Denny Hamlin Barely Outlasts Kurt Busch to Win the Pole at Pocono

          With a time of 49.610 seconds (181.415 mph), Denny Hamlin outlasted Kurt Busch's third round lap by a mere two thousandths of a second to take the pole. Hamlin was definitely not the fastest guy throughout the session. Brian Vickers was the fastest after the first round and Kurt Busch was the fastest guy after the second round. Hamlin was in the middle of the pack for most of the session, but the third round speeds would decide the pole. Kevin Harvick jumped to the top of the board early in the round, but Brad Keselowski quickly took away the provisional pole. Just seconds later, though, Denny Hamlin laid down his fastest lap of the session and took the provisional pole. A couple of minutes remained and he still had to hold on. Kurt Busch moved within two thousandths of a second on Hamlin, but he was able to hold onto the provisional pole and take his second pole of the season in the Cup Series. Kurt Busch came close to a pole, but he will have to start second on Sunday. Brad Keselowski looked good throughout the session and he will roll off third on Sunday. Kevin Harvick has been fast for the entire year and he will roll off fourth at Pocono, where he has no wins in his career. Jeff Gordon will roll off fifth at a track where he almost won in August last year. The first knockout qualifying session at Pocono was one that left a lot of drivers scratching their heads. Jimmie Johnson and Kasey Kahne, the two drivers who won at Pocono last year, will both start outside of the top twenty with Johnson the highest in twentieth. Dave Blaney went for a spin after breaking loose and he couldn't figure out what caused his problem. Other drivers had to deal with terrible race cars and they will have to fight their way to the front. Some drivers were happy after the session, but they were tough to find. Qualifying is very important at Pocono and it could decide who will win on Sunday after four hundred miles.

        A.J. Allmendinger was the first driver on track to start the twenty five minute first round. He ran a good lap to start the session, but he would have to contend with a couple more rounds to decide the pole. Early on in the round, Kevin Harvick jumped to the top of the board in the round. Harvick looked to remain steady at the top, but Brian Vickers, who was fastest in practice earlier in the day, jumped to the top of the board with ease. The rest of the field began to head on track, but Vickers looked to be the fastest man in Pennsylvania. The minutes began to click away in the round and the action was beginning to heat up. With about nine minutes left, Dave Blaney had troubles on track. Blaney broke loose in turn 1 and his car began to slide up the track. He chased his car up the track and he spun as he looked to save it. He was able to avoid the wall and he came to a stop just on the exit of turn 1. He was able to drive away without damage. Blaney wouldn't be able to turn a lap, but he would make the show because only forty three drivers attempted to qualify. The spin brought the round to a stop for the moment, but the scene was quickly cleaned up and the round went back green. Cars returned to the speedway as the minutes started to click by once again. With about four minutes left, the battle for the twenty fourth and final transfer spot started to heat up. Paul Menard, Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, and others were all battling for the final spot. A few drivers began to jump into the second round as a few drivers dropped out. With about a minute left, Kyle Larson was in the final transfer spot. The red and black flag waved and Larson remained the final driver to move on. Brian Vickers remained the fastest after the round with a very quick time. Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon, Tony Stewart, Kevin Harvick, Danica Patrick, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kyle Busch, and others moved on while Kasey Kahne, Matt Kenseth, and others barely missed the second round. The rather slow twenty five minute first round would move into a rather quick ten minute second round.

        Joey Logano was the first driver on track to start the ten minute second round. He ran a good lap and he looked to be in the top twelve early on in the ten minutes. Early on in the round, Brad Keselowski jumped to the top of the board with a track record speed for the session. Keselowski remained on top as the minutes began to click away. Kurt Busch eventually bested his time and he moved Keselowski to second position in the round. Minutes clicked down and with about three left, the battle for the twelfth and final transfer spot began to heat up. Austin Dillon, Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Kyle Larson, Ryan Newman, and others were battling for the spot. The final few minutes began to click away on the round and drivers were still heading on track. The red and black flag waved and Austin Dillon remained in the twelfth and final transfer spot and he was able to move on in the session. Kurt Busch remained the fastest going towards the third round. Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Brian Vickers, Brad Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Joey Logano, Carl Edwards, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also moved on while Jimmie Johnson, Greg Biffle, Kyle Larson, and others missed the final round. A quick five minute final round would decide the polesitter at Pocono for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.

        Joey Logano was the first driver on track for the five minute third round.  Logano ran a good lap to start the round, but it seemed like the battle for the pole would happen without him. Early on, Kevin Harvick jumped to the top of the board over the few drivers who had went out. The minutes clicked by fast through the final round and soon, only a minute and a half remained with Harvick still the man to beat. With a minute left, though, that changed. Brad Keselowski jumped to the top of the board with ease and looked to be the guy on pole with a minute left, but that changed in a matter of seconds. Denny Hamlin quickly passed the line within seconds of Keselowski and he took the provisional pole with ease. Hamlin was at the top, but he still had to outlast a few drivers. Kurt Busch looked fast on his lap, but he fell two one thousandths of a second short of taking the provisional pole. The red and black flag waved and a few drivers were still on fast laps. Carl Edwards crossed the line and he finished his run without taking the pole. This left Denny Hamlin on top and with his second pole of the season in the Cup Series. It was Hamlin's nineteenth career pole in NASCAR and the pole will continue to help him as he looks to return to prominence in NASCAR's highest series.

