In Knee-d of a Good Result: Hamlin and Kahne Battle Back in Richmond
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[/media-credit]After the Crown Royal presents the Matthew & Daniel Hensen 400 concluded on Saturday night in Richmond I put in a call to my doctor. A checkup wasn’t needed and I wasn’t hurt but I had a request – sign me up for knee surgery.
The hope is that I might hit the lottery or have some stroke of good luck. After all, both Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne had knee surgery in the last year and have had great fortune since then. Hamlin won seven races last season and nearly won the championship. He finished second Saturday night in Richmond, his best finish of the 2011 season.
“It was a good night,” said Hamlin. “We knew pretty early on, the 18 was going to be tough. It’s tough when you share notebooks. You know those guys got exactly what you got. Every trick in the book on short tracks, those guys have it. Kyle has the talent. We knew they were going to be tough to beat.”
Continued Hamlin, “It’s all we had. My plan was to really conserve the first part of the last run and let him go out there and run. I was going to just kind of sit back and wait and save my tires. Just when I tried to make a run, I didn’t have the grip I needed to close in enough.”
Following his impressive performance in 2010, Hamlin’s No. 11 team started on a sour note early in the 2011 season. From blown motors to bad luck, they were buried in the points and were already written off by many. It was a losing the championship hangover.
Except, there’s always Richmond, his home track. If there were something seriously wrong with Hamlin and his team it would show with a poor performance. Just days after denying that his crew chief was going to be replaced, Hamlin went out and won his charity event Thursday night.
Friday he did his best Kyle Busch impression by leading 199 of 251 laps to win the Nationwide Series race. Now two-for-two on the weekend the attention turned toward sweeping the weekend and turning his season around.
Mission accomplished. Hamlin easily drove from his 11th starting position to take the lead on lap 73 from none other than Kahne. He would lead 37 of 400 laps but was no match for his teammate and brought home a much-needed top five.
“It’s my best finish of the year,” said Hamlin about whether he was upset he didn’t win. “I’m ecstatic, to be honest with you. You can’t be mad at second place. Yeah, I want to win, trust me. It burns that you didn’t win. But how we didn’t win I can live with.”
Meanwhile, Kahne finished third, also his best finish of the season. Last week he had surgery to repair his right meniscus after like Hamlin, he hurt himself playing basketball. Many have joked that team owners should begin putting a clause in driver’s contracts about avoiding any other sport.
“My knee feels fine,” said Kahne. “It’s actually a little bit tight, you know, a bit swelled up maybe. But other than that, it feels fine. I never thought about it once throughout the race. So it was more about the car. So if you’re not thinking about it, it’s obviously not hurting.”
Early Saturday night it appeared Kahne was having trouble when overheard on his radio that his foot was slipping off the pedal. Whatever the problem was it quickly worked itself out, Kahne became one of the quickest cars on the track and soon was running in the top five.
As the race neared its conclusion and fuel mileage entered the picture the No. 4 Red Bull team suddenly became a little more animated. A great opportunity had presented itself and they were ready to take advantage of it as they brought home their first top five of the year.
“Well, I’d say at Phoenix we ran top 10 the whole race,” said Kahne. “Here we were more probably closer to fifth, sixth, right in there, third to sixth or seventh. We were a little bit better tonight for sure … it’s kind of been a while since we had a car that could win. At points tonight I felt like we had a shot. Early on, I thought I was driving away. I saw Denny in my mirror. Made me mad for a second. It was a solid night for us.”
Hamlin and Kahne remain winless on the season. After nine races they sit 17th and 18th respectively in points. In order to run however, one must walk or in this case you must limp before you can walk then run and Saturday night was a step in the right direction for both drivers running to victory lane and making the Chase.
Next week the Sprint Cup Series heads to Darlington Raceway where both Hamlin and Kahne have won in the past.
Deja Vu: Kyle Busch Dominates at Richmond International Raceway…Again.
It felt like deja vu as Kyle Busch celebrated his birthday in style again by winning the Sprint Cup race at the Richmond International Raceway for the third year in a row, reminding his fans that if ever he should leave them, how could it be in springtime? Busch dominated the track by leading 235 of the 400 laps that made up the “Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400.”
