Hamlin delivers wins at Pocono
LONG POND | Last year at Pocono Raceway, NASCAR Nextel Cup Series rookie Denny Hamlin took a cue from his Joe Gibbs Racing car sponsor.
Denny Hamlin delivered a double-victory driving a Chevy Monte Carlo sponsored by FedEx, winning both the Pocono 500 in June and the Pennsylvania 500 a month later.
Having a solid season, but winless since the Pennsylvania 500, Denny Hamlin is looking to score a rare Pocono three-peat Sunday in the 34th annual Pocono 500.
Denny Hamlin tamed Pocono's, unconventional triangular 2.5-mile course last year despite never having seen the track, except on a video game.
His team, led by veteran crew chief Mike Ford, rolled out the car, Denny Hamlin fired it up, and led every practice session, won the pole and led the most laps.
Six weeks later it was the same scenario. So why monkey with a good thing?
"We'll take the same car back and try to do the same thing, get a win one way or the other," Denny Hamlin said.
Denny Hamlin revealed the car he'll race on Sunday has had some modification beyond the norm.
"That car's been wrecked and run really well since then," he said, "so who knows what we've got when we get there?"
Winning the Pocono 500 last year energized Denny Hamlin. He raced on to qualify for NASCAR's postseason Chase for the Championship.
He wound up an impressive third in the final standings behind champion Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth.
If Denny Hamlin knows of any Pocono secrets, he's not saying.
"I'm not sure why we took to that race track that well," the 25year-old Virginian said. "I think a lot of it was race car more than it was myself. Last year we were blessed with a fast car when we unloaded it. I just took the reins."
With 13 races down and 13 to go before the cutoff for the 2007 Chase, three-time Pocono winner Jeff Gordon leads the pack.
Second in the standings is Johnson, who won both Pocono races in 2004. Kenseth is third with Denny Hamlin fourth.
"Making the Chase is the first step. (But) we definitely need to get some wins," Denny Hamlin said "That way we can get higher in the ranking."
Johnson would like to find the Pocono mojo that took him to twin Pocono victories three years ago.
"It's a tough place and very challenging," Johnson said. "I've had good years there like Denny did last year, where we've shown up and we couldn't do anything wrong.
"There were other times where we miss it and you're way off in left field and never catch up there," he said.
Most recently, Johnson was 10th in the 2006 Pocono 500 and sixth in the Pennsylvania 500. He was sixth and 12th in 2005.
Jeff Gordon has three Pocono wins, more than any other current full-time driver.