        Denny Hamlin's last year and a half in NASCAR's highest series has been quite a struggle. Hamlin broke a bone in his back at Auto Club last year and it took him some time to recover. After returning from the injury, he struggled at almost every track. He won at Homestead to end 2013, but he needed something else to boost his career again after his struggles. He really gained that boost in Daytona this year. He won the Sprint Unlimited and his Duel race along with coming home second in the 500. It looked like he was back, but he was hit with another road block. At Auto Club, he suffered an eye injury and was forced to miss the event. This left Hamlin again searching for answers to his recent problems. He found those answers at Talladega almost a month later. He went out in the race and he was able to take the win and, practically, guarantee himself a Chase spot for this year. Flash forward to qualifying at Pocono on Friday. Hamlin went out and took the pole at a track where he has won four previous times. Hamlin will be good on Sunday and he will definitely be a factor to take his second win of the season and punch his ticket for the Chase. Kurt Busch ran fast for the entire session and he took a second place starting spot behind Hamlin. Brad Keselowski continued his success in knockout qualifying with a third place starting spot. Kevin Harvick continued to run fast for his new team with a fourth place qualifying run. Jeff Gordon has been fast recently and he continued using that speed with a fifth place starting spot. One key thing to watch on Sunday is some heavy favorites in the race at the back of the field on the start. Jimmie Johnson, Kasey Kahne, and Matt Kenseth all start outside the top twenty and have to make their way to the front. It will be a good show tomorrow and contenders will have to battle for the win through four hundred miles of triangular racing. Will Jimmie Johnson repeat in the summer at Pocono, will Kasey Kahne go back-to-back at Pocono, or will another driver head to victory lane at “The Tricky Triangle”? We will have to wait only one night before we find out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Denny Hamlin     49.610 (181.415 mph)
2nd: Kurt Busch     49.612 (181.408 mph)
3rd: Brad Keselowski      49.637 (181.316 mph)
4th: Kevin Harvick     49.770 (180.832 mph)
5th: Jeff Gordon      49.858 (180.513 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Kyle Busch     49.873 (180.458 mph)
7th: Joey Logano     50.048 (179.827 mph)
8th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.     50.121 (179.565 mph)
12th: Tony Stewart     50.244 (179.126 mph)
16th: Danica Patrick     50.265 (179.051 mph)
20th: Jimmie Johnson     50.370 (178.678 mph)
26th: Matt Kenseth     50.571 (177.968 mph)
27th: Kasey Kahne     50.588 (177.908 mph)

DNQs: None




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-14/W
-Image:
http://ww3.hdnux.com/photos/30/36/35/6416230/3/628x471.jpg

Denny Hamlin Holds On Late to Win at Talladega For His First Career Points Paying Restrictor Plate Victory in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series

         Denny Hamlin continued his return to the top of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with a much deserved win at Talladega. Hamlin was leading on the final restart and he was able to run away from Kevin Harvick as he approached the white flag. A wreck occurred at the line, but all drivers drove away and it looked like Hamlin would have a battle on his hands. The battle wouldn't come as a caution waved due to debris on the frontstretch of the track. Hamlin was in the lead and he was handed the win in his three hundredth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start. Behind Hamlin, Greg Biffle, who led the most laps in the race, came home second, Clint Bowyer finished third, Brian Vickers came home fourth, and A.J. Allmendinger came home fifth as the highest finishing underdog driver. Behind these five drivers, a mixed bag of underdogs and contenders filled the rest of the top twenty. In terms of underdogs, Landon Cassill finished eleventh, Casey Mears finished fourteenth, Michael Annett came home sixteenth, and Josh Wise came home with a twentieth place finish. In terms of contenders, Kasey Kahne, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, Ryan Newman, and others all came home in the top twenty. Along with all these different underdogs and contenders, big wrecks plagued the event. In those big wrecks, many of NASCAR's former champions like Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, and Matt Kenseth ended up wrecked and with pretty bad finishes. Plus, the lead changed hands many times and everyone was left with a race to remember. Even though the race ended under caution, the racing throughout the event made it memorable in every shape and fashion.

        Brian Scott started on the pole. It was his first career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series pole as he made another infrequent start in NASCAR's highest series. The race went green and Scott couldn't hold onto the lead as Paul Menard, his teammate, was able to take the lead and lead the first lap of the event. Just as Menard took the lead, the racing began to pick up as drivers raced side by side and three wide throughout the field. Menard held the lead for a short amount of time until Danica Patrick took the lead on lap 6 to the cheers of the Talladega crowd. Patrick attempted to remain out front, but Jeff Gordon used the outside line to take the lead on lap 8. Just as Gordon took the lead, he began to battle hard for the lead with Menard and Patrick. As the field raced behind them, the three leaders ran three wide at the front of the field. As the laps began to click away, Brad Keselowski began to make his way to the front of the pack. On lap 14, Keselowski took the lead from Patrick, but Keselowski made a mistake that led to the first caution on lap 14. Keselowski cut across Patrick's front bumper too early entering turn 1 and Keselowski went for a spin down the track. He slowed down enough to almost come to a stop, but he slid up the speedway. He came up right into traffic as Terry Labonte and Trevor Bayne were coming by. Both barely missed the sliding leader and drove away without damage. Jamie McMurray drove through the grass below the track and he tore up a few pieces of the splitter on his car, which caused him to lose a few laps. Keselowski also drove away without damage, but a flat tire cut some important lines and he ended up losing a good many laps. No drivers received the lucky dog. The caution brought the first stops of the day and a good bit of strategy.

        Matt Kenseth was the only driver to decide to take fuel only while the rest of the leaders took two tires. Paul Menard was able to come out first after taking two tires. Ryan Newman, Clint Bowyer, Tony Stewart, and others originally stayed out, but they all came in the second time back around pit road. This left Paul Menard out front for the restart. The race went back green and immediately the field fanned out as Menard held onto the lead. It wasn't long before new contenders made their way to the front. On lap 20, Matt Kenseth took the lead from Menard as the field battled hard behind them. Kenseth stayed out front a few moments before Joey Logano took the lead for the first time on lap 22. Logano moved into a groove as drivers began to drop to the back of the pack to avoid a sure to be coming caution. Denny Hamlin began his ascent up through the field and he began battling Logano for the lead on lap 30. By lap 33, it was Hamlin's lead with Logano beginning to falter slightly. Hamlin began to battle for the lead with a few select drivers, but he remained the major player at the front. It wasn't long before Jimmie Johnson surmounted a charge and he took the lead on lap 41. Johnson led for a couple of circuits before Logano moved back to the front on lap 43 as the lead continued to change rapidly. Logano moved into a rhythm once again and he held the lead until the second caution waved on lap 50. Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track. Jamie McMurray received the lucky dog to gain a lap back. The caution flag stops brought a little bit of strategy. David Ragan took two tires while the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Kyle Busch was the first driver to make his way off of pit road. The race would enter its longest green flag stretch of the afternoon and it would be a battle for the drivers to keep it green.

        The race went back green and Joey Logano used the momentum on the outside of the track to take the lead from Kyle Busch. Busch looked to run away, but Greg Biffle quickly took the lead away from him in lap 57. Biffle took the lead and he began to hold onto it for a while. Laps clicked through the afternoon and the field continued to race hard as Biffle still remained the leader. They kept it clean, though, and the halfway point of the race came within about ten laps. As it approached, the drivers began to pick their partners for green flag pit stops. In a few laps, the first round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 91 with Biffle still on point. All the drivers began to make their way onto pit road and the stops cycled through quickly. All the stops went through cleanly and Biffle returned to the lead. Just as Biffle began to move back into another rhythm, the third caution of the race waved on lap 106 to end the green flag run. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog. The caution, due to its close proximity to green flag stops, brought some more strategy. Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Joey Logano, and others took fuel only while Kurt Busch and a few others took two tires. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was able to make his way off pit road first, which was met by joyous cheers from the crowd. The debris was cleaned up and the field was lined back up.

