- Congratulations to Denny Hamlin on getting his first victory of the season and the third one in five races at Martinsville. He had a dominant car most of the day and made one of the boldest moves I've seen when he came to pit road with just a few laps left. Everyone (including me) thought Denny threw away the win with that decision, but aggressive driving and a couple daring maneuvers still got him the victory. Many people are comparing Hamlin's run to the checkers this week with what Johnson pulled off last week at Bristol. The difference between them, though, is that Jimmie had the odds in his favor whereas Hamlin had the odds stacked against him...
- Joey Logano is getting more consistent by the race. A second place finish on a track like this is really respectable for being only a sophomore in the big leagues. He made the right move there at the end by holding back and realizing he doesn't have the experience to overtake Hamlin, Gordon, and Kenseth. Logano currently sits in 13th place in the standings only six points out of the Top 12. He has a good chance of making his first Chase if he can keep up the great work...
- No one was more frustrated to see the final yellow flag than Jeff Gordon, who had pulled away from the rest of the field with only two laps left. On the final restart, he was quickly pushed aside by Matt Kenseth. Gordon then decided to pay him back by knocking him up into the turn four wall and making it where he couldn't get back in line. Jeff really can't blame Kenseth for trying to come out of nowhere and win the race; he probably would have done the same thing. These two go back a long way. They're never scared to cut the other one's throat when it comes down to who's going to win the race...
- What a disappointing day for RCR other than Clint Bowyer's 8th place finish. Kevin Harvick was taken out early with brake issues when I thought he might have a car capable of going to victory lane. Harvick surrendered the point lead to Jimmie Johnson as a result. Jeff Burton cut a tire while racing Hamlin in the closing laps and ended up coming home in 20th. I did think he was a little too patient with Hamlin when he really needed to be the leader instead of the follower. Phoenix is a place where both of these guys need to get back on track...
- Martinsville gave us the best racing I have seen so far in 2010. The drivers seemed racier than ever and were going at it all afternoon long. I don't know if it was because of the new spoiler or if the whole thing was just a coincidence. Anyway, NASCAR has done a good job listening to the fans this season and the benefits are showing on and off the track...
That's all from the Old Dominion. After another off-week, we get to watch our first night race of the year under the lights in the Valley of the Sun. Have a great Easter everyone!!!
2 comments:
Great wrap up, Gonger.
That was probably the best racing I've ever seen at Martinsville. Of the top 18 finishers, 16 of them did not lead a lap.
I like that photo of Joey and Denny. I was thinking that this kid must really be in pain cause he hadn't smiled yet. Then Joey walked up and that's when he finally looked excited! Great post, Gonger.
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