10 races at the ‘Magic Mile,’ never finishing worse than 15th. In his win, Hamlin started 11th and led the final 45 laps (46 in total) to hold off Jeff Gordon en route to victory lane. Hamlin was runner-up to race winner Clint Bowyer when the Series last visited Loudon, N.H., last October, to open the 2010 Chase. Hamlin endured an unusually trying day in last summer’s race at New Hampshire, finishing 14th after numerous chassis adjustments during the event couldn’t bring the #11 FedEx Toyota to life. Hamlin’s 7.6 average finish at NHMS is tops among active drivers, and his 100.5 driver rating is fourth-best at the track, trailing only Tony Stewart, Gordon and Jimmie Johnson.

FedEx Office – Closest to New Hampshire Motor Speedway: 10 Ft. Eddy Rd., Concord, NH 03301, (603) 226-0565

New Hampshire District Along for the Ride in Loudon: The FedEx Freight team covering most of New Hampshire currently leads the Hartford district in many areas, and will be recognized with its “BNH” code letters on the b-post of the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota this weekend.


HAMLIN CONVERSATION – NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY:
How did the first half of this season compare to others in your career?
“I think it’s been relatively normal. It seems like first-time winners are always on superspeedways, especially since it’s kind of up for grabs, and you find different guys that get in the win column there. And, obviously, the fuel mileage races. All that stuff that races are starting to be nowadays — it opens it up to a lot of different guys being able to win. So, I think that it’s relatively normal in that sense. Even though that’s the case, it is good to see we have three new winners in our series, and two or three that are right there on the cusp of getting their first win. It looks like it’s starting to be more competitive now than it ever has been.”

What are your feelings on New Hampshire Motor Speedway?
“It is a great track and a place that has been good for this team in the past. We seem to run a little better here in the summer than we do in the fall so we’ll be trying to run as well as we have here in past summers but also take something with us to learn from. This track is faster than you would think so you need horsepower to take advantage of the long straights, but getting through, and off, the corner is where you win or lose at New Hampshire. It’s definitely a little bit different than any other track we go to because it almost seems like it’s banked in the other direction on the bottom. But you can go way up high or run on the bottom so there are some options for you to find a fast line. I like the tracks that demand you to feel your way through the corner and New Hampshire is one of those tracks. You need to find that rhythm, hit your marks getting into the corner so you can roll through the center and get back on the gas as soon as possible for the next straight. New Hampshire can be a tricky place to pass so we’ll be looking to qualify close to the front because that goes a long way at this track. We know we need to be running in the top-five or top-ten all day to be in position at the end.”

- Weber Shandwick Worldwide for FedEx Racing, Press Release

Kentucky Preview: Kansas Race a Great Handicapping Starting Point This Week

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Similar track to Kansas, Keselowski using same winning car

We’ve had a nice mix of races the last four weeks with a superspeedway that runs like a road course, a wide two-mile track, a road course and a superspeedway with restrictor-plate racing, but this week we get back to racing on a type of track that will ultimately decide who wins the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Championship.

Whoever can prove that they are the best consistently on the type of track we'll see Saturday night will put themselves in prime position to win the title.

Kentucky Speedway gets it’s first Cup race ever this week and it should be a fired up crowd filled mostly from folks from Ohio as the track is located near the Ohio river. The 1.5-mile track could best compared to the old Las Vegas configuration and is comparable to the current Kansas Speedway layout.

Just before we got into the stretch of races at vastly different tracks, Kansas had a race run on June 5 that was won by Brad Keselowski. The race came down to fuel mileage, but was thoroughly dominated by Kurt Busch who sat on the pole and led four times for 152 of the 267 laps. Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Denny Hamlin all ran very well too.

We should expect a similar cast of characters to be contending for the win this week, but to dig deeper we can reference Michigan, Fontana and sprinkle in data from the higher banked 1.5 mile tracks like Las Vegas, Charlotte and Texas.

