The first race of the Chase did not go the way Denny Hamlin was hoping for on Saturday at Darlington.
Heading into the Chase as the top car in the standings and the favorite to finally win his first championship, Hamlin was hoping to extend his lead on the field with a strong finish at the Track Too Tough to Tame.
While the No. 11 ran out front to start the race, a poor pit stop later put him out in the middle of the field, where he made contact with Michael McDowell. That contact caused a bit of damage that kept him from the speed he had maintained early in the day, and Hamlin ultimately had to settle for an 18th-place finish.
After the race, Hamlin was frustrated, as he felt his car was just starting to peak when the contact occurred.
"Certainly not the finish we were hoping for. Good first couple of stages. Just got to where our car was actually the best right before that wreck in stage three," Hamlin said. "We certainly made gains on it all day. It was really good in the short run, we got it really good in the long run by the time that third stage came, but never got to see it through."
#hoping #field
Heading into the Chase as the top car in the standings and the favorite to finally win his first championship, Hamlin was hoping to extend his lead on the field with a strong finish at the Track Too Tough to Tame.
While the No. 11 ran out front to start the race, a poor pit stop later put him out in the middle of the field, where he made contact with Michael McDowell. That contact caused a bit of damage that kept him from the speed he had maintained early in the day, and Hamlin ultimately had to settle for an 18th-place finish.
After the race, Hamlin was frustrated, as he felt his car was just starting to peak when the contact occurred.
"Certainly not the finish we were hoping for. Good first couple of stages. Just got to where our car was actually the best right before that wreck in stage three," Hamlin said. "We certainly made gains on it all day. It was really good in the short run, we got it really good in the long run by the time that third stage came, but never got to see it through."
#hoping #field
10 days ago