         The race went back green and the two lines on the restart began to battle side by side. Dale Earnhardt Jr. still remained the leader as others chased him down. Earnhardt held the lead a short time before Trevor Bayne was able to take the lead on lap 114 with the help of Ford teammate, Marcos Ambrose. Bayne began to battle with Earnhardt and the rest of the drivers at the front before Earnhardt took the lead back on lap 120. Just as Earnhardt took the lead, the field began to straighten out single file slightly. The single file action up front lasted a few laps before the outside line once again made a charge. On lap 135, Marcos Ambrose made his way to the lead as the race closed in on fifty long laps to go. Just as Ambrose took the lead, Brad Keselowski, who was still laps down and running with the pack, made a mistake that led to the fourth caution on lap 137 and the first big one of the day. 

        Keselowski broke loose in turn 4 right in front of Trevor Bayne. Keselowski went around and Bayne had nowhere to go, but into Keselowski's door. The two went up towards the wall and a few drivers were already there. Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Alex Bowman piled into the two and into the outside wall as they slid onto the frontstretch. Behind them, Cole Whitt ran into Brian Scott and Scott went towards the inside wall. Tony Stewart hit Scott while Michael Annett went for a spin. All drivers drove away with damage ranging from light to heavy. Jamie McMurray received the lucky dog. The huge accident and ensuing caution brought some more pit stops for the leaders and, for some, the last of the afternoon. Kyle Larson, Kevin Harvick, and others took fuel only while Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, and others took two tires and Dale Earnhardt Jr. took four tires. Greg Biffle, who led for a stretch earlier, was the first to come off pit road. The crash was cleaned up and the field was lined back up. The race went back green and Biffle was able to hold onto the lead as the thrashing pack behind him looked for the lead as the laps wound down. On lap 146, Dale Earnhardt Jr. managed to take the lead away. Earnhardt looked to move into a groove and take his second restrictor plate win of the year, but the fifth caution waved on lap 151. David Gilliland lost an engine on the backstretch. Smoke poured out of his Ford as he coasted to the edge of pit road. Gilliland's race was over after he had a chance for a good finish. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog to gain yet another lap back. The caution brought a few drivers down pit road to top off with fuel. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., and a few others decided to come down as they wanted to guarantee they could make it to the finish. Along with those drivers coming down, Kasey Kahne, Greg Biffle, and others stayed on track with Biffle remaining the leader. It would be interesting to see how the strategy worked for all the drivers as the end of the race approached. 

        The race went back green and Greg Biffle was able to hold onto the lead. The field began to battle hard and it looked like the pace was picking up as the race was close to finishing. A few drivers began to drop to the back, knowing a wreck was coming soon. Biffle held onto the lead until Brian Vickers managed to move in front on lap 161. Shortly after Vickers took the lead, he began to battle with Denny Hamlin and a newcomer to the front, Justin Allgaier, for the lead. These three drivers battled for a few laps before Kevin Harvick passed them all and took the lead on lap 168. Harvick began to move into a rhythm as the field battled two wide all the way around the speedway. Harvick looked to be in the lead for the remainder of the race, but the sixth caution of the race waved on lap 175 and the second big one of the event happened. Jimmie Johnson broke loose in turn 3. Johnson went down the track and made slight contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr, but the two saved it. Joey Logano stacked up behind Johnson and went up the track. Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell all piled into Logano and into the outside wall hard as they had nowhere to go. All the drivers were able to drive away after the contact, but each one had some damage that would cost them a chance for a good finish. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog to move within two laps of being back in contention with the leaders. The caution brought some more final stops for the leaders. Kasey Kahne, Carl Edwards, Ryan Newman, and others came down pit road for fuel and some tires to make the final run of the race. The leaders remained on the track. Now, only ten laps remained and they would be an action packed ten laps. 

        The field was lined back up and the race went green. Denny Hamlin made his resurgence back to the front and he took the lead from Kevin Harvick on the restart. Hamlin looked to move into the lead for good as the laps clicked away and the field looked restless behind him. Hamlin wouldn't make the rest of the way green as the seventh caution waved on lap 183. Carl Edwards had a tire problem entering turn 1. Edwards went around and up the track. He backed into the outside wall and Ryan Newman slammed into him. Cole Whitt spun harmlessly beneath them while the two above him drove away. Edwards had heavy damage, but Newman would be able to return to the event. Jamie McMurray received another lucky dog to move within a lap of returning to the lead group. The caution slowed the field and, with the clean up, the race would go back green with only two laps to go. Denny Hamlin lined up on the inside with Kevin Harvick above him and Greg Biffle right behind Hamlin. The drivers lined up two wide after the clean up and the race went back green for what would be the final time. As the field entered turn 1, Hamlin and Harvick were dead even. Both drivers looked for the lead, but they were still side by side as the field started to become reckless behind them. Hamlin began to pull away from Harvick as they entered and left turns 3 and 4. Hamlin passed through the trioval with the field behind him and the white flag in the air. As Hamlin passed the line, a wreck happened behind him. Ryan Newman bumped Alex Bowman and Bowman slid down into Jimmie Johnson. Johnson turned Bowman up into the wall and he made contact with the outside wall. At the same time, Cole Whitt sent Justin Allgaier around and Allgaier was able to save it, but a piece of his front bumper flew in the air. As all drivers drove away from the scene, the bumper landed right at the finish line. Meanwhile, Hamlin continued to hold the lead as a caution was looking like it was sure to come. Still, the field raced looking for an opportunity to make their move. Unfortunately, as the leaders hit the backstretch, the eighth and final caution waved on lap 188 after the white flag had already waved. This brought the race to a close and Denny Hamlin, who was leading, was given the win. It was a very deserving win for Hamlin after a struggling past year.