Good sign for Kurt Busch this week because he ruled Kansas

Kurt Busch is the driver to key on here, but right behind him are the Fenway-Roush drivers who thrive on these type of tracks. It’s no coincidence that Edwards lead in points has been taken over by Kevin Harvick over this stretch because he’s now had back-to-back races on tracks that aren’t his best, or rather, where he’s not considered the favorite.

If we look at all the tracks we consider to be relevant to Kentucky, no one has been better on all of them this year than Carl Edwards. He won at Vegas, finished sixth at Fontana, third at Texas, won the All-Star race, and was fifth at both Kansas and Michigan. Although none of that means that he will win this week, it does provide a pretty good resume to make him the favorite. Making the resume look even better is that Edwards has raced nine times at Kentucky between the Nationwide and Truck series and has taken home two trophy's.

Matt Kenseth also has numbers similar to Edwards including wins at Texas and Dover this year and if we use some old school data, we can also fit his two Vegas wins under the old layout as a reference. This week Kenseth also has the benefit of using a proven winner as he'll be using his winning Texas chassis.

The scary driver of all, though, may be Kurt Busch. After screaming at his crew and engine builders over the radio -- for all to hear -- during the Richmond race, there has been a noticeable change in their performance, most notably the horsepower and it was never more evident than at that Kansas race that they were becoming an elite team.

Denny Hamlin also used Kansas as a stepping stone to getting back to close to his 2010 form with his third-place run. He followed that race up with leading the most laps at Pocono and then finally winning a race at Michigan the ensuing week. He should be expected to be able to continue his upward swing this week.

Harvick is using his winning Michigan car from last August

Kevin Harvick is bringing an impressive car this week to Kentucky. It's the same car that he won with at Michigan last season and finished fifth at Pocono this year. He has swooped in and won three races already this season and has an inaugrural Cup win under his belt already at Chicagoland. Harvick also won the first Nationwdie race at Kentucky in 2001.

The inaugural King has been Jeff Gordon as he'll look to take the checkers for the first time on a track for the fourth time Saturday night. Gordon has inaugural wins at Indianapolis, Fontana and Kansas. If we use Kansas as a barometer, Gordon should be considered even more to contend since he hasn't finished outside of the top-five there since 2006. In the June Kansas race Gordon finished fourth.

Even though Keselowski won Kansas as a 100-to-1 long shot, thanks to the race becoming a fuel mileage race, it’s more likely that this weeks race will come down to the heavyweights. However, Keselowski will be using the same car that he won with at Kansas.

Joey Logano is an interesting choice at 30-to-1 or higher this week just because he has won the last three Nationwide races at Kentucky from the pole. Granted, the cars are completely different, as is the competition, but that type of success and knowledge of the track should carry some kind of weight for the Cup race. Logano will be using his 11th-place Pocono car this week making it's second start of the season.

Top-5 Finish prediction:
1) #99 Carl Edwards (6/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)
3) #17 Matt Kenseth (10/1)
4) #22 Kurt Busch (8/1)
5) #24 Jeff Gordon (12/1)

Hamlin Finally Gets To Victory Lane in 2011, Wins at Michgan

Sporting News Wire Services

Denny Hamlin captures his first win of the season at Michigan (Getty)

BROOKLYN, Mich. -- For the first time this season -- at a track where he was expected to contend -- Denny Hamlin finally dodged the pitfalls that have plagued him in previous races and closed the deal.

First out of the pits after a stop under caution on Lap 192 of 200, Hamlin held off Matt Kenseth after a restart with five laps left and claimed his first victory of the season in Sunday's Heluva Good! 400 at Michigan International Speedway.

Hamlin, who won his 17th Sprint Cup race, crossed the finish line .281 seconds ahead of Kenseth. Unlike previous races at his best tracks, such as Martinsville, Richmond and Pocono -- where Hamlin was strong early but succumbed to a variety late-race problems -- Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota was at its best in the closing laps of Sunday's race.

"We finished -- that's the thing," Hamlin said in Victory Lane. "We got it done. Everyone knows that we've been strong. Today we didn't look as strong as what we normally do here, but we got it working there at the end.

