Denny Hamlin
When Denny Hamlin last left New Hampshire, he did so flying so high he may not have needed a helicopter to soar over the traffic surrounding the track. After a series of near-misses, improved pit strategy had produced his first win of the season and a shrewd, two-tire call had the FedEx team targeting a title that suddenly seemed as realistic as ever.
Since then, though, Denny Hamlin has hit a bit of a rut. Leaving Loudon having ranked among the top 10 in 10 of 12 races, he had just three in his next eight contests while twice finishing dead last in the field. Compared with a couple of the sport's elite, he lost almost 200 points to both Jeff Gordon and Matt Kenseth in that span, while teammate Tony Stewart outscored him by 299 points.
Now, however, Denny Hamlin gets a fresh start, and arrives at the perfect place to take advantage of it. In addition to July's win at NHIS, he was fourth and sixth in his two trips to the track last year, so a solid points day should await him in Loudon - and if solid can turn spectacular he could again be on course for contention. A Chase under his belt, he knows what to expect; now the No. 11 needs to execute again.
