Dover Post Race Report
Hamlin, FedEx Racing Frustrated, Finish 16th at Dover
Over 400 frustrating laps at Dover International Speedway, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team fought handling, the track and the competitors on their way to a 16th-place finish in the FedEx 400 Benefitting Autism Speaks.
Hamlin rolled a special FedEx Ground/Autism Speaks #11 off from the 26th spot on the grid and was able to gain position immediately as he cleared the traffic. However the big gains became harder to achieve as the race progressed and Hamlin found himself mired in the teens for the balance of the afternoon. When cautions did come out crew chief Mike Ford did his best to give Hamlin help in the form of better grip on exit, but little could be done to significantly improve the car over 400 miles. Though Hamlin and team didn't see the result they had hoped for, the 16th-place finish sees them climb to 13th in the Sprint Cup Series points through 11 races.
"It was a combination of not having track position and just not being able to find grip," said Hamlin. "It was frustrating for this #11 FedEx team, we always expect to run better than 16th but today was a struggle. Starting that far back put us in a tough position and we just couldn't ever get the car where we needed to be to make a real push forward."
Matt Kenseth led twice for a total of 33 laps on his way to winning his second race of the 2011 season. Mark Martin and Marcos Ambrose filled out the top three while Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammates, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano, finished fifth and 27th, respectively.
The Sprint Cup Series now heads to Charlotte for two weekends at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team will line up in the Sprint All-Star Race next Saturday night before tackling the season's longest race, the Coca-Cola 600, on Memorial Day weekend.
Hamlin started Sunday's FedEx 400 brightly, charging forward from 26th place and picking off several places before the first caution flew on lap 21. With a mandatory caution scheduled for lap 40, Ford directed Hamlin to stay out and he restarted 16th.
When NASCAR slowed the field on lap 40, Hamlin turned down pit road for fuel, tires and a wedge adjustment and with his fellow competitors enacting a number of strategies, Hamlin lined up 22nd for the restart on lap 45. After 100 laps, Hamlin ran in 18th place and was turning very fast laps. Though not totally happy with the handling of the car it was clear that the biggest hindrance was the lack of track position.
As the field reached the end of the fuel run, the balance of the cars hit pit road and Hamlin followed suit. After a quick stop for four tires and fuel, Hamlin cycled through in 15th place on lap 110. A brief rain shower brought out the caution flag on lap 162 and Hamlin turned on to pit road for fuel and tires but, unfortunately, he couldn't get the car slowed entering pit road and he was penalized for entering too fast. Forced to the back of the longest line, he would restart 18th on lap 167.
Continuing to struggle with handling through the middle and off of the turns, Hamlin pitted on lap 284 for four tires, fuel and a wedge adjustment. He cycled through in 18th place with 110 laps to go and held the position until he pitted again, under caution, on lap 331.
After a very quick stop for four tires, fuel and a significant wedge adjustment, Hamlin restarted on lap 336 hoping to work the #11 FedEx Ground/Autism Speaks Toyota into the top-ten before the end However, after some back and forth with Jeff Gordon and David Reutimann, Hamlin had to settle for a frustrating 16th place finish on the day.