"We made a magic adjustment, and the car took off. This is the point of the season where we really need to start hitting our stride, and hopefully we've got another good 10 weeks before the Chase starts."

Michigan Results

Hamlin Fastest During Pocono Happy Hour; Junior With Best Average Speeds

Denny Hamlin fastest during Happy Hour at Pocono

Denny Hamlin found himself in a familiar role at the top of the speed charts during Pocono's final practice session with a lap speed of 166.125 mph. The four-time Pocono winner should be coming into this race with a lot more confidence than we have seen all season as he still covets that elusive first win of 2011.

Brian Vickers had the second fastest lap with a speed of 166.067 mph, and was followed by Carl Edwards (166.030), Brad Keselowski (165.926) and Jimmie Johnson (165.700) was fifth fastest.

Rounding out the top-ten fastest in “Happy Hour” were Mark Martin (165.615), David Reutimann (165.554), Ryan Newman (165.529), Kurt Busch (165.456) and Jeff Burton (165.399). Kurt Busch spun out early in the first session and tore up his right rear and had to go to a backup which he only got 12 laps in with it.

Two drivers who really stood out were Dale Earnhardt Jr and Mark Martin who were both raving about theirs cars on radio while driving. Junior couldn't believe how he could keep catching Denny Hamlin throughout their runs while only being slower in and out of one turn. His comments were right on the money because he had the fastest average times of the day among drivers who ran at least 10 laps.

Mark Martin isn't one to boast about having a good car if it isn't and he told the crew that they have a really fast car, and his fifth best overall lap reflects those thoughts.

Top-5 Happy Hour Speeds:
#11-Hamlin 166.125
#83-Vickers 166.067
#99-Edwards 166.030
#2-Keselowski 165.926
#48-Johnson 165.700
slowest: #7-Wimmer 159.815 & #50-Bell 161.195
notes: #22-Busch spun in turn 2 and wacked the wall with the rear of the car early in practice, the team brought out the backup car. Busch was able to get a few laps in the backup.

Pocono Practice Speeds


Driver Quotes Following Friday's First Practice at Pocono

TONY STEWART ON HOW HIS FIRST PRACTICE WENT: “I think we’re okay. Not 100 percent sure but I think according to the times we’re okay so far. I’m not sure we can say we’re spectacular but we’re above average I think.”

TONY STEWART SHIFTING: “I don’t understand why anybody should have to shift on an oval in a stock car but here we are and here we are doing it again. It is what it is.”

DENNY HAMLIN ON THIS BEING A GREAT TIME TO RACE AT POCONO FOR HIM: “It certainly is — we feel like we’ve been in contention for a couple wins here these last three or four weeks. It comes at a good time. This is a new car and it seems to have some pretty good speed in it. It’s a good part of it. We’re racing here in the middle of the day — conditions are going to be hot and slick on Sunday. All those things factor into what usually caters to us. I think this is a good time and hopefully it’s a chance for us to get in victory lane for the first time this year.”

DENNY HAMLIN ON SHIFTING CHANGING HIS STRATEGY: “It does — it takes a little bit and it’s another element that gets changed. It will. I think that we’re really only shifting in one corner — it turn one. It’s tough for me to say. You’re still going to have the guys that typically run good here — looking at the practice speeds, it looked like the typical guys were pretty good. I don’t think it will change a whole lot, but I do think it’s going to be tough on the reliability of these race cars for 500 miles. Shifting takes its toll on engines for sure. Somebody will break one.”

CARL EDWARDS ON WHAT HE'S LEARNED FROM SHIFTING AT POCONO:“We have some different ratios for third gear. I tried shifting there in practice and I went the same speed shifting and not shifting. I think that will be something you can use maybe on restarts when the cars are bunched up. Right now with my limited race trim practice I don’t see myself shifting very much. There are a lot of cycles on the engines here and a lot of up and down on the RPM. Three times per lap and then if you add another shift in there it makes a lot of opportunity for mistakes. To me, I am going to do the best I can to not shift and have the car set up for that.”