         The struggles of Denny Hamlin have been documented for months. His Auto Club wreck in 2013 put him on the sidelines for a couple of weeks before he made his return at Talladega, where he was taken out in place of a relief driver. He ran the full race at Darlington a week later and he managed to somehow finish third at a very tough track. That was the highlight for Hamlin for a couple of months as he finished terribly in almost every race. Finally, a glimmer of light was seen at the end of the tunnel. Hamlin was able to win the final race of 2013 at Homestead and things looked to be picking up. As this season started, he ran well and looked to be back on track. The Auto Club bug bit him again, though, and he missed the race after a piece of metal made its way into his eye. Amidst all those struggles and problems, Hamlin now has a win in 2014 and he is in the Chase. Greg Biffle led the most laps and was able to walk away with a very reassuring second place finish. Clint Bowyer and Brian Vickers, two Michael Waltrip Racing teammates, used the stay at the back strategy for most of the race, but they walked away third and fourth, respectively. A.J. Allmendinger kept his nose clean all day and took a very deserving fifth place finish. Behind them, some major contenders were left with bad finishes after crashes. Some of those include Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, Kurt Busch, Brad Keselowski, and a good many others. Like usual, the beast of Talladega claimed some victims and the point standings were shaken up a good bit. Jeff Gordon remained the points leader, but the margin closed significantly all the way through the top twenty. After a crazy and unpredictable race, the series will head back to a typical race track in Kansas Speedway. The action, of course, probably won't be typical, but you get the idea. It will still be an interesting race as the race moves to Saturday night for the first time ever after years of Sunday afternoon spring racing. Will Matt Kenseth take two straight spring race wins at Kansas, will Kevin Harvick win his second straight at Kansas, will Denny Hamlin continue his momentum, or will another driver manage to add a win or win their first race of the year? We will have to wait until this Saturday to find out these answers and a whole lot more.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 14- Danica Patrick bumped Brad Keselowski entering turn 1 and Keselowski went for a slide. He slid back up the track, but Terry Labonte and Trevor Bayne managed to avoid him while Jamie McMurray tore up his splitter while riding through the grass.

2nd Caution: Lap 50- Debris was spotted on the frontstretch of the track.

3rd Caution: Lap 106- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.

4th Caution: Lap 137- Brad Keselowski broke loose in turn 4. Trevor Bayne piled into him and they moved up the track. Paul Menard, Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth, and Alex Bowman piled into the wall while Brian Scott, Tony Stewart, and Cole Whitt began to spin and crash below these drivers.

5th Caution: Lap 151- David Gilliland lost an engine on the backstretch of the track.

6th Caution: Lap 175- Jimmie Johnson broke loose in turn 3 and made contact with Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Joey Logano stacked up behind Johnson and Reed Sorenson, David Ragan, Kurt Busch, and Michael McDowell piled into the wall and Logano.

7th Caution: Lap 183- Carl Edwards had a tire problem in turn 1. He went up the track and piled into the wall while Ryan Newman ran into him. Cole Whitt also spun below them.

8th Caution: Lap 188- Ryan Newman bumped Alex Bowman on the frontstretch and he made contact with Jimmie Johnson. Bowman made contact with the outside wall while Cole Whitt bumped Justin Allgaier and Allgaier left some debris on track.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: Jamie McMurray
3rd Caution: Jamie McMurray
4th Caution: Jamie McMurray
5th Caution: Jamie McMurray
6th Caution: Jamie McMurray
7th Caution: Jamie McMurray
8th Caution: None

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Denny Hamlin
2nd: Greg Biffle
3rd: Clint Bowyer
4th: Brian Vickers
5th: A.J. Allmendinger

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Kevin Harvick
8th: Kasey Kahne
12th: Kyle Busch
22nd: Danica Patrick
23rd: Jimmie Johnson
26th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
30th: Carl Edwards
32nd: Joey Logano
33rd: Kurt Busch
37th: Matt Kenseth
38th: Brad Keselowski
39th: Jeff Gordon
43rd: Tony Stewart




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/standings.live.html
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014_Aarons_499/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/c87a856e114efd6e3e76c2aeb973e40d883e3158/c=0-32-3184-2426&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/05/04//1399251439000-5-4-14-denny-hamlin-column.jpg

Denny Hamlin Grabs the Pole at Bristol With a New Track Record

         With a track record breaking time of 14.761 seconds (129.991 mph), Denny Hamlin was able to steal the pole from Team Penske and the rest of the Cup field at Bristol. Denny Hamlin, who had troubles in this race one year ago, was the class of the field in both of the qualifying rounds. In the first round, he ran one single lap and it was good enough for third fastest on the board. In the second round, one lap was good enough for the track record and his first pole position of the season in NASCAR's highest series. Team Penske, who was looking to sweep the front row for the third straight week with drivers Joey Logano and Brad Keselowski, fell just short of a third straight sweep. But the session wasn't terrible for them. Keselowski walked away starting second while Logano will start in the top five in fourth position on Sunday. Others were at the far end of the spectrum in terms of qualifying. Three of the four Stewart-Haas Racing drivers are starting twenty seventh or worse and two of the four are starting outside the top 35. They will definitely be in for a fight with a few other drivers in the back. Still, this qualifying session was great. Just the prospect of forty five cars running around at Bristol going as fast as possible is action waiting to happen especially when each of these cars is trying to run faster than the other. Of course, the session turned out to be full of action and suspense as well.

        The session brought two rounds with the first round containing thirty minutes to battle for the top twelve spots. Alex Bowman was the first driver to make it on track. He ran a decent lap, but others would be in the battle for the pole position. Kurt Busch quickly took the first position in the round in the early minutes. Brad Keselowski took it three minutes into the round just a few seconds after Marcos Ambrose had jumped to the top of the board. A minute later, Kyle Busch bumped Keselowski to second thanks to a quick lap. Before Busch could be comfortable at the top, Ryan Newman blasted to the top. Newman held it for a few minutes before Joey Logano went out and blistered Newman's current fast lap. The action at the top of the board began to calm down for the moment, but the battle was still raging for twelfth behind the top qualifiers of the first round. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kurt Busch, Matt Kenseth, and others began to battle hard for twelfth. Pretty soon, only ten minutes remained with Kenseth holding onto twelfth. The minutes began to tick away as cars were cooling on pit road to run more laps to take the top spot or make it into the top twelve. Soon, five minutes were left on the board with Kenseth still holding the transfer spot. Cars just outside of the top twelve began to flood the speedway with a few minutes left, but they each fell short of Kenseth's time. Dale Earnhardt Jr. came out with about a minute left and he was the last hope to bump Kenseth out. Earnhardt's run looked clean, but he stayed in fourteenth and a few hundredths behind Kenseth. The red and black flag waved and the top twelve drivers were set. Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, Denny Hamlin, Ryan Newman, Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Marcos Ambrose, Greg Biffle, Matt Kenseth, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, and Kyle Busch moved on to the second and final round while Kurt Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others barely missed the top twelve. This left one ten minute fight between twelve of the world's best race car drivers at the one of the smallest tracks on NASCAR's schedule.

