Denny Hamlin Could Find Redemption at Phoenix With Better Fuel Strategy
The last time Joe Gibbs Racing driver Denny Hamlin visited Phoenix International Raceway, he was only two races away from accomplishing what no other driver had been able to achieve since NASCAR brought into play the Car of Tomorrow for full time use in 2008. Hamlin came so close to winning his first championship, and putting an end to Hendrick Motorsports driver Jimmie Johnson’s four year championship reign.
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[/media-credit]Instead after leaving Phoenix, gone was the look of confidence the NASCAR Sprint Cup point’s leader displayed after his win in the AAA Texas 500 on Nov. 7. It was replaced with a look of repugnance, after watching his dominating performance take a backseat to Johnson’s late-race fuel strategy payoff. Hamlin, who led a race high 190 laps while Johnson failed to lead a lap and collect the extra five bonus points, quickly found himself having to protect a small lead against the four-time champion heading into the final race at Homestead.
The day began to unfold for Hamlin on lap 233, when Robby Gordon spun which brought out the caution and the leaders headed to pit road. Kyle Busch beat Hamlin off pit road to grab the lead with 87 laps left in the race, and Johnson passed Kevin Harvick in the pits to take over fourth place. Mike Ford told Hamlin over the radio they’re about 12-13 laps short on fuel, and that’s when Johnsons crew chief Chad Knaus, began scheming with his driver to save fuel in hopes of cutting into Hamlin’s point lead. Knaus was listening to the radio chatter when he overheard Ford telling Hamlin he was not going to make it to the end.
Knaus’s gamble paid off when Johnson started conserving fuel with 15 laps left, and the team was able to finish the race in fifth, seven positions ahead of Hamlin. More importantly Johnson was able to shave an additional 43 points with the gamble and put himself within 15 points instead of 58, had Hamlin also gambled and finished the race in second without running out of fuel.
On lap 288 Hamlin told his crew chief, “Don’t let them short-pit us, Mike,” and two laps later Hamlin also begins saving fuel knowing that Ford had already told him earlier they would be 12-13 laps short. Finally with 14 laps left in the race, Ford called Hamlin in for two tires and fuel which took him 7.6 seconds and put him a lap back. It wasn’t until lap 301 when Hamlin would pass Edwards and get his lap back, and with five laps left he was still outside the top-10 in 15th place, while Johnson was in serious conservation mode running in sixth.
By the time the checkered was thrown, Hamlin crossed the line in 12th; Johnson picked up a spot and finished fifth with Harvick right behind in sixth. Johnson as we know went on to win his fifth championship, while Hamlin would spend the off-season wondering how he could let the championship slip away so easily. Hamlin talked about what his off-season was like when he said that, “I think just getting in the offseason — getting away from racing for a little while definitely helps a lot.” Hamlin also added that, “When you look back at it and I look back at it; it was a heck of a career year for myself. That’s something that can’t be overlooked because it’s the best I’ve ever performed throughout my career — my young career.”
The loss not only affected his fans, but it also affected the mindset of Hamlin in a positive way when he spoke about the upcoming season by saying, “Obviously, my passion for one thing. You look at the video of me after the race and you wouldn’t think we’d still be leading the points, but it was just the passion because I knew that I let a big opportunity slip away from us in the sense of we could’ve gone to Homestead and just kind of rode around and collected a championship.”
“For me, it was just my passion. It’s always been in me — the competitiveness has always been in me and it will never change.” Hamlin also added that, “I’ve only been around this team, me and this team, for five year. We’ve accomplished a lot of things that a lot of guys never will. So, for me, I just look forward and try and figure out how we can progress and get to number one.”
Hamlin will begin Sunday’s race from the 12th spot in the field, and once again will have to work his way to the front. Fuel along with tires will once again be an issue, unlike the race at Daytona last Sunday when the teams were able to come in for fuel only on many of the pit stops. If Ford and Hamlin play their strategy right, redemption could come in a very big way, even though the ghosts of what could have been might be lurking around.
Busch dominates the Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix
Kyle Busch dominated from the pole to the finish in Saturday’s Bashas’ Supermarkets 200 at Phoenix International Raceway. Busch lead all of the 200 laps run.