CARL EDWARDS ON SHIFTING CHANGING FUEL MILEAGE FOR THE WORSE: “Yeah, I think you use more fuel shifting and getting into third gear and then lifting and standing on it again going into fourth you burn more fuel shifting. If it becomes a fuel mileage race there won’t be guys shifting that last run. You just never know. There have been a couple of fuel mileage races here that I have been a part of and it is a tough place to save fuel at. There are a lot of bumps and the car moves around a lot. It is really hard to run really smooth laps.”

Gordon has three Pocono wins shifting

JEFF GORDON ON SHIFTING AGAIN AT POCONO: “I’m glad it’s back. To me, I wasn’t a fan of when they (NASCAR) took it away. I feel like I have an opportunity to grab that third gear to get a little bit better launch up off the corner. I think it challenges you in a way as a driver and the team, to work on the car to be able to do that. And so I think that just kind of adds another set of skills in there that I think are important, especially here at Pocono, as well as more opportunity to pass. I think it gives you more opportunity there. And I think that’s important because we’ve seen how track position is so important and getting your car to be able to turn down underneath somebody and then grab that gear to be able to try to make a pass I think is important.

“Some guys were shifting the last couple of time we were here with the old transmission. I don’t know how they were doing it. I wasn’t one of them and we were still fast. But to me, it makes sense to have the right third gear in there to be able to shift with that really works for you all the way around this place.”

JEFF GORDON ON HIS POSSIBLE ADVANTAGE OVER OTHERS WHO HAVEN'T SHIFTED: “It’s not difficult. No, what they were doing the last time we were here was difficult. And the guys that were doing it, I still shake my head at it because it was a huge jump from fourth to third and it got your attention. I tried it and I said no thank you. There is no way I’m doing this for 500 miles. But some guys did. And I think that now that we have the proper gearing it should be fairly straight-forward and simple. So I don’t think there is any advantage.”

Pocono Preview: Hamlin a Huge Favorite to Win Fifth Time

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Keselowski was third 100/1 or higher payout of 2011

We’ve had 13 NASCAR Sprint Cup series races thus far and three of them have been won by drivers at 100-to-1 odds or higher. Last weeks fuel mileage win by Brad Keselowski at Kansas was another in the growing list of 2011’s improbable winners as he joins Trevor Bayne’s Daytona 500 win (100/1) and Regan Smith’s Darlington surprise (500/1).

When mixing in the fact that we’re seeing a whole new change on the landscape of NASCAR's hierarchy, it could be argued that 2011 may be the most competitive season ever. The reigning five-time champion Jimmie Johnson has only one win on the year and it came at a track, Talladega, that almost anyone has a chance to win at. He’s not dominating the intermediate tracks like he used to.

Current points leader Carl Edwards looked like he was going to recreate his nine win 2008 season early on, but still only has the lone Las Vegas win to his credit. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is running well sitting in third, but even though he can't fins a win, the NASCAR Nation is loving it as TV ratings have reflected. Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin all are winless thus far into the season as well.

For the first time I can ever recall, there are at least 25 drivers that have a legitimate shot at winning each week. We still have the heavy hitter teams doing well with Hendrick, Childress, Roush, Gibbs and now Penske, but the gap between them and the lesser teams is closing.

Stewart-Haas racing is an extension of Hendrick while Michael Waltrip and Red Bull racing are gaining steam. The Ganassi team of Jamie McMurray and Juan Pablo Montoya are also going to be better going forward; it’s amazing mix of parity never seen before.

Hamlin could be ready to get first 2011 win (Getty)

This week at Pocono Raceway we have an opportunity to see another first time winner as Denny Hamlin’s team comes in with things just starting to click for them. Last weeks third-place finish at Kansas gave Hamlin only his second top-five finish of the season. At this juncture last season Hamlin already had three of his eventual eight wins on the season.

At Pocono, no one has been better than Hamlin since he made his debut there in 2006. He made a splash there in his first season like never seen before as he swept both races. He also won the fall race of 2009 and this race last season giving him four wins in 10 starts with an average finish of 8.2.