        Kyle Busch was the first driver out on track to start the second round. He ran a quick lap and was the early polesitter for the second round, but the pole would quickly switch around. With about five minutes left on the clock, most of the field began to come out on track. Brad Keselowski jumped to the top of the board. About a minute later, his teammate, Joey Logano, jumped to the top of the board. It looked like another Team Penske sweep was in the makings, but Denny Hamlin said not so fast. He blistered the field with a track record speed and he jumped to the top of the board easily just seconds later. He had four minutes to hold onto the pole, but they would be a long four minutes. His teammate, Matt Kenseth, jumped to second about a minute later, but Hamlin was still on point. Cars began to come out for their second runs, but Hamlin only needed to survive a minute. Drivers tried hard to grab the pole, but it wasn't happening. The red and black flag waved a final time and Hamlin was still on top of the board. This gave him his first pole of the season in blistering fashion over the Cup field. It was great revenge for Hamlin at the track where his season unraveled one year ago.

        This time last year, Denny Hamlin's season was looking pretty good. He already had a top five three races in and he was sitting in fourth place in points. Then, it all unraveled at Bristol. Hamlin made slight contact with former teammate, Joey Logano, and contact with the wall for Logano caused a pushing and shoving match between the two teams after the race. One week later at Auto Club, the conflict exploded. Coming to the checkered, Logano and Hamlin made contact battling for the win. Hamlin slid down track and slammed the wall with tremendous force. Logano coasted to a top five with damage, but Hamlin was hurt. He had a compression fracture in his back and he would miss a few races. This conflict put his season on the rocks and it ended with a glimmer of hope as he walked away the race winner at Homestead. Now, Hamlin is back at Bristol for retribution. He starts on pole and he seems to have a good enough car to take the victory. Plus, Hamlin wants this win badly. Joey Logano isn't far away, though. He will roll off fourth and he will surely be close to Hamlin when all is said and done. Also, expect drivers like Brad Keselowski, Kasey Kahne, Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch, and many others to be up front when the race nears a close. It certainly won't be a easy fight. Drivers will have to lose some tempers to take home the checkered flag and we know for a certain fact someone won't be happy when the checkered flag waves on Sunday. The only question is: who will be that angry driver? The series will be ready for that battle on Sunday. Will Kasey Kahne take two in a row in the Bristol Spring race, will Matt Kenseth repeat after his triumph in the fall, will Denny Hamlin redeem himself, or will another driver walk away with the trophy? We will have to wait until Sunday to find out.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Top 5 Qualifiers (With Times):
1st: Denny Hamlin     14.761 (129.991 mph)
2nd: Brad Keselowski     14.764 (129.965 mph)
3rd: Matt Kenseth     14.866 (129.073 mph)
4th: Joey Logano     14.894 (128.830 mph)
5th: Marcos Ambrose     14.906 (128.727 mph)

Notables Not in Top 5 (With Times):
6th: Jeff Gordon     14.962 (128.245 mph)
7th: Kyle Busch     14.972 (128.159 mph)
10th: Kasey Kahne      15.027 (127.690 mph)
11th: Jimmie Johnson     15.063 (127.385 mph)
13th: Kurt Busch     14.953 (128.322 mph)*
14th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.     14.959 (128.271 mph)*
27th: Kevin Harvick      15.056 (127.444 mph)*
36th: Danica Patrick      15.153 (126.628 mph)
37th: Tony Stewart      15.163 (126.545 mph)
(*: These three drivers were faster than some of those in the top twelve, but they did not advance from the first round and couldn't battle for those positions.)

DNQs (With Times):
44th: David Reutimann     15.154 (126.620 mph)#
45th: Dave Blaney      15.330 (125.166 mph)
(#: Reutimann was faster than most of the drivers outside the top thirty six, but he was not high enough in Owner's Points to make the race.)




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-qualification.html
http://racing-reference.info/getqualify/2014-04/W
-Image:
http://www.gannett-cdn.com/-mm-/586e512e65cce53c1380dca4a88078849a2ab79a/c=252-53-760-434&r=x404&c=534x401/local/-/media/USATODAY/USATODAY/2014/03/14//1394838642000-hamlinpole.jpg

Denny Hamlin Starts Off 2014 Strong With a Thrilling Sprint Unlimited Win

        After leading at the finish of the first two segments of the 2014 Sprint Unlimited, Denny Hamlin was able to take his lead back near the end of the third segment and cruise to victory in the opening event of the NASCAR season: the Sprint Unlimited. Hamlin's 2013 was much publicized as the worst of his NASCAR career. A back injury in the Auto Club race last season left him out of his car for a couple of weeks. Once he returned, he wasn't the same Denny Hamlin and he struggled throughout the year. Hamlin finally began to turn his luck around in the Chase and a rewarding win in the finale at Homestead put him on the right track heading into this year. The race itself was filled with a good many crazy moments and huge wrecks. A huge wreck erupted in the second segment, which left half of the field out of the race. Jimmie Johnson also had trouble at the end of the first segment and ended his night. Plus, the pace car caught on fire at one point during the event. Yes, the pace car caught on fire and Juan Pablo Montoya was nowhere to be found. All kidding aside, the incident did not result in any injuries, but it was still very scary. All in all, this was one of the better Sprint Unlimited races in recent memory.

       Denny Hamlin started on the pole. The fans voted to set the starting line-up based on final practice speeds for the exhibition event. Hamlin was fastest and, thus, he started on point. The fans also voted for the segment format for the seventy five lap event. They decided to run a thirty lap first segment, a twenty five lap second segment, and a twenty lap dash for the third segment. All this would culminate in a great race and a lone winner. The drivers lined up side by side for the first time of the year and Hamlin took the green flag. He roared around the track and made it back to the flag to lead the first lap. On lap 2, Jamie McMurray sped past Hamlin and took his first lead on the night. The field then moved to the outside lane and ran single file for a few select laps. On lap 11, Kyle Busch moved out of the outside line and took the lead from McMurray. Shortly after that, a line began to form on the inside with Kevin Harvick leading it. The inside line pushed Harvick to the lead on lap 17. The outside and inside lines began to battle hard with the lead switching just about every lap as the first segment neared a close. Denny Hamlin took the lead outright on lap 24 with only six laps remaining. The laps clicked down and Hamlin held the lead as the field made its way down the backstretch looking for the end of the segment. One driver would not make it to the end of the first segment and his night would end in disaster.