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[/media-credit]Hometown hero Denny Hamlin, who won the Nationwide race Friday night finished second, 1.805 seconds behind Busch. Kasey Kahne, David Ragan and Carl Edwards rounded out the top five.
Busch’s dominating win and Hamlin’s potential sweep were hardly the stars of the show as the Friday night lights of the Nationwide Series race made way for the Saturday night fights of the Sprint Cup! The caution flag flew eight times and tempers boiled after debris, spins and accidents littered the race track during the night.
The race started with a bang as pole-sitter, Juan Pablo Montoya led the field to the green flag. Hoping to be a strong contender and looking for a much needed short track win, Montoya held his position until lap 26 when Clint Bowyer slid under the Target Chevrolet and snatched the lead in turn two. The night was ending before it even began for Montoya, as on lap 27, Kasey Kahne shot by him to claim the 2nd spot in the field. Montoya’s hopes were not dashed as much as Robby Gordon’s, who on the same circuit when down a lap, the first of many more to come.
Kyle Busch, who started in the 20th position, cracked the top 10 on lap 31 as countless others continued to lose ground and laps. Tony Raines became the next driver to be lapped by the leaders, followed by Mike Skinner on lap 33. Lap 35 took no prisoners either as Joe Nemechek, J.J. Yeley and Ken Schrader all went a lap down. Shortly there after, all three drivers would take their cars to the garage for individual mechanical problems.
Lap 45 saw the third lead change, as Kahne got around Bowyer for position and lapped the cars of Michael McDowell, Andy Lally, David Stremme and Landon Cassill in the following ten laps. Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin, who started 11th, strategically made his way through the pack as did Martin Truex Jr., who after starting 21st on the grid, claimed the 12th position on lap 64.
Laps 66-71 weren’t kind to Dave Blaney, Kurt Busch, Casey Mears, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Marcos Ambrose, who each got an eyeful of the No. 4 Toyota’s rear bumper as each went a lap down. Red Bull gave Kahne wings, but only until lap 73 when Hamlin took over the lead as both drivers crossed the start-finish line.
With no caution in sight, drivers continued to falter on the lead lap and are picked off one by one by the lead pack. Travis Kvapil, David Gilliland are victimized by the race leader on lap 75, followed by Tony Stewart and Bobby Labonte on lap 79 and Jimmie Johnson on lap 83.
After a cycle of green-flag pit stops, only 21 cars were on the lead lap. The top five in the field are, Kyle Busch, Clint Bowyer, Mark Martin, Denny Hamlin and Kasey Kahne. The first yellow flag waved on lap 106 as Ryan Newman got into Montoya, sending the No. 42 into the wall, scattering debris on the track. The leaders hit pit road as Earnhardt, Labonte and Kvapil opt for the wave around to regain position on the lead lap.
Kyle Busch brings the field to green on lap 115 and claimed the lead as they went four-wide on the restart. Bowyer, Hamlin, Martin and Kahne make up the top five, but not for long. Jeff Gordon suddenly came on strong just three laps later taking the third position away from Bowyer on lap 118 while Busch and Hamlin fought for the lead with a 1.6 second lead over Gordon.
Montoya’s injured machine is shown in the 22nd position on lap 132, but can’t hang with the leaders for long. His car along with Labonte’s Toyota Camry go a lap down on 144. As the race progressed, lap 169 would see both Paul Menard and Brad Keselowski lapped by the leader of the pack, Kyle Busch.
Caution comes out for the second time on lap 185 for debris from Kurt Busch’s Shell/Pennzoil Dodge after hitting the wall in turn two on lap 184. Earnhardt Jr. receives the “lucky dog” pass and is back on the lead lap. The leaders hit pit road for fuel, tires and minor adjustments.
Busch brought the field to green once again on lap 193, followed by Hamlin, Martin, Gordon and Bowyer. The No. 18 Toyota Camry jumped out in front to maintain the lead while Hamlin lost the second spot to Gordon. Setting his sights on number one, Gordon dove to the inside of Busch on lap 200 and took the lead like he stole it, but like another thief in the night, Busch stole it back three laps later.
Predictions were made on lap 208 as Newman began expressing worry that Montoya might try to retaliate on the track for contact made between the drivers, bringing out the night’s first caution. It was a premonition that would prove true, on lap 236 Montoya served his revenge by sending Newman’s No. 39 Chevrolet around and into the wall. Kurt Busch, unable to slow down, hit Newman damaging both cars and bringing out the caution for the third time.