The only case you could make for Hamlin not winning is just because of the climate of parity going on. Hamlin also has been in somewhat of a hangover since blowing the Championship in the final two races last season that no aspirin has been able to cure. However, momentum and being the best at the track should counter most negative assertions of Hamlin this week.

The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book feels so good about his chances to rebound this week that they have posted Hamlin as the huge 4-to-1 favorite, a major chnage from the double digit odds routinely seen on him weekly.

The main component to doing well at Pocono always rests with horsepower and who can get the most out of it on the long straight-aways. Getting a cars balance set exactly to a drivers liking is never possible because each of the three turns are vastly different which usually makes the driver choose what corner they want to be the best at. They can only be really good on one of them, but not all three.

This season the fans get the added boost of seeing the drivers being able to shift at Pocono which gives it more of a road course feel. 2004 was the last season where the drivers shifted. The majority of race fans have complained about the last few Pocono races because they can get pretty boring with everyone running the same gear ratio with not enough passing. With the change we should see a lot more passing with drivers ability coming to the forefront moreso than other tracks.

Shifting adds a new/old element to Pocono racing

Even though Juan Pablo Montoya hasn't had a very good season, he could be a driver to keep and eye on during practice because of his road racing skills. Marcos Ambrose, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon and Kevin Harvick should also be conisdered a little bit more just because of the new/old element we have this week.

The top horsepower teams right now appear to be the stable of drivers at Roush and Childress, with Gibbs and Hendrick just a notch behind.

Stewart has also been able to get his cars set pretty well in his last two seasons at Pocono that include a win in 2009, third in this race last season and runner-up in the fall. Stewart will be using his seventh-place Darlington chassis. Beyond what car he brought, the real key for all drivers and their crew chiefs is what gear ratio turns out to be the best. If Stewart can gain any edge there, his driving ability and horsepower will be the winning combination Sunday.

Carl Edwards is a two time winner who won as a rookie like Hamlin did in 2005, the first year NASCAR changed the gear ratio for Pocono. He also won in his magical year of 2008 and was third in the fall race last season. He would seem like the most logical choice on paper to stop Hamlin’s look at win No. 5. He's bringing an excellent car this week too. It's the same one that won at Las Vegas and finished runner-up at Darlington.

Greg Biffle won the fall race here last season and was part of the late season surge by all the Roush cars that has spilled over to this season. Matt Kenseth has had only two top-five finishes at Pocono over his career, but because of how solid the entire Roush team has been he could be in store for his best career finish.

Last season all three Childress cars looked good enough to win in both races. Between Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer and Jeff Bowyer they had five top-10 finishes in the six combined starts. Harvick ended up showing the best with fourth-place in both races. With the way that Harvick has been stealing wins this season, taking one here wouldn’t be a surprise. It doesn't hurt that Harvick will be using his winning Michigan car from last season, a track that requires lots of horsepower.

Top 5 Finish prediction:
1) #14 Tony Stewart (10/1)
2) #11 Denny Hamlin (4/1)
3) #99 Carl Edwards (10/1)
4) #16 Greg Biffle (15/1)
5) #29 Kevin Harvick (12/1)

5-Hour Energy 500 Odds To Win From The Las Vegas Hilton Super Book

Hamlin the large 4-to-1 favorite at Pocono as a four-time winner (Getty)

5-HOUR ENERGY 500
POCONO RACEWAY
SUNDAY, JUNE 12, 2011

JIMMIE JOHNSON 6
DENNY HAMLIN 4
CARL EDWARDS 7
KYLE BUSCH 10
JEFF GORDON 12
GREG BIFFLE 15
KEVIN HARVICK 12
TONY STEWART 10
MATT KENSETH 15
CLINT BOWYER 25
KURT BUSCH 25
MARK MARTIN 40
JOEY LOGANO 40
JEFF BURTON 40
JUAN MONTOYA 40
KASEY KAHNE 30
JAMIE McMURRAY 40
RYAN NEWMAN 40
BRIAN VICKERS 40
DAVID REUTIMANN 50
DALE EARNHARDT JR 12
AJ ALLMENDINGER 60
MARTIN TRUEX JR 40
PAUL MENARD 75
DAVID RAGAN 40
BRAD KESELOWSKI 50
MARCOS AMBROSE 50
REGAN SMITH 100
BOBBY LABONTE 500
FIELD 200