        Coming out of turn 4 to take the segment ending caution flag, Jimmie Johnson broke loose behind Denny Hamlin. Johnson's car went straight down the track as the field raced behind him. He worked hard to corral his car as the inside wall neared. Johnson slowed down significantly, but he made huge contact with the inside wall. He slid up the race track and came to a stop on the frontstretch grass. He had received heavy damage and he wouldn't return to the race. The wreck resulted in the first caution of the race on lap 29 and the subsequent end to the first segment of the event. Jamie McMurray, who had an overheating problem throughout the first segment, was able to get back on the lead lap. The end of the segment also brought a little bit of strategy with the first pit stops of the race. Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon, and Danica Patrick took fuel only with Kevin Harvick taking two tires and the rest of the drivers taking four tires. It would be interesting to see how this strategy played out for all of these drivers.

        The race went back green and Jeff Gordon was able to hold onto the lead after his pit stop strategy call. He wouldn't hold the lead long as Brad Keselowski used his strategy to move to the point on lap 32. On lap 35, Denny Hamlin made it back to the lead just before the second caution of the race waved on lap 36. Matt Kenseth went down on Joey Logano in the trioval. Kenseth went around and back up the track into Tony Stewart. Stewart went up the track towards the wall with Jeff Gordon on his bumper. The two piled hard into Carl Edwards just Kurt Busch piled into Gordon. Danica Patrick went around on the apron of the track just as Ricky Stenhouse Jr. slammed into Kurt Busch's back bumper. Stewart, Gordon, and Busch sat wedged against each other just as Stenhouse drove away. Stenhouse wouldn't make it far as he piled into Danica Patrick due to a blocked windshield. Every single driver involved was left with huge amounts of damage and none would return. Luckily, everybody climbed out of their cars after the very vicious wreck. The wreck resulted in a red flag, but all the teams were able to work on their cars. The wreck was cleaned up and the race went back green with Denny Hamlin hanging onto the lead. He wouldn't hold the lead too long as Joey Logano passed him on lap 44. Hamlin quickly surged back and took the lead on lap 46. Hamlin held onto the lead until the third caution of the race waved on lap 55. The caution waved to signal the end of the second segment. The fans decided to order the field to start the third segment based on where they came out after a mandatory two tire pit stop before the start of the segment. It would be interesting to see if the stops decided the race winner.

        Ryan Newman decided to take four tires while the rest of the drivers left in the race took only the required two tires. Denny Hamlin made it out first and he was in the lead as nine drivers took the green flag for the final segment. Jamie McMurray was able to take the lead from Hamlin as the race went back green. The nine drivers began to race hard as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead on lap 57. Earnhardt held the lead just as the fourth caution of the event waved on lap 60. Kyle Busch tried to cut down the track in front of Brad Keselowski in turn 4, but the two made contact. Busch went down the track and spun around. He managed to maneuver his car enough to save it and only receive damage when he plowed through the grass. Busch would make it back on track to continue the event. None of the drivers came to pit road and the race was able to get back underway with Dale Earnhardt Jr. leading the field. Joey Logano was able to quickly take away the lead as the small field began to battle looking for the win. The battling became very heated and the fifth and final caution of the race waved on lap 65. Marcos Ambrose bumped Dale Earnhardt Jr. entering turn 1. Earnhardt went up the track and slammed into Ambrose. Both piled hard into the outside wall, but each drove away. Earnhardt was not too happy with Ambrose as they bumped on the backstretch. Earnhardt's damage was too heavy to return, but Ambrose would make his way back on track. None of the drivers came to pit road for tires and the line-up stayed the same. This left the race with only five laps to decide who would take home the first trophy of 2014. 

         The race went back green and Joey Logano was able to hold onto the lead. The eight cars left on track began to battle extremely hard coming down the stretch. A blanket could be thrown on top of all eight just as Brad Keselowski took the lead on lap 72. Cars began to shuffle from back to front and run three wide just as the race went to three laps to go. Keselowski hoped to stay in front, but Denny Hamlin was coming. He made his way to the lead with only two laps remaining. He began to cruise away from the field and took the white flag with a huge mass of roaring cars behind him. He made it smoothly through turns 1 and 2 with only Brad Keselowski pulling in closer to him. He passed through turns 3 and 4 with the lead and no one in position to pass him. Hamlin sailed through the trioval and took the first checkered flag of the 2014 NASCAR season. Hamlin was thrilled with winning a race to start off the season and he hopes to keep the momentum going throughout the year.

        Only in NASCAR racing can you see an exhibition race filled with as much excitement and crazy moments as the actual events during the year. Wrecks, crazy racing, and a great finish are not off limits at Daytona even in an exhibition race like this one. This race holds a good bit more status this year than maybe in years past. The Duel races that set the field for the Daytona 500 will be held at night with pretty much the exact same characteristics as this Saturday night fight. All of the nineteen drivers involved will be starting in the Daytona 500 and will be battling hard much like they did in this very race. It just goes to show that when NASCAR holds an exhibition event, it means just as much as a points paying race. This race was also a big boost to the confidence of Tony Stewart and Denny Hamlin. Hamlin needed this momentum boost to get his 2014 started off with a bang to make sure a repeat of 2013 doesn't happen. Stewart needed this race that didn't mean anything in the end to jump back in a racecar for the first time since breaking his leg in a terrible sprint car crash last August. These two drivers amazing runs in this race could make them legitimate contenders in retribution years. Plus, the rest of the top tier drivers look good as they always do. It will definitely be an interesting time when the annual Daytona 500 goes green next Sunday. Will Denny Hamlin be able to repeat at Daytona, will another notable driver take victory, will Austin Dillon defy all odds and take a win in the famous number three, or will an underdog driver take an extremely memorable Daytona 500 win? This race was just a taste of all those things and we will have these questions answered in just one lone week.
(More Stats Down Below!)




Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap 29- Jimmie Johnson got loose exiting turn 4 and slammed the inside wall.

2nd Caution: Lap 36- Matt Kenseth went down on Joey Logano in the trioval and went around on track. Kenseth went up the track and collected Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr., and Danica Patrick along the frontstretch.

