Hamlin, FedEx Race Surge to Second at New Hampshire – Stay In Thick of Chase
   In the week leading up to Sunday’s Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Denny Hamlin and the #11 FedEx Racing team spoke often about momentum and the importance of getting off to a quick start in the Chase for the Sprint Cup by putting up a strong run in New Hampshire.
   Momentum is certainly on the FedEx Racing team’s side as they built on a stellar win at Richmond a week ago to score a hard-fought second place win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway on Sunday.  By doing so they also assured the quick start to the Chase they wanted is still very much a reality heading to Dover. Hamlin sits second in the points heading into the second week of the Chase, tied with Jimmie Johnson and trailing leader Mark Martin by 35 points.
   “It was a solid run for this FedEx team today,” said Hamlin.  “We didn't really have a race winning car until probably 50 to go after we came out there on the green-flag pit stop and we were catching the 5 (Mark Martin) and the 2 (Kurt Busch) really, really fast, a half second a lap, and I was like, ‘Man, if this thing goes green we've got a shot at it.’  The caution came out, and I knew that wasn't going to be good for us because it put us in the bottom lane.  I got killed every single restart on the bottom lane, and I'd get stuck three-wide in the first corner and then I'd have to battle my way back.  To come out second when I should have been about fifth with those restarts, I was pretty proud of that.”
   For Hamlin, the second place finish ties his best ever performance in a Chase race and also finds him exactly the same amount of points out of first that he was when he left New Hampshire as a rookie Chase contender in 2006.
   “We’re excited about it,” said Hamlin.  “I’m just proud of this whole team.  We’ve improved everywhere.  We improved on our engines, the chassis and on pit road and that’s what leads to wins”
Mark Martin led on two occasions for 68 laps then held off a furious late-race challenge from Juan Pablo Montoya to claim the win and his 40th-career Cup Series triumph.  Hamlin, who led twice for a total of 22 laps, slid the #11 FedEx Freight Toyota Camry by Montoya on the final lap to claim second place  as the caution flew to end the race.  Montoya held on for third while Jimmie Johnson and Joe Gibbs Racing’s Kyle Busch filled out the top five.
   Hamlin's and Busch’s Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano – winner of the July race at New Hampshire – finished 21st to continue his impressive rookie season in the Cup Series.
   The Chase continues next weekend when the teams unload at the Monster Mile – Dover International Speedway – and Hamlin and team will look to continue on their championship charge.
   Hamlin rolled the FedEx Freight Camry off from the fourth position on Sunday, eager to see if the car’s impressive performance in practice and qualifying leading up to race day would translate over to the 300 lap race. From the drop of the green, Hamlin charged forward, clearing Kurt Busch for third place on the third lap before taking second place from Tony Stewart on lap four.  With the polesitter Montoya having opened up a two-second gap on the field, Hamlin and team settled in and began the race-long process of diagnosing his car and preparing themselves for a long afternoon at the tricky one-mile track.  Any feedback early on would be critical to the strategy at the end of a race that is more often than not decided by pit strategy and fuel mileage.
   By the time the first of eleven total cautions flew on lap 66, Hamlin held the fourth spot behind Stewart, Montoya and Jeff Gordon and, in his communication to the team, he described a car in need of grip in and out of the low-banked turns.  Crew Chief Mike Ford called Hamlin to pit road for fuel, tires and a track bar adjustment and the team turned a very fast stop to send the FedEx Freight Camry out to restart in second place.
   A short green-flag run led up to the second caution of the day on lap 85 and Ford left Hamlin, still on fresh tires, on the track.  He restarted in third place and reported that he was still free into the turns and tight through the center, but it didn’t keep him from running competitively in the top three.
   Debris brought out the caution on lap 142 and Hamlin turned the FedEx Toyota onto pit road for tires, fuel, and both air pressure and track bar adjustments.  Once again the crew worked fast and Hamlin lined up to restart from the second position.  As the green flag dropped he darted past Montoya to lead his first lap of both the race and the 2009 Chase.  Montoya repaid the favor on lap 153 to reclaim the lead and Hamlin ran in second place until the caution came out just past the halfway point on lap 161.
   Ford called Hamlin in for fuel only – to ensure the team was within the planned fuel window moving into the latter stages of the race – and Hamlin lined up seventh for the restart on lap 166.
Contact with the Ford of Matt Kenseth dropped Hamlin to tenth immediately after the restart but cautions on laps 169 and 177 allowed him to regroup and by the time the caution flew on lap 193, Hamlin ran in sixth.
   On pit road, Ford called for fuel and two tires only and the team sent Hamlin out to restart seventh.  With newer tires than the balance of the cars in front of him, Hamlin sliced forward, claiming a spot in the top five on lap 206, then passed David Reutimann for fourth on lap 208.  On lap 240 he worked past Jeff Burton for third place and posted fast lap after fast lap as he waited for the call to pit for what would be the last time on the afternoon.
   Then leader Mark Martin pitted on lap 247 to start the parade of green-flag stops and Hamlin inherited the lead when Kurt Busch pitted on lap 248.  Ford called Hamlin to pit road on lap 263 and the team changed four tires and fueled the car before sending the #11 FedEx Freight Camry out.
   As Hamlin cycled through it became it clear that he was well-positioned for a shot at the win.  With the leaders racing on older tires, Hamlin’s times topped the charts and he worked his way into third place before a caution flew to gather the field on lap 276.  Chasing Martin and Montoya, Hamlin worked to put himself in position but the tussle at the front didn’t leave much in the way of opportunity for the driver of the #11.  Cautions on laps 284 and 295 reset the race but Montoya couldn’t pass Martin and Hamlin saved his last pass of the race for final lap when worked past Montoya for second.
   With a car spinning out of turn four, the final caution of the day froze the field with Martin in the lead and Hamlin running second.