Richmond Post Race Report
Hamlin, FedEx Racing Team Clinch Chase Berth with Ninth-Place Finish at Richmond
Denny Hamlin clinched a spot in the 2011 Chase for the Sprint Cup Championship with a ninth-place finish at Richmond International Raceway on Saturday night.
Hamlin earned one of the two Chase "wild card" berths, awarded to drivers with the most wins not in the top-10 in points, with his victory at Michigan in June. The Chase field wasn't set until the checkered flag flew after 400 laps at Richmond, an event won by Kevin Harvick.
"I'm proud of the entire FedEx team," said Hamlin, following the race. "We have had an up and down season and a lot of things have gone wrong, but we never stopped believing in each other and making the Chase is a testament to the team's character. As a wild card, nobody will be expecting us to compete for the championship. I think we're going to peak at the right time."
It was an eventful evening in Richmond for the #11 FedEx team. A Lap 9 incident in front of Hamlin caused drivers to slow, and he was hit from behind and careened off the wall with significant damage. Hamlin came to pit road so the crew could assess the damage and make repairs. Losing a lap to the leaders after multiple trips to the pits, Hamlin fell to 40th for the ensuing restart.
A few more early cautions benefited the #11 team, giving them opportunities to repair the battered car. Fortunately, the damage wasn't as severe as first feared, and Hamlin used the "lucky dog" to get back on the lead lap.
Crew chief Mike Ford worked to improve the car's handling for the remainder of the event, and Hamlin worked through traffic to break into the top-20 by its midpoint.
A timely caution during green flag pit stops nearing Lap 300 saw Hamlin restart in sixth, and he maintained a spot in the top-10 for the final run to the finish line.
"I thought we had heavy damage," said Hamlin. "Everyone was checking up in front of us and when we slowed down, we got hit from behind and hit the wall hard. The crew guys did such a good job repairing the car and keeping us only one lap down. We benefited from some of those early cautions to get our car right for the end."
