Denny Hamlin celebrates with a burnout after winning the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway. Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images
Denny Hamlin saved his best for the last stretch of Saturday’s Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway, and his persistence paid off with the No. 11 team’s third win of the season in 24 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series races.
“It’s Bristol — I don’t know what to say, man,” Hamlin said as he crossed the finish line. “I’m so damn happy.”
After a heated battle, Hamlin passed Carl Edwards for the lead on lap 462 but didn’t clear the No. 99 Ford until both drivers traded shots. As Edwards faded, Hamlin pulled away to beat Jimmie Johnson to the checkered flag by 1.103 seconds.
Jeff Gordon ran third, followed by Brian Vickers and Marcos Ambrose.
Greg Biffle (19th Saturday), Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. (12th) clinched berths in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.
On the newly ground surface at the .533-mile short track, the race featured 13 cautions and plenty of emotion.
No wreck was more significant to the outcome of the race — or to the Cup standings, for that matter — than Tony Stewart’s dustup with Matt Kenseth on lap 332. Stewart had the faster car, but Kenseth had the race lead, and their cars collided as they powered through turn 4, with Stewart to the outside.
Repeated contact between the cars turned both sideways as they crossed the start/finish line. Kenseth’s Ford careened into the inside wall at the end of the front stretch, with Stewart’s Chevrolet slamming into Kenseth’s car.
Kenseth’s car was wounded, but he drove away from the wreck. Stewart climbed from his car and slung his helmet squarely into the nose of Kenseth’s car.
“We weren’t that great of a race car, but we were definitely faster than that (Kenseth’s car) after that restart (on lap 329),” Stewart said while his car spent 25 laps in the garage for repairs. “I checked up twice to not run over him, and I learned my lesson there.
“I’m going to run over him every chance I’ve got from now till the end of the year — every chance I’ve got.”
Stewart finished 27th and Kenseth 25th.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Bristol Motor Speedway – Bristol, TN
Irwin Tools Night Race – Aug. 25, 2012
1. (8) Denny Hamlin, Toyota, 500, $329441.
2. (37) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet, 500, $250051.
3. (11) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet, 500, $205026.
4. (22) Brian Vickers, Toyota, 500, $139215.
5. (9) Marcos Ambrose, Ford, 500, $153398.
6. (10) Kyle Busch, Toyota, 500, $161998.
7. (23) Clint Bowyer, Toyota, 500, $141554.
8. (4) Joey Logano, Toyota, 500, $130440.
9. (12) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet, 500, $117515.
10. (7) Paul Menard, Chevrolet, 500, $117640.
11. (15) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota, 500, $134119.
12. (16) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet, 500, $112780.
Storage : Keep your tablets in a dark dry place at room temperatures. It doesn’t work for every man with sexual cialis samples online http://robertrobb.com/contrary-to-brnovich-the-time-is-actually-ripe-to-abolish-the-dealth-penalty/ difficulty. These days, you can without much of a stretch that cheap cialis tadalafil robertrobb.com provides the nerves near the prostate gland can be a source of problem, consequent to an increases in size. The activity of spermatozoids of men-volunteers was analyzed before and after taking . 13. (28) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet, 500, $133921.
14. (36) Bobby Labonte, Toyota, 500, $130388.
15. (13) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet, 500, $149741.
16. (14) Regan Smith, Chevrolet, 500, $125813.
17. (26) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet, 500, $132038.
18. (41) Travis Kvapil, Toyota, 500, $122488.
19. (3) Greg Biffle, Ford, 500, $108555.
20. (18) David Gilliland, Ford, 500, $111963.
21. (1) Casey Mears, Ford, 499, $113477.
22. (27) Carl Edwards, Ford, 496, $141246.
23. (30) Michael McDowell, Ford, 496, $93805.
24. (33) Landon Cassill, Toyota, 490, $122850.
25. (17) Matt Kenseth, Ford, 486, $142041.
26. (25) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet, Accident, 476, $94780.
27. (21) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet, 471, $144585.
28. (20) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet, 440, $101525.
29. (43) Danica Patrick, Chevrolet, Accident, 434, $90640.
30. (2) Brad Keselowski, Dodge, 434, $130025.
31. (39) Jason Leffler, Toyota, 417, $90895.
32. (24) David Ragan, Ford, 409, $90285.
33. (6) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet, 360, $132525.
34. (29) Sam Hornish Jr., Dodge, 343, $134890.
35. (5) Aric Almirola, Ford, Accident, 235, $127116.
36. (19) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet, Accident, 189, $134228.
37. (31) David Stremme, Toyota, Rear Gear, 159, $89660.
38. (32) Josh Wise, Ford, Brakes, 150, $91052.
39. (40) Joe Nemechek, Toyota, Electrical, 130, $86110.
40. (38) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet, Fuel Pressure, 56, $85975.
41. (35) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet, Brakes, 20, $85750.
42. (42) Ken Schrader, Ford, Accident, 9, $93910.
43. (34) Mike Bliss, Toyota, Power Steering, 6, $85960.
Average Speed of Race Winner: 84.402 mph.
Time of Race: 3 Hrs, 09 Mins, 27 Secs.
Margin of Victory: 1.103 Seconds.
Caution Flags: 13 for 87 laps.
Lead Changes: 22 among 13 drivers.
Lap Leaders: C. Mears 1-26; J. Logano 27-84; D. Hamlin 85; J. Logano 86-107; K. Kahne 108-149; J. Logano 150-192; D. Earnhardt Jr. 193-205; D. Hamlin 206-226; G. Biffle 227-253; M. Kenseth 254-272; J. Johnson 273-324; D. Hamlin 325; M. Kenseth 326-331; T. Stewart 332; J. Logano 333-348; M. Ambrose 349; G. Biffle 350-363; M. Truex Jr. 364-407; D. Hamlin 408-415; C. Edwards 416-443; B. Vickers 444; C. Edwards 445-461; D. Hamlin 462-500.
Leaders Summary (Driver, Times Lead, Laps Led): J. Logano 4 times for 139 laps; D. Hamlin 5 times for 70 laps; J. Johnson 1 time for 52 laps; C. Edwards 2 times for 45 laps; M. Truex Jr. 1 time for 44 laps; K. Kahne 1 time for 42 laps; G. Biffle 2 times for 41 laps; C. Mears 1 time for 26 laps; M. Kenseth 2 times for 25 laps; D. Earnhardt Jr. 1 time for 13 laps; M. Ambrose 1 time for 1 lap; T. Stewart 1 time for 1 lap; B. Vickers 1 time for 1 lap.
Top 12 in Points: G. Biffle – 849; J. Johnson – 838; D. Earnhardt Jr. – 834; M. Kenseth – 823; M. Truex Jr. – 797; C. Bowyer – 794; B. Keselowski – 790; D. Hamlin – 774; K. Harvick – 767; T. Stewart – 746; K. Kahne – 730; C. Edwards – 712.
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