Hamlin Gets Coveted First Win at Martinsville

By HANK KURZ Jr.
AP Sports Writerhttp://www.wsls.com/images/uploads/0330martinsvillerace.gif
Published: March 30, 2008

MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) - Denny Hamlin hopes he’s finally put his
frustration behind him, not only at Martinsville Speedway, but
throughout the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
“It’s just been so close so many times and to finally break
through here, it definitely means a lot,” Hamlin said Sunday after
he foiled Jeff Burton’s late-race pit strategy and won the Goody’s
500. “It feels like maybe the monkey is off our back.”
Hamlin had twice finished in the top three on the smallest,
tightest track in the series, and said he felt like bad luck had
let several other wins slip away, too.
At Atlanta three weeks ago, he had just moved into second place
when his power steering failed. Then in the last race at Bristol, a
fuel pickup problem on the restart of a two-lap sprint to the
finish cost him a chance to win, and he finished sixth.
“I definitely feel like maybe this is the turning point for our
team,” he said.
For 389 laps, the race looked like it would be another victory
for Hendrick Motorsports at the track it has dominated by winning
eight of the last 10 races.
Hendrick drivers led 371 of those laps, but Hamlin and fellow
Virginia native Jeff Burton made decisions under the next-to-last
caution that allowed them to move up front.
Hamlin then ruined Burton’s decision to stay out while the rest
of the leaders pitted, passing him on the 427th lap and holding on
for his fourth career victory.
“We timed it perfectly,” Hamlin said. “We got to the front
when it counted.”
Jeff Gordon rallied to finish second, followed by Burton, Jimmie
Johnson and Tony Stewart. Johnson had won three straight at
Martinsville heading into the race.
Hamlin had a great view of the last one, finishing third, and
had shown several times recently here that he was among the few
that could run with the Hendrick teams.
“First Virginia win for me,” he said in Victory Lane.
“Finally. The curse is over, I think. I hope. We’ve had such bad
luck over these first few weeks.”
Hamlin arrived 15th in the point standings; he moved up to
eighth.
“It finally feels good to come here and get a win,” said
Hamlin, a native of Chester. “Can’t wait, man. This is a sign of
things to come, I believe.”
Gordon, seeking his eighth victory at Martinsville, was
satisfied.
“It came down to pit strategy, and Denny and those guys
definitely did the right strategy,” he said, believing Hamlin had
taken two tires with 111 laps to go.
When Gordon headed for pit road on lap 389, Burton was running
second and decided to stay out. Most of the front-runners also
pitted, including Hamlin, but he just stopped for fuel while the
rest took tires, allowing him to beat Gordon off pit road.
Hamlin made quick work of the cars between his and Burton’s,
pulling onto Burton’s bumper with 75 laps to go. He moved inside to
challenge for the lead on the next lap, then did it again with 73
laps to go, passing Burton to take the lead for good.
He won by 0.398 seconds.
Gordon passed Burton with less than seven laps to go, and the
normally mild-mannered and diplomatic Burton was left seething
about rookie Michael McDowell’s conduct.
“We had one driver that I thought was real inconsiderate,”
Burton said of McDowell, who was making his series debut for
Michael Waltrip Racing. In Burton’s mind, McDowell should have been
better about getting out of the way of the contenders at the end.
“He better learn some manners or he’s going to get taught,”
Burton said.
Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Hendrick led a race-high 146 laps, but saw
his winless streak stretch to 68 races. Johnson led 135 and Gordon,
the pole-sitter, led 90 laps.
“Our car was unbelievable in the first half of the race,”
Gordon said. But after taking tires late, “the car just never took
off,” he said, until it was too late.
The race also went well for Jamie McMurray, who arrived 36th in
points and having to race his way into the field. He did that,
qualifying fifth, and then backed it up, running up front most of
the day before finishing eighth. He’s now 30th in points.