Hamlin brings the field to green on lap 244, followed by Kyle Busch, Gordon, Truex Jr., and Bowyer. Busch jumps the restart and is forced to slow down, while Montoya is warned by NASCAR to run clean for the remainder of the race or he will be parked. An irate Newman could be heard on the radio wondering why Montoya hadn’t been penalized for what he thought was an “intentional retaliation,” but vowed to settle their differences after the race and not on the track.
Truex Jr. made a bold move that took him from the fourth position to the lead on lap 246 just before the caution flag flew for the fourth time on lap 255. Jimmie Johnson and Joey Logano were recognized for the first time during the race, but sadly not because of their flawless driving abilities. Johnson got into Logano in turn two, spinning the Home Depot Toyota and sending him into the wall. It was however a much needed break for Tony Stewart who received the free pass and was back on the lead lap.
The green flag waved again on lap 264 with a slight change in lineup. Matt Kenseth brought the field to the green, followed by David Reutimann, Kahne, Carl Edwards and Hamlin. Barely making it across the start-finish line, the yellow flag came out for the fifth time as Casey Mears spun in turn one during the restart. Jeff Burton receives the free pass and is back on the lead lap. Brian Vickers, in the 19th spot, is the highest-running car to pit.
Whoever said that cautions breed cautions wasn’t lying! The green flag waved again on lap 270 and it almost isn’t worth it to mention who the top five were because nine laps later the yellow flag waved for the sixth time as Brad Keselowski and Landon Cassill got into each other in turn two, spinning Keselowski’s blue deuce, but avoided any contact with the wall.
By now you know the drill, some cars pitted, while others opted to stay out. Let’s continue, we still have over 100 laps to go!
Hamlin brought the field to the green on lap 284, followed by Truex Jr., Kenseth, Busch and Kahne. Busch wasted no time jumping from fourth to second before wrestling with teammate Hamlin for the lead.
Keselowski spun again on lap 292, bringing out the caution for the seventh time. Johnson gets the free pass and is back on the lead lap. The field restarts on lap 299 as the drivers manage to bunch up four wide causing many of the leaders to get in to one another. The caution is back out on lap 301 after Gordon’s car spun out after contact from Kenseth and slamming hard into the corner of the inside wall , knocking the wind out of the driver of the DuPont Chevrolet. Along with Gordon, Menard, Martin, Reutimann, Labonte, McMurray and Kenseth all suffer damage while that sneaky Dave Blaney gets the free pass and got back on the lead lap.
Menard and Reutimann hit pit road on lap 307 for repairs, while Gordon’s car is towed off the track, his night is over, finishing a dismal 39th.
The green flag waved again with fresh faced lineup on lap 313. Jeff Burton lead the field, followed by Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, Busch and Hamlin. Earnhardt Jr. spun the tires of the National Guard Chevrolet during the restart unveiling an opportunity for Busch to move into the 2nd position. Three laps later Busch passed Burton for the lead and never looked back!
With less than 40 laps to go, the discussion turned to fuel strategy. Who could make it and who couldn’t? Busch’s camp said it was “iffy” that he could make it to the end. Truex Jr. could make it to lap 399. Hamlin could make it to 400. Kahne could make it. Burton and Earnhardt Jr. could not make it and would have to pit.
We will never know if perhaps Truex Jr. could have squeezed out an extra lap of fuel, on lap 371 he pitted for a tire going down. He was black-flagged for missing a lug nut taking him out of contention for what was undoubtedly a great run for he and his crew. Add insult to injury, after his pit stop, he was penalized with a “pass-through penalty” after exiting pit road too fast.
On lap 382, Busch put Biffle and Blaney a lap down leaving 13 cars on the lead lap. Burton then went a lap down because he had to pit for fuel on lap 384. Harvick would be the next to be lapped on 388. Earnhardt Jr. pitted on lap 390 for fuel, leaving only 10 cars on the lead lap.
The last ten laps of the race went off without a hitch. Despite Hamlin showing to be a “little faster” on the track, Busch maintained his lead and took the checkered flag for the third consecutive year. Hamlin finished second, followed by Kahne, Ragan and Edwards.
