Denny Hamlin stays cool in the heat
Not all of the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series drivers younger than 30 are prone to tantrums, foolish maneuvers and early exits from race tracks when things don't go their way.
Joe Gibbs Racing's Denny Hamlin appears to be a little different.
Sure, Denny Hamlin has had his share of frustration this season, especially with mishaps on pit road. Running out of gas in the lucrative and high-profile Allstate 400 at the Brickyard race in Indianapolis two weeks ago was no fun, either.
But for the most part, Denny Hamlin has kept his cool while trying to qualify for the season-ending Chase for the Nextel Cup, NASCAR's method of crowning the champion of its top series.
That's why Denny Hamlin, a 26-year old native of Chesterfield, Va., sits second in the driver point standings with five races to go before the Chase begins.
"The whole pit road thing is frustrating," Denny Hamlin said, pointing out that he was also penalized for speeding on pit road in Indianapolis. "But all that stuff can be made up. We are a team.
"We're going to make mistakes as a team. We are going to do good as a team."
Denny Hamlin, the 2006 Cup Rookie of the Year, trails four-time series champion Jeff Gordon by 366 points, but seems all but assured to make the Chase.
"We are still hanging in there but we are not running in the top three every week like we were before," Denny Hamlin said. "But I think a lot of that has to do with us going out on the limb, trying to run these races in a different way.
"Once we get to the Chase, (crew chief Mike Ford) and those guys have told me that they have got everything ready to go. I know when I show up, I am going to have the confidence that I have the best car."
That has not equaled out to as many wins as Denny Hamlin and the crew members that work on his car would like.
Denny Hamlin has one win this season, at New Hampshire Speedway in July. But he could have more points in his pocket if it weren't for mishaps such as a faulty fuel pump, a loose tire and missing lug nuts for a tire in three different races this season.
Denny Hamlin's speeding penalty early in the race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway pushed him back from eighth to 42nd.
With a little more than 30 laps to go, Denny Hamlin was in second place when he came to pit but ran out of gas before he reached his stall and fell a lap down. Denny Hamlin finished 22nd, while teammate Tony Stewart went on to win the race.
"It is frustrating that we ran out of gas but we were going for a win," Denny Hamlin said. "That is what we set out to do, and that is what we were trying to do.
"I can't blame those guys for taking the chance."
Other drivers have compounded their struggles as they attempt to qualify for the Chase.
Kurt Busch, 29, seemed to have matured after obnoxious behavior on and off the track in the past.
But Busch lost his temper during a race in Dover, Del. in early June. As Busch pulled his car next to Stewart's in the pits to confront him about an incident on the track, one of Stewart's crew members had to jump away in order to avoid being hit.
The 100 points NASCAR took away from Busch would help his cause to make the Chase. He is barely in the 12th and final position after his win at Pocono Raceway in Pennsylvania last Sunday.
"Competition is tough," Busch said after his celebration in victory lane. "It's fierce and you slip up just a little bit in the top 10 and you find yourself on the outside looking in.
"I've definitely put on a different thinking cap since Dover. That situation has reminded me of what I can do in a race car and what I better do."
Meanwhile, Denny Hamlin has worn his thinking cap all along.
"We know exactly how much we are behind and who we are in front of," Denny Hamlin said of the point standings.
"We are aware of it, but we are not overly concerned with it.
"We can't be just going crazy over 10 points here and there. Ultimately it affects your performance and kills your momentum going into the Chase.
"This Chase is going to be more about who doesn't make a mistake than it is who just out performs everyone."
