By Reid Spencer
Sporting News NASCAR Wire Service

(May 7, 2010)

DARLINGTON, S.C.—Talk about a glutton for punishment.

Less than six weeks removed from ACL surgery on his left knee, Denny Hamlin opted for a weekend double at the track he considers one of the most grueling on the NASCAR circuit.

So far, so good. Staying out on old tires while other contenders came to the pits under caution on Lap 123, Hamlin held off teammate Kyle Busch, who also stayed out, to win Friday night’s Royal Purple 200 Nationwide Series race at Darlington Raceway.

Hamlin led the final 63 of 147 laps in winning his 10th race in the series in his second start of the year. On Saturday night, he’ll start eighth in the Showtime Southern 500 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race.

“Great race car,” Hamlin said in Victory Lane. “Congratulations to (crew chief) Kevin Kidd. This is his first win with Joe Gibbs Racing after taking over for Dave Rogers. When you have a car that drives as good as this one did today, it makes your job a whole lot easier.”

Busch had a strong car but couldn’t pass Hamlin on a succession of restarts late in the race. Busch pulled even with Hamlin to the inside entering Turn 1 on a restart with five laps to go, but Hamlin had momentum around the outside and gradually inched away to win by .625 seconds.

“If you don’t get out first after the last pit stop, you’re stuck,” Busch said. “You just can’t pass out there. It’s just so aero-sensitive. You fight for track position here. That’s all you can do. Tires don’t mean a whole lot, but track position does.”

All told, Hamlin led 111 laps and Busch 17. Jamie McMurray finished third, followed by Kasey Kahne and Jason Leffler. Carl Edwards, Brad Keselowski, Kevin Harvick, Brian Vickers and Paul Menard completed the top 10.

Hamlin’s Friday schedule included a two-and-a-half-hour Nationwide practice session, starting at 8:30 a.m. ET, followed by two 90-minute Cup practices, qualifying in both series and, finally, the race.

“I knew it was going to be a challenge,” Hamlin said. “I knew it was going to be a very, very long day. I tried to conserve as much energy as possible. I didn’t run a ton of laps in Nationwide (practice). I didn’t run a ton of laps in Cup.

“I was just trying to conserve some energy for (Friday night) and then for (Saturday). Having all day to rest tomorrow will help.”

Keselowski holds a 55-point lead over Busch in the NASCAR Nationwide Series standings.

1 1 Jamie McMurray McDonald’s Chevrolet
2 24 Jeff Gordon DuPont / National Guard Facebook Chevrolet
3 83 Brian Vickers Red Bull Toyota
4 00 David Reutimann Aaron’s Dream Machine Toyota
5 5 Mark Martin GoDaddy.com Chevrolet
6 39 Ryan Newman Haas Automation Chevrolet
7 47 Marcos Ambrose Kingsford / Scott Branded Products Toyota
8 11 Denny Hamlin FedEx Express Toyota
9 12 Brad Keselowski Penske Dodge
10 9 Kasey Kahne Budweiser Ford
11 31 Jeff Burton Caterpillar Chevrolet
12 43 A J Allmendinger Insignia / Best Buy Ford
13 20 Joey Logano The Home Depot Toyota
14 2 Kurt Busch Miller Lite Dodge
15 42 Juan Pablo Montoya Target Chevrolet
16 82 Scott Speed Red Bull Toyota
17 16 Greg Biffle 3M Ford
18 55 Michael McDowell PRISM Motorsports Toyota
19 88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. AMP Energy / National Guard Chevrolet
20 98 Paul Menard Turtle Wax / Menards Ford
21 6 David Ragan UPS Ford
22 48 Jimmie Johnson Lowe’s Chevrolet
23 71 Bobby Labonte TaxSlayer.com Chevrolet
24 14 Tony Stewart Old Spice / Office Depot Chevrolet
25 77 Sam Hornish Jr. Mobil 1 Dodge
26 7 Robby Gordon BAMVIP.com/JmsOtto/WhtnyDncn Toyota
27 33 Clint Bowyer The Hartford Chevrolet
28 66 Dave Blaney PRISM Motorsports Toyota
29 17 Matt Kenseth Crown Royal Black Ford
30 46 JJ Yeley Whitney Motorsports Dodge
31 26 David Stremme Air National Guard Ford
32 78 Regan Smith Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
33 56 Martin Truex Jr. NAPA Auto Parts Toyota
34 38 David Gilliland Taco Bell Ford
35 29 Kevin Harvick Shell / Pennzoil Chevrolet
36 32 Reed Sorenson Braun Racing Toyota
37 64 Todd Bodine Little Joe’s Auto Sales Toyota
38 19 Elliott Sadler Hunt Brothers Pizza Ford
39 18 Kyle Busch Doublemint Toyota
40 34 Travis Kvapil A&W Alll American Food Ford
41 99 Carl Edwards Aflac Ford
42 37 Kevin Conway # Extenze Ford
43 13 Max Papis GEICO Toyota

1 20 Denny Hamlin Z-Line Designs / Operation Helmet Toyota
2 18 Kyle Busch Z-Line Designs / Racing for Kids Toyota
3 22 Brad Keselowski Ruby Tuesday Dodge
4 88 Jamie McMurray Hellmann’s Chevrolet
5 60 Carl Edwards Copart Ford
6 12 Justin Allgaier Verizon Wireless Dodge
7 33 Kevin Harvick Rheem Ruud Chevrolet
8 27 Greg Biffle Redman Moist Snuff Ford
9 99 Trevor Bayne Diamond-Waltrip Racing Toyota
10 21 Clint Bowyer Zaxby’s Chevrolet
11 62 Brendan Gaughan South Point Casino & Hotel Toyota
12 10 Jason Leffler ABF Freight Toyota
13 11 Brian Scott # AccuDoc Solutions Toyota
14 6 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # Roush Fenway Racing Ford
15 38 Kasey Kahne Great Clips Toyota
16 98 Paul Menard Richmond / Menards Ford
17 32 Brian Vickers Dollar General Toyota
18 23 Coleman Pressley R3 Motorsports Chevrolet
19 70 Mark Green Royal Purple Chevrolet
20 81 Michael McDowell MOBILE-Shop.com Dodge
21 7 Steve Arpin JR Motorsports Chevrolet
22 90 Danny O’Quinn Jr. D’Hondt Humphrey Motorsports Chevrolet
23 43 Scott Lagasse Jr. American Red Cross / O’Reilly Auto Parts Ford
24 91 David Gilliland D’Hondt Humphrey Motorsports Chevrolet
25 40 Mike Bliss Westerman Companies Chevrolet
26 1 James Buescher # AndreBauer.com/Andre for Gov Chevrolet
27 66 Steve Wallace 5-Hour Energy Toyota
28 41 Stanton Barrett Kids Embrace Car Seats Chevrolet