3rd Caution: Lap 55- End of the second segment of the exhibition event.

4th Caution: Lap 60- Kyle Busch spun around in turn 4 after contact with Brad Keselowski.

5th Caution: Lap 65- Marcos Ambrose bumped Dale Earnhardt Jr. entering turn 1 and the two made contact with the outside wall.

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Denny Hamlin
2nd: Brad Keselowski
3rd: Kyle Busch
4th: Joey Logano
5th: Kevin Harvick

Notables Not in Top 5:
9th: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
10th: Matt Kenseth
11th: Tony Stewart
12th: Jeff Gordon
14th: Kurt Busch
16th: Danica Patrick
17th: Jimmie Johnson




Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://racing-reference.info/race/2014-01/X
-Image:
http://a.espncdn.com/media/motion/2014/0215/dm_140215_nscs_sprint_highlight/dm_140215_nscs_sprint_highlight.jpg

Denny Hamlin Ends a Tumultuous Season With a Win While Jimmie Johnson Takes His Sixth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Championship

           After injuring his back at California and missing a few races, Denny Hamlin encountered a lot of bad luck during the season, but he changed his momentum with a win in the final race of the season. More importantly, Jimmie Johnson held off trouble late to take his sixth Sprint Cup Championship over Matt Kenseth. Hamlin had a great race car all night long, but he took the lead from Dale Earnhardt Jr. after the final restart to take the win. Jimmie Johnson coasted to the finish line ninth for his sixth title, but that does not tell the whole story of an accident that almost cost him the title. On the restart after the sixth caution, Jeff Gordon stacked up the field. Matt Kenseth slowed down behind him and Jimmie Johnson came rushing in. Johnson hit Kenseth in the back bumper and fell back. His left front began to smoke and it was feared that he would have to come down pit road. The smoke ceased and he stayed on the track. The damage was not enough to take the title away, but it sure scared everybody. Matt Kenseth did everything he could to win the title, but it was just wasn't enough. He led the most laps and finished second, but he still could not capitalize on Johnson to take the title. Kevin Harvick also missed out on his opportunity, but he tried hard to do it. Along with this championship battle, the race was amazing. There were spins, drivers hitting the wall, drivers running three and four wide, and a tire that exploded in the pits after it caught fire. Yes, a tire exploded in the pits. Luckily, nobody was hurt, but it was definitely really weird. All in all, the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season ended with an amazing fight for the win and the championship.

       Matt Kenseth started on the pole. The pole position definitely added some pressure to Jimmie Johnson's points lead since he was starting a little bit farther back. If Kenseth could lead the most laps and win, it would definitely add to his hopes of winning the title over Johnson. The race went green and Kenseth was able to lead the first lap. Kenseth drove away from the field as the first caution of the race waved on lap 11. Travis Kvapil hit the wall in turn 3. He rode the wall out of turn 3 and pulled off entering turn 4. He made it to pit road, but he had a good bit of damage. No drivers received the lucky dog. The race was filled with strategy calls and this caution was not different. Denny Hamlin stayed out while Matt Kenseth, Kevin Harvick, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and others took two tires and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. It would be interesting to see if Kenseth and Harvick could move up on Jimmie Johnson with this strategy. The race went back green and Kevin Harvick took the lead after a short battle with Matt Kenseth. Kenseth would not stay behind Harvick long as he took the lead on lap 16. Kenseth held the lead as the second caution waved on lap 23. Travis Kvapil broke loose and went for a spin down the track in turn 3. He kept the car off the wall and pulled into pit road, but he still had a lot of damage from his previous incident. No drivers received the lucky dog. A good bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Kevin Harvick, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch, and others took two tires while Jimmie Johnson, Matt Kenseth, and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. It would be interesting to see if Harvick could make a gain on Johnson with his strategy.

       The race went back green and Kurt Busch took the lead after only taking two tires. Busch would not hold the lead long as Matt Kenseth took the lead on lap 32. Kenseth ran away from the field as the drivers who took two tires started to fall deep in the pack. Kenseth held the lead with Jimmie Johnson behind him as the first round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 66. The stops would be cut short by the third caution of the race on lap 68. Debris was spotted in turn 4 on the track. Parker Kligerman received the lucky dog. Only a few drivers had pitted so the running order wasn't too shaken up by the caution. All the lead lap drivers came to pit road for four tires with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. The race went back green and Matt Kenseth held the lead. Kenseth began running away from the field once again as the fourth caution waved on lap 89. Dave Blaney got loose in turn 2. He spun down the track and towards the infield. He stopped the car on the apron of the track and made it to pit road without receiving damage. Danica Patrick received the lucky dog. All the lead lap drivers decided to come down pit road once again for four tires with Matt Kenseth coming out as the leader. Kenseth continued to dominate in the race and he was doing everything to win the title, but Jimmie Johnson was still right there.

        The race went back green and Kenseth held onto the lead after a short battle with teammate, Kyle Busch. Kenseth cruised away from the field after the battle with Busch and Johnson stayed close behind him in the top 5. Meanwhile, Kevin Harvick, the other contender for the title, began to fall rapidly. His car was extremely tight and he finally decided it was too much to handle and came to pit road on lap 118. His team replaced the tires and made an adjustment, but only time would tell if they had fixed it. Kenseth continued to blister the field on the track, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Denny Hamlin were coming. The two began to make a charge at Kenseth as the second round of green flag pit stops of the race began on lap 140. Denny Hamlin beat Kenseth out of the pits, but Earnhardt took the lead after he pitted a lap or two before the Joe Gibbs Racing teammates. Junior would hold the lead until the fifth caution waved on lap 152. Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track. Danica Patrick received the lucky dog. Another round of strategy occurred during the caution. Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth, and Kyle Busch took two tires while Jimmie Johnson and the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Kenseth was looking for every way to get away from Johnson and this just might do it.

         The race went back green and Kenseth held the lead. Kenseth ran away for a few laps before his teammate, Denny Hamlin, chased him down and passed him for the lead on lap 167. Hamlin cruised away and held the lead until the sixth caution waved on lap 189. Debris was spotted on the track in turn 3. Kasey Kahne, who had just made an unscheduled pit stop under green, received the lucky dog. All the lead lap drivers came to pit road with Denny Hamlin coming out as the leader. Hamlin looked like he had finally righted the ship on a terrible season, but would he stay out front? We would have to wait and see, but the restart almost caused a terrible problem for Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.

