Hamlin takes points lead with Texas win

Fort Worth – Denny Hamlin won the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.  This is his 2nd straight win at Texas, making him the second drive to sweep both races at TMS.  Carl Edwards won both in 2008.  Hamlin has finished in the top-10 8 out of 11 races at the speedway.

Hamlin also took the lead in NASCAR’s Chase for the Cup, 33 points ahead of 4-time winner Jimmie Johnson.  Johnson finished 9th in the race.

Matt Kenseth finished 2nd, after battling Hamlin on the final laps for the lead.  Kenseth talked about the final pass in turn 2, “So I lifted real early when he lifted, and then I got back to the gas real early, and he must have slipped a little bit, and I got a really good run.  When Mike told me clear, I was a little surprised we cleared him, and I just pulled up in front of him and started getting off the corner.  I probably shouldn’t have been holding the wheel as much as I did but wanted to get a nice run off the corner, and as soon as he got away from my side for whatever reason and got behind me, my car just took off.  It felt like it raised the car half an inch and went straight, and I had to get out of the gas, so I had to keep from hitting the wall. 

Part of that is the way I tried to drive to the corner and part of it was maybe from not having him outside me anymore, not having the car turning as loose as it was when he was there.  I don’t know, it was a heck of a race down to the finish.  Like I say, you hate it when you get beat.”

Mark Martin finished 3rd, followed by Joey Logano and Greg Biffle.  Biffle led the most laps of the race, 224.

Kyle Busch waves at a NASCAR official during the AAA Texas 500 at Texas Motor Speedway.  Photo by George WalkerThere was plenty of controversy at the race.  Kyle Busch was penalized for speeding on pit road on lap 159 and was held for a lap.  While there, he made an obscene gesture to the official and was held 2 more laps.

On lap 190, Jeff Burton put Jeff Gordon into the wall and out of the race.  Gordon found Burton on the side of the track and went after him before NASCAR officials could separate them.  Gordon’s team owner, Rick Hendrick, made the decision to put Gordon’s pit crew working on teammate Jimmy Johnson’s pit.  Gordon’s crew has been faster than the Johnson crew.

Kevin Harvick also gained points on Johnson as he remained in 3rd place in points.  Harvick is only 26 points behind Johnson and is within 59 points of Hamlin.  No other driver has a realistic chance at winning the championship with only 2 races to go.

 

Share and Enjoy !

Shares