Posted by kryan May - 31 - 2012 ADD COMMENTS

Hamlin, FedEx Racing Finish Second in Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte

Denny Hamlin finished second in Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota for his best career finish at the 1.5-mile oval and seventh top-10 finish in 2012.

Starting from the eighth position, Hamlin spent the first half of the race in the back of the top-10. Several air pressure adjustments tried to free up the car for the dash to the finish line, and while the handling improved slightly, the team was still looking to gain valuable track position.

The opportunity presented itself during a caution with 80 laps to go. Crew chief Darian Grubb made the call to keep the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota out on the track when the majority of lead lap cars headed to pit road for a pair of tires. The decision paid off and sent Denny to the front of the pack coming out of the restart. Hamlin would lead twice for a total of 13 laps before giving way to eventual race winner Kasey Kahne.

“We executed really well tonight,” said Hamlin. “Darian made some great calls and we had strong pit stops that put us in a position to win. In the end, we just didn’t have enough to overtake Kasey. Historically, my runs here have lacked consistency, so it was encouraging to be there at the end and have a shot.”

Following Hamlin to the checkered flag was teammate Kyle Busch, and Greg Biffle and Brad Keselowski rounded out the top-five.

Sunday’s second-place finish moved Hamlin up one spot into third place in the NASCAR standings, only 16 points behind leader Greg Biffle after 12 of 26 regular season races.

Sprint Cup action resumes June 3 at the “Monster Mile” when Dover International Speedway hosts the FedEx 400 benefiting Autism Speaks.

Tags : , 2012

Leave a Reply