        The race went back green and Denny Hamlin held the lead, but chaos would erupt behind him. Jeff Gordon spun his tires next to Hamlin with Matt Kenseth right behind Gordon. Kenseth got on the brakes and avoided, but Jimmie Johnson was right behind him. Johnson barely hit Kenseth and went to the outside to avoid further contact. The field began to run three and four wide behind them as Kenseth got going, but Johnson was smoking a little bit. He rode out of turn 2 with a little smoke, but the smoke ceased into turn 3. He would be able to stay out for the moment, but he would need a break to avoid a possible championship loss with a flat tire sure to happen. Hamlin continued to lead the field until the seventh caution waved on lap 206. Paul Menard, who was also involved in the stack up on the restart, lost a tire entering turn 1. The tire caused a good bit of damage, but he made it to pit road without hitting the wall and returned to the race. Jeff Burton received the lucky dog. A little bit of strategy occurred during the caution. Kevin Harvick took two tires while the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Harvick had practically been eliminated from the title battle, but he was still holding onto that one chance to make it back in the hunt.

         The race went back green and Harvick held onto the lead as the field fanned out behind him. He would only hold the lead for a few laps before Brad Keselowski took it away on lap 214. Keselowski tried to cruise away, but Dale Earnhardt Jr. chased him down and took the lead on lap 225. Earnhardt would hold the lead as the eighth and final caution waved on lap 230. Paul Menard's right rear tire began to burn down the backstretch. He made it around to pit road and reached a stop in his pit box. His team went to put the fire out with an extinguisher, but something crazy happened. The tire completely exploded next to Menard's team. His crew and the NASCAR officials cowered back as smoke and flames poured out of Menard's right rear. They got the flames put out and the wheel had been blown completely off. Everyone was okay, but it was a very scary sight for the whole team. Marcos Ambrose received the lucky dog. The final piece of strategy occurred during the caution. Kurt Busch took only two tires while the rest of the lead lap drivers took four tires. Matt Kenseth was ahead of Jimmie Johnson, but Kenseth was not far enough ahead to take the championship. It would be interesting to see if Johnson fell back and allowed Kenseth to take the title. 

         The race went back green and the field fanned out as Dale Earnhardt Jr. took the lead from Denny Hamlin. It looked like Earnhardt was in prime position to take his first win of the year, but Hamlin had other plans. He took the lead back from Earnhardt on lap 243 and pulled away, but Matt Kenseth was right there. He had moved away from Johnson, but he still wasn't in place for the title. Kenseth and Earnhardt ran behind Hamlin, but neither one could take the advantage. Eventually, only five laps remained and Hamlin had all ready taken the win unless a caution would wave. It didn't and he took the white flag. Hamlin cruised through the corners as Jimmie Johnson cruised in ninth around the track. He had locked up the title just as Hamlin crossed the line to take the win. Now, Hamlin had his win to end the season and Johnson had his sixth career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. It was the end of the 2013 season and it had ended like five seasons had between 2006 and 2010 with Jimmie Johnson holding the title. 

         What a year it was for Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Johnson started the season with a Daytona 500 victory in February and he ended the season with six wins and his sixth title. Even though Matt Kenseth fell short of the title, it was still a great and record setting season for the veteran. He took seven wins and a chance at a title all the way to Homestead. It was even more impressive since it was his first season with Joe Gibbs Racing. With all the success they had in the opening campaign, it should be very interesting to watch them next year in 2014. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. also took an award in the final race of the season: rookie of the year. Stenhouse was unable to find victory in his freshman year, but he did find the top 10 a couple of times late in the season. It should be very interesting to watch him grow and mature in the next few years in the highest level of NASCAR. What a 2013 season it was for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. There were crazy wrecks, close finishes, amazing fights, tough interviews after the race, and a lot of chaos in the Chase. This year will be remembered as the controversy at Richmond, but it was so much more than that. The Homestead race only ended two hours ago, but I am so ready for the 2014 Daytona 500. It is less than a hundred days away, but that is way too long. Nonetheless, this offseason will be a time to prepare and a time to look ahead. A lot of questions will also be created. Will Jimmie Johnson take his seventh championship next year, will Matt Kenseth win the title in his second year with Joe Gibbs Racing, or will another driver take hold on the series? We will have to wait until February to begin answering these questions.
(More Stats Down Below!)





Cautions:
1st Caution: Lap11- Travis Kvapil hit the wall in turn 3.

2nd Caution: Lap 23- Travis Kvapil broke loose in turn 3 and went for a spin down the track.

3rd Caution: Lap 68- Debris was spotted in turn 4 of the track.

4th Caution: Lap 89- Dave Blaney got loose in turn 2 and went for a spin down the track. 

5th Caution: Lap 152- Debris was spotted on the backstretch of the track.

6th Caution: Lap 189- Debris was spotted in turn 3 of the track.

7th Caution: Lap 206- Paul Menard lost a tire in turn 1 and had some damage. 

8th Caution: Lap 230- Paul Menard's right rear tire began to burn on the backstretch. The tire blew up when he made it to pit road, but everybody was okay.

Lucky Dogs:
1st Caution: None
2nd Caution: None
3rd Caution: Parker Kligerman
4th Caution: Danica Patrick
5th Caution: Danica Patrick
6th Caution: Kasey Kahne
7th Caution: Jeff Burton 
8th Caution: Marcos Ambrose

Top 5 Finishers:
1st: Denny Hamlin
2nd: Matt Kenseth
3rd: Dale Earnhardt Jr.
4th: Martin Truex Jr.
5th: Clint Bowyer

Notables Not in Top 5:
7th: Kyle Busch
8th: Joey Logano
9th: Jimmie Johnson
10th: Kevin Harvick
11th: Jeff Gordon
12th: Carl Edwards
13th: Kasey Kahne
17th: Ryan Newman
21st: Kurt Busch
24th: Greg Biffle





Credits:
-My Own Notes
-Statistics:
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/leaderboard/leaderboard-live.html
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/lapbylap/view-all-laps.html?intid=lapbylap_lapbylapleaderboard_08292013
http://www.nascar.com/en_us/sprint-cup-series/live-standings.html?intid=livestandings_livestandingsleaderboard_08292013
http://racing-reference.info/race/2013_Ford_EcoBoost_400/W
-Images:
https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/402252210194501632/photo/1
https://twitter.com/NASCAR/status/402230677749248000/photo/1