(WOMR file photo)
The second race of the 2012 Chase is now history. Denny Hamlin fulfilled his promise to win at Louden, made last week after dominating the race, but running out of gas on the final lap. Prophetic, or just a coincidence? The debate can now begin. Which ever side you take, Hamlin still leaves Louden with a dominating victory!
After Hamlin ran out of fuel on the final lap a week earlier at Chicagoland Speedway, costing himself and his team valuable points in NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup championship, a disappointed Hamlin tweeted that he was going to win this week at the Loudon track.
Was Hamlin really guaranteeing a victory at Louden? Hamlin said that it was not a guarantee, simply a show of confidence of his team, and to his team!
But, after running away with the win in Sunday’s Sylvania 300, Hamlin crawled out of his Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEx Toyota, and made like Babe Ruth in 1932, when he called his shot before hitting a World Series home run in Chicago.
Hamlin, who led 193 of the 300 laps, including 193 of the last 206, pointed to the distance and then took an imaginary swing with an imaginary bat, obviously referring to the called shot.
Asked why he waffled on predicting a win this week, Hamlin said, “I just wanted to clarify that there are no guarantees. I’ve had the fastest car in my career and not won 20 times, some crazy amount, and not won because of the variables that I talked about on Friday.”
“So I just wanted it to be clear that, all right, I’m not guaranteeing anything but, barring any of those circumstances happening, we were going to win. I had faith that we were going to win. It was more for my fan base that was probably down on our performance at Chicago. It was more for them, all of my followers are on Twitter, I was going to assure them that we were going to have a rebound week.’’
Let there be no mistake, mission accomplished!
With the way that Hamlin and his race team ended the regular season on a hot streak, and his dominating effort in the Sylvania 300, he has issued a warning shot across everyone’s bow that he is a force to be reckoned with in the next eight races!
Notwithstanding Hamlin’s dominating performances of late, look to see who just took control of the points. Can we all say Mr. Five-Time, Jimmie Johnson??? Do not overlook the duo of Jimmie Johnson and Chad Knauss just yet. I do believe that who ever wins the championship will have to drive right through the HMS #48 Lowe’s Chevy en route to the championship!
Check out the unofficial results of the Sylvania 300.
Check out the standings after the Sylvania 300.
Twelve drivers, eight races, one championship, who will be the last man standing?
TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!