Richmond Preview: Everyone Figures To Be Chasing Kyle Busch

By Micah Roberts
VegasInsider.com

Richmond always provides some of the best action of the season (Getty) 

We get some good old fashioned racing this week, a Saturday Night Special, as the NASCAR Sprint Cup series roars into Richmond. For some reason the freaks come out at night on the short tracks and we’re not talking about just the fans. The drivers themselves turn from mild mannered corporate spokesmen into road raging avengers trying to pay back a scrape from a few laps back.

All this plays out nicely for the rowdy fans in attendance and those at home watching on television as rivalries are created and scores are settled right in front of our eyes. Richmond never disappoints.

The driver everyone will likely be chasing this week is Kyle Busch who has won this spring race the last two seasons. In addition to being runner-up on four occasions, Busch has finished outside the top-five only twice in his 12 starts with no finish worse than 20th. Busch will be using his third-place Martinsville chassis this week, a car that led a race high 151-laps before giving way to Dale Earnhardt Jr and eventual winner Kevin Harvick.

Another edge for Busch this week besides the success of his car is the success he had at Phoenix this year, a track that requires a similar set-up to Richmond. Busch gave way to Jeff Gordon late in that race prompting Gordon to be more excited about passing a tough driver like Busch than he was about ending his lengthy winless streak.

Because of Phoenix win, Gordon should be good this week

Gordon led the most laps at Phoenix and should contend for his third Richmond win. He hasn't won there since 2000, but hasn't finished outside 12th in his last eight starts. He was runner-up to Busch in this race last season.

Busch’s teammate could definitely use some Richmond love. Denny Hamlin finished last season as the runner-up in points, but currently sits 17th in points. It’s like he’s had a hangover from blowing the championship that is still lingering which no aspirin can cure. The native Virginian should love the home cooking he’ll get this week because he’s won the last two Richmond fall races. Perhaps the week off for Easter can shake things up for him this week.

Jimmie Johnson is a three-time Richmond winner -- the last coming in 2008, but he’s also had some rough times there with six finishes of 25th or worse. After winning at Talladega, Johnson now finds himself sitting in second in points, just five behind Carl Edwards. Based on the results from the similar track of Phoenix in week 2 where Johnson finished third, we should expect something close or better than that. Incidentally, Johnson will be using that same Phoenix car this week.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished 10th at Phoenix and it began a succession on seven straight races where he hasn’t finished worse than 12th, a streak that is still currently alive. Because of that consistency, Junior now finds himself third in points. He’s a three-time winner at Richmond who just might find a way to sneak into the winners circle and end his 101 race winless streak.

Harvick using winning Martinsville car this week (Getty)

The Childress cars should all fare well this week led by Kevin Harvick, who won at Richmond in 2006, and Clint Bowyer, who won in 2008. Bowyer has the third best average finish (9.8) on the track among active drivers just behind Busch (5.3) and Hamlin (8.0). Harvick will be driving his winning Martinsville car this week.

Jeff Burton is a native Virginian like Hamlin, but hasn’t won at Richmond since 1998. However, Burton came close the last two seasons finished third and fourth, respectively, in the last two spring races.

Carl Edwards is listed as one of the favorites by Las Vegas Hilton Super Book even though he hasn‘t won there. In 13 career starts, Edwards has only one top-five finish, a fifth-place last spring. The low odds are more about what Edwards has done at Phoenix in his last two races there. Edwards won at Phoenix last fall and then looked to have the best car this year during practice there before getting in a wreck.

There haven’t been a lot of long shots, or upset winners the last five years, but we did see a little spurt from 2003 to 2005 where three drivers won at odds of 30-to-1 or higher. Joe Nemecheck was 50-to-1 in 2003, Jeremy Mayfield was 40-to-1 in 2004 and Kasey Kahne was 35-to-1 in 2005. The best long shot candidate this week might be Burton at 30-to-1.

Top 5 Finish Prediction:
1) #18 Kyle Busch (6/1)
2) #48 Jimmie Johnson (7/1)
3) #11 Denny Hamlin (12/1)
4) #24 Jeff Gordon (8/1)
5) #88 Dale Earnhardt Jr (20/1)

Open Weekend Storylines: Talladega Aftermath

When it gets dark and the lights go on at Richmond, the freaks come out

Need something to chew on as the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series hits its second open weekend of the season?

Dissecting a record-filled Talladega Superspeedway race should occupy some time. The storylines coming out of that event should last until the series picks up again at Richmond International Raceway in two weeks.

And don’t forget…there are still a couple of NASCAR national series races on the docket.

The NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts the weekend at Nashville Superspeedway, with the Bully Hill Vineyards 200.

On Saturday, the NASCAR Nationwide Series runs the Nashville 300.

Storylines follow…

NASCAR SPRINT CUP SERIES

Wild Finish At Talladega Among Closest Ever
The margin of victory between race winner Jimmie Johnson and runner-up Clint Bowyer was .002 seconds, which matches the closest finish since the inception of electronic scoring in 1993.

There were a few other “closest since” marks set. All of the below are in the Loop Data era (2005-Present):
· Closest MOV between first and fifth (.064 seconds, previous closest was .134 in the fall Talladega ega race last season)
· Closest MOV between first and sixth (.074 seconds, previous closest was .190 in the summer Daytona race in 2007)
· Closest MOV between first and eighth (.145 seconds, previous closest was .275 in the summer Daytona race in 2007)

Anybody’s Race: Competitive Balance Up In 2011
Jimmie Johnson became the seventh different winner in the first eight races this season. That’s the most different winners through eight races since 2003 (eight different winners through the first eight races).

In Sunday’s Talladega race, there were 88 lead changes among 26 drivers. Both number raised averages that were already the highest in series history.

The numbers…

There has been an average of 14.6 leaders per race, the most through eight races in series history.

There has been an average of 38.5 lead changes per races, the most through eight races in series history.

Earnhardt Jr. Launches To Third In Standings

Junior is a three-time winner at Richmond.

With his second top-five finish of the season, Dale Earnhardt Jr. vaulted to third in the series points standings, the highest he has been this late in the season since 2008. Earnhardt was second in the standings after last year’s runner-up finish in the Daytona 500. Prior to that, he was third after race No. 24 at Bristol in 2008.

Earnhardt is on pace to far surpass his statistics from the last two seasons. Already, he has two top fives and five top 10s. He had those same exact number ALL of 2009. Last season, he had three top fives and eight top 10s.

Calling ‘Card’: Marquee Driver Might Need To Rely On Wild Card Spots
Talladega didn’t do much to help some big guns still outside the top 10. Some marquee names are far from Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup contention.

Some of those names: Denny Hamlin (17th), Kasey Kahne (18th), Jeff Burton (22nd), Jamie McMurray (24th) and Joey Logano (24th).

There’s a couple of reasons for optimism – the Chase Wild Card spots, and Matt Kenseth.

In 2005, Kenseth charged back from 28th-place after eight races to make the Chase – which was then made up of only 10 drivers. That’s the furthest back any drivers has come to make the Chase.

But more likely, one of those aforementioned drivers will need to rely on the Wild Card spot.

After race No. 26 at Richmond, the top 10 drivers in the points standings will earn Chase berths. Spots 11 and 12 will go to the drivers with the most wins, provided they are in the top 20.

Best bet: Hamlin. He has nine career victories at the remaining tracks between now and the Chase.

2012 NASCAR Hall of Fame Nominees To Be Announced
The 25 nominees for the 2012 Hall of Fame class will be announced on Tuesday, April 19. The list, which will be for the third class, will be announced on SPEED from 7 p.m.-8 p.m. ET.

- NASCAR Media Services