It wasn’t all easy though. Busch was battling a loose car in the closing laps and had to hold off Carl Edwards to capture his 44th Nationwide Series victory and became the first driver to win wire-to-wire in nearly eight years. It was last done by Dale Earnhardt Jr. in a Nationwide Series race at Daytona in 2003.
“It came down to the end of the race and Carl was alongside of me and we were racing really hard trying to beat each other, and I was like, ‘Man, just beat him back to the start-finish line, man, just beat back to the start-finish line.”’ Busch said.
“We made a run. I did everything but move him out of the way and I thought about that, but he did a great job. Those guys did well. He drove that car. It was loose and he did a good job of hanging onto it.” Edwards said.
Busch also won the truck series race on Friday night and it looking for the Phoenix sweep on Sunday.
Kevin Harvick finished third, Ryan Newman fourth and Reed Sorenson finished fifth.
Unofficial Race Results
Bashas’ Supermarkets 200
February 26, 2011 | Race 2 of 34
| Pos. | St. | No. | Driver | Make | Pts. | Bon. | Laps | Status |
| 1 | 1 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Toyota | 0 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 2 | 2 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Ford | 0 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 3 | 9 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 4 | 6 | 30 | Ryan Newman | Chevrolet | 0 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 5 | 10 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Chevrolet | 39 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 6 | 3 | 20 | Joey Logano | Toyota | 0 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 7 | 15 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | Ford | 37 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 8 | 16 | 31 | Justin Allgaier | Chevrolet | 36 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 9 | 5 | 11 | Brian Scott | Toyota | 35 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 10 | 18 | 9 | Kenny Wallace | Toyota | 34 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 11 | 13 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Chevrolet | 33 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 12 | 11 | 2 | Elliott Sadler | Chevrolet | 32 | 0 | 200 | Running |
| 13 | 25 | 88 | Aric Almirola | Chevrolet | 31 | 0 | 199 | Running |
| 14 | 14 | 99 | Ryan Truex * | Toyota | 30 | 0 | 199 | Running |
| 15 | 12 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Chevrolet | 29 | 0 | 198 | Running |
| 16 | 26 | 40 | Scott Wimmer | Chevrolet | 28 | 0 | 198 | Running |
| 17 | 20 | 7 | Danica Patrick | Chevrolet | 27 | 0 | 197 | Running |
| 18 | 24 | 39 | Josh Wise | Ford | 26 | 0 | 197 | Running |
| 19 | 17 | 62 | Michael Annett | Toyota | 25 | 0 | 197 | Running |
| 20 | 19 | 19 | Mike Bliss | Chevrolet | 24 | 0 | 197 | Running |
| 21 | 23 | 44 | Charles Lewandoski * | Chevrolet | 23 | 0 | 196 | Running |
| 22 | 22 | 51 | Jeremy Clements | Chevrolet | 22 | 0 | 196 | Running |
| 23 | 35 | 28 | Derrike Cope | Chevrolet | 21 | 0 | 195 | Running |
| 24 | 31 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | Dodge | 20 | 0 | 194 | Running |
| 25 | 27 | 14 | Eric McClure | Chevrolet | 19 | 0 | 193 | Running |
| 26 | 21 | 1 | Mike Wallace | Chevrolet | 18 | 0 | 193 | Running |
| 27 | 32 | 81 | Blake Koch * | Dodge | 17 | 0 | 193 | Running |
| 28 | 29 | 70 | Shelby Howard | Chevrolet | 16 | 0 | 191 | Running |
| 29 | 30 | 15 | Timmy Hill* | Ford | 15 | 0 | 191 | Running |
| 30 | 8 | 66 | Steve Wallace | Toyota | 14 | 0 | 190 | Running |
| 31 | 7 | 16 | Trevor Bayne | Ford | 13 | 0 | 164 | Accident |
| 32 | 40 | 79 | Jennifer Jo Cobb * | Ford | 12 | 0 | 162 | Running |
| 33 | 28 | 89 | Morgan Shepherd | Chevrolet | 11 | 0 | 108 | Handling |
| 34 | 4 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Dodge | 0 | 0 | 105 | Accident |
| 35 | 34 | 52 | Daryl Harr | Chevrolet | 9 | 0 | 101 | Radiator |
| 36 | 38 | 141 | Carl Long | Ford | 8 | 0 | 19 | Brakes |
| 37 | 37 | 24 | Kevin Lepage | Ford | 7 | 0 | 17 | Overheat |
| 38 | 33 | 25 | Kelly Bires | Ford | 6 | 0 | 10 | Brakes |
| 39 | 39 | 55 | Brett Rowe | Chevrolet | 5 | 0 | 8 | Handling |
| 40 | 36 | 27 | Justin Marks | Ford | 0 | 0 | 7 | Brakes |
Bobby Labonte Off to a Fast Start in What’s Expected to Be a Year of Resurgence
No matter who of the four drivers that came roaring off turn four toward the finish line would have won the Daytona 500, the story would have been big.
