Hamlin Wins Pocono Snoozer

Another race at the Pocono Raceway, another win for Denny Hamlin and his #11 team. The senior driver at Joe Gibbs Racing, Hamiln has had the Tricky Triangle figured out since his arrival on the circut, sweeping both races there in his rookie campaign. There was also not a whole lot of question as to whether Hamlin would win or not. The FedEx Toyota was the class of the field, leading eighty eight laps on the day and netting the five bonus points for leading the most laps. Hamilin's closest competition was his teammate Kyle Busch and Richard Childress Racing stablematres Clint Bowyer, Kevin Harvick and Jeff Burton. The only teams that led a lap undeer green were the Gibbs, Childress and Penske teams. The action was also hard to find in this race, as the cars get so stung out and it becomes harder to pass, there were not a lot of cautions or chances for teams to use atrategy calls to get out front.

As the race progressed, Jamie McMurray backed his McDonald's Chevy into the wall and Casey Mears, subbing for Brian Vickers, was spun by Elliott Sadler. But on one of the final restarts, the Penske tandem of Kurt Busch and Sam Hornish, Jr led the field to the green. Hornish was able to hold the lead until about fifteen laps to go when he was passed by the #11. Then off of turn three, business picked up. Kevin Harvick and Joey Logano made contact going for position, with Logano spinning off Harvick's front end. The sophmore Logano did avoid contact and move back up to a twelfh place finish.

We fans did get our action after all because on the last lap, A.J. Allmendinger blocked Richard Petty Motorrsports teammate Kasey Kahne, sending Kahne's car down to the grass, back up the track and head on into the wall. At that same time, Jeff Gordon hit the #9 Ford square in the door, sending the back of Kahne's car in the air, and simultaniously collecting Mark Marin, Martin Truex, Jr, Elliott Sadler as well as a few others. After Hamlin won the race, TNT interviewed Kasey Kahne and asked him if he would talk to A.J. before next week, Kasey said that he didn't talk to Allmendinger on a good day, so why start now?

But in the end, all the cameras were focused on the #11 team and how they had netted their fourth win of the young 2010 season and Hamlin's four win in his career at the Tricky Triangle. This could be the year that the FedEx team delivers an upset, lives up to the preseason hype and dethrons Jimmie Johnson as reigning champ.