Looking Back at the Crown Royal Presents The Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400…
As most would have expected, this race was dominated by the Joe Gibbs Racing show, with some extra drama thrown in there. This is what I love about Richmond, you have the short track drama, the intermediate track feel, and the feeling of excitement as we head into the next NASCAR race! Some of the best drama that took place tonight was the Ryan Newman- Juan Pablo Montoya feud. I don’t think Newman meant any harm getting into the back of Montoya, but evidently he would disagree with me. Montoya would then retaliate, causing Newman to spin, obviously something that would not set well with him. Reports indicated that both drivers were told to report to the NASCAR hauler at the end of the race. It appeared that Montoya left the track before that could happen.
What I did not expect to take place at the Richmond International Raceway was so much action with 100 laps to go. Drivers were going 3 to 4 wide around a 3/4 of a mile race track. Why would they be so anxious with over 100 to go? It was pretty difficult to tell who was at fault, in the largest accident of the night, but I believe they all played a part in the crash that took out some of the best cars left in the field. Jeff Gordon had been running in the top 5 all night, dropped back some, and was involved in the fiasco, along with Matt Kenseth. Kenseth had one of the fastest cars of the night, seemingly to go unnoticed. But this still raises the question why? We saw more action with a 1/4th of a race left, than we did with 10 laps to go.
We have a lot to look forward to, heading into the month of May. Great racing at Darlington, Dover, and Charlotte; with the 600 miler and let’s not forget about the Sprint Cup All-Star race!
As we leave Richmond, we are left with ques
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[/media-credit]tions both answered, and unanswered, but what we all know, JGR has got Richmond figured out!
Until we meet again, in preparation to make a visit with “The Lady in Black”, I hope you have enjoyed everything that Richmond had to offer!
Brothers in Arms: Marines Honored in Richmond for the “Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400”
What’s in a name and how does it influence a person’s character?
In the case of Matthew and his twin brother Daniel Hansen, character can be defined as nothing short of heroic. [media-credit name=”Barry Albert ” align=”alignright” width=”266″][/media-credit]
As the grand prize winners of the Crown Royal “Your Name Here” contest, NASCAR, Crown Royal and the Richmond International Raceway recognizes these brothers by naming Saturday night’s Sprint Cup race the “Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400.” Nominated by their godmother, she described in detail Matthew’s unfaltering service to his country during his three tours of duty in Iraq in the United States Marine Corps.
This year marks the second year that Crown Royal has chosen to focus solely on military service members to honor their courageous acts when deciding to name their race.
“This weekend we are proud to honor two American heroes in Matthew and Daniel Hansen,” said Yvonne Briese, Crown Royal Brand Director. “The kind of bravery and selflessness these men have displayed are the exact traits Crown Royal sought to highlight through the ‘Your Name Here’ program and we could not ask for two better service members to represent this program.”
Matthew and Daniel joined the Marines in 2002, Matthew served in Operation Iraqi Freedom while Daniel was selected to protect President George W. Bush at Camp David in 2004 and later Lieutenant Richard C. Zilmer, USMC while in Iraq. Daniel was killed during a roadside bombing on Feb. 14, 2009 while supporting combat operations in Afghanistan. Despite the loss of his brother, Matthew continues to serve. He is currently serving on a military base in San Marcos due to injury, but hopes to return to duty overseas in the future.
Lieutenant Zilmer, along with Major General Ray Fox, USMC Commanding General of Training and Education Command in Quantico, Va., will be in attendance for Saturday’s nights race to honor not only Daniel and Matthew, but troops worldwide.
“I have a feeling this weekend is going to be full of incredible moments,” said Hansen. “From experiencing the rush of the race to hanging out with stars like Matt Kenseth and Rodney Atkins, I’m really looking forward to getting to Richmond. I wish Daniel could share this with me, but he will definitely be in my heart the entire time.”
Thanks in part to Crown Royal and Richmond International Raceway, Matthew Hansen has been given the “royal treatment” all weekend. His name has been incorporated into race merchandise and memorabilia, as well as being included in the actual race broadcast. He will serve as the Grand Marshal, watch the race from Matt Kenseth’s No. 17 pit box and deliver a trophy bearing his name to the winner of the race in Victory Lane.
“It is a privilege to host Matthew as he honors his brother at Richmond International Raceway on April 30,” said Richmond International Raceway president Doug Fritz. “We are thrilled to again team up with Crown Royal for the ‘Your Name Here’ program, recognizing members of our Armed Forces. The Crown Royal Presents the Matthew & Daniel Hansen 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race will be a momentous event at America’s Premier Short Track.”
Country star and Crown Royal partner, Rodney Atkins will preform an hour long pre-race concert on the front-stretch for ticket holders who are 21 and older to help celebrate the lives of Matthew and his brother Daniel and honor those who proudly serve.
“This weekend’s show in Richmond is going to be a blast,” said Atkins. “Not only do I get to perform for thousands of race fans, but I get to do so for a cause I really believe in – honoring American heroes like Matthew and Daniel Hansen.”
So whether you are here at the track or at home in front of the TV, raise a glass to Matthew and Daniel Hansen, two true American heroes and as always, Please Drink Responsibly.
Chase Elliott Competes With The Big Boys For A Good Cause
Chase Elliott, son of Cup champion Bill Elliott, was prepared to race at Richmond International Raceway in the K&N Pro Series East Race for the first time in his young career.
But the youngster got the chance to do something even more special, compete with the ‘big boys’ of the racing world at Denny Hamlin’s Charity Race, the Denny Hamlin Shootout.
Elliott was tapped to drive Brandon Butler’s Late Model, filling in for Kasey Kahne who is still recovering from additional knee surgery. The up and coming driver not only got to compete against some of his idols, like Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Michael Waltrip and newcomer Travis Pastrana, but also got to challenge his own dear old dad.
Because of his inexperience, having never even competed in a Whelen All-American late model race car before, Chase Elliott started in the back of the field just behind father Bill. This starting position turned out to be one of the luckiest as much of the field was involved in a major crash in the first lap of the race.
While Chase went low to escape the wreck, right behind his father, Bill Elliott did get clipped from behind, doing major damage to his race car.
“I thought I was a goner when they were barreling down from the wall,” Chase said to his dad. “But they hit you instead.”
“Well I’m glad I could be of assistance to you there, son,” father Bill Elliott quipped quickly.
After the major wreck, Matt McCall and Max Gresham brought the field to the restart green flag. They were quickly challenged by Cup contender Kyle Busch, who not only led but dominated the competition, as he so often does.
At the half-way mark of the race, however, Chase Elliott had worked his way forward to claim the 12th position. He even managed to get past one of his biggest racing idols Tony Stewart.
“He let me go,” Elliott said of his pass around Smoke.
Elliott continued to move forward, cracking the top ten and finally claiming a third place finish behind Denny Hamlin, race host, and Michael Waltrip.
Ever the racer, however, Elliott was hoping for an even better finish.
“On that last restart if we hadn’t have gone three-wide off in Turn One, I think we could have been battling for the win,” Elliott said. “I had a blast. To be able to run with great drivers and I am looking forward to hopefully being able to do it again sometime.”
Elliott also played a role in raising money for several charities, including the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospital in Richmond. Race founder and winner Denny Hamlin said that 10 percent of this year’s race proceeds will be given to assist the victims of the recent tornados.
While Elliott celebrated his unexpectedly good finish in the Hamlin charity race, he was still smarting a bit from his K&N Pro Series East race prior to the charity event. After a sixth place qualifying effort in the East Series Blue Ox 150, Elliott struggled throughout the bulk of the race.
In addition to the fact that he had never been to the .75 mile, D-shaped oval track at Richmond, he also had to battle a rain delay, as well as a tight No. 9 HendrickCars.com race car. On Lap 75 when the caution flag flew, Elliott had dropped to 14th on the track and came out 25th after a pit stop for a track bar adjustment.
Elliott was never able to advance much further and he finished the race 24th.
“We just need more time to figure these cars out,” Elliott said. “We will get it.”
“I thought the car was good in practice,” Elliott continued. “But we had no drive-up off the corner when it came time for the race.”
Elliott will next compete in the K&N Pro Series East race at Bowman-Gray Stadium in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on June 4th. This will also be the fifteen year old Elliott’s debut at that historic track.
