Talladega II

It was a typical day of racing at Talladega Superspeedway with everyone holding their breath and hoping to survive for an opportunity to win at the end. Unfortunately the famed track wouldn’t prove all that friendly to the three-car contingent of Joe Gibbs Racing. Denny Hamlin would survive a wild day of racing to secure a solid eighth-place effort.

Hamlin started the No. 11 FedEx Office Toyota in the 31st position and struggled all day to find a partner for the two-car tandems that have become the norm lately for racing on restrictor plate tracks such as Talladega. Hamlin would actually fall a lap off the pace early on after losing a partner and dropping off the back of the field. He would however get his lap back after being rewarded the lucky dog spot on the day’s first caution. Hamlin would change partners a number of times throughout the course of the rest of the race, but without a consistent racing partner the No. 11 Camry would often lose position until he could find a pairing. Hamlin would manage to avoid major damage in a late-race incident on lap 181 when Mark Martin came down the track into his No. 11 Camry, but the FedEx Crew would need to make quick repairs and change tires causing him to restart from the back of the field late and once again without a drafting partner. He would manage to make his way up through the field despite the late setback and earned an eighth-place finish.

Hamlin moved up one slot to 11th and is 84 points off the pace.

Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Standings
1. Carl Edwards 2237
2. Matt Kesenth (-14)
3. Brad Keselowski (-18)
4. Tony Stewart (-19)
5. Kevin Harvick (-26)
6. Kyle Busch (-40)
7. Jimmie Johnson (-50)
8. Kurt Busch. (-52)
9. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. (-74)
10. Jeff Gordon (-82)
11. Denny Hamlin (-84)
12. Ryan Newman (-88)

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series will move from the Superspeedway of Talladega to the short track of Martinsville Speedway next Sunday for the Tum’s Fast Relief 500. The seventh of ten races in the Chase for the NASCAR Sprint Cup will begin at 1:30 PM ET with live, high-definition coverage provided by ESPN beginning with its pre-race show at 1 PM ET. The race will also be on Sirius NASCAR Radio Channel 90 and the MRN Radio Network.