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[/media-credit]None of them had ever won the Great American Race before. They weren’t alone, 16 of the top 17 finishers in last weekend’s Daytona 500 had never won it before. And five of those 17 drivers have never a Sprint Cup race in their career.
Fourth place finisher Bobby Labonte wasn’t one of them. He’s won races before and he’s won big races. Last weekend though he was racing in his 19th Daytona 500 and could see and smell his first victory in the Daytona 500.
Labonte was pushing eventual winner Trevor Bayne when Carl Edwards and David Gilliland came roaring past and took away his chance at a slingshot.
“It was a little bit of disappointment that we didn’t win because we were this close,” said Labonte Friday in Phoenix.
“But, as the sun was starting to set I said, ‘Alright, it’s not going to change.’”
Labonte can take comfort in the fact that it was his first top five finish in nearly two years. He hasn’t won a race since the season finale at Homestead in 2003. It will just be another year before he can add the Daytona 500 to his already impressive resume.
A resume which includes the Brickyard 400 and a championship. The finish though was a nice way to start off a new season where Labonte finds himself in a new home.
After leaving Joe Gibbs Racing in 2005, he’s floated around to many different teams. He signed on with JTG-Daugherty Racing after Marcos Ambrose walked out the door for Richard Petty Motorsports.
Labonte will find stability and competitiveness in his new ride as the team looks for him to help them find the winner’s circle.
“For our race team it was really exciting,” Labonte said about Daytona.
“Tad and Jodi (Geschickter, co-owners) and Brad (Daugherty). It was a great thing for the organization and great finish for the team. No doubt that it was a great way to start our year off with them. One race out of 36 is a small amount, but still at the same time it was definitely, I think it was one of the best finishes to date — they were second at the Glen behind Juan (Pablo Montoya). To come back on an oval track and go through the [Budweiser] Shootout, the twin race and then the 500 — to come home with a top-five I know was a good day for them.”
A top five finish will always be a good day just not a great one when it occurs in the biggest race of the year.
“A little disappointment obviously at the end, no doubt about it,” he said.
“You get that close you better have a little bit of disappointment for a little bit at least, but then you’ve got to get over it. We got over it and now we’re like, that was a great weekend for all of our associates.”
The real racing and season begins this weekend in Phoenix where Labonte enters third in points, tied for second, just one point behind leader Edwards. While he’s never won at Phoenix, he does have nine top 10s in 24 starts. With the newfound confidence that the team and Labonte has, that could change this weekend.
Besides confidence, Labonte feels there a great relationship between himself and JTG-Daugherty will develop moving foward. After they tested in the offseason and headed to Daytona, he said nearly everyone on the team had a spring in their step. It continued during Speedweeks.
It makes the 2011 season one with many goals.
“Well, if it rained for the next 26 weeks we would be in the top-12 in points,” he said.
“I think there will be other problems if it does rain for 26 weeks in a row. We set out some goals that were we’ve got to finish top-10 in points, we’ve got to win a race, we’ve got to win a pole — we’ve got to do this and that. Our goal is obviously to have less DNFs than they (JTG-Daugherty) had last year as a team. Perform a little bit better on the racetrack as a team and get better as the race goes on.”
The next few weeks, said Labonte, will show the No. 47 team their strengths and weaknesses.
“We might gel right away, we might find there’s things that make me feel good — who knows. But, I think realistically we’d love to be in the top-12 in points after race 26.”
A great resource for the team is that while it’s a single car operation, JGT-Daugherty does have teammates in Michael Waltrip Racing. Labonte says they have meetings with MWR and their drivers. Both companies also have similar equipment.
Those variables are what help Labonte talk about what he believes the team will accomplish this season.
Said Labonte, “The object is to just go out there and do the best we can with the group that we have and have those great moments and have races that will have us in the top-12 at the end of 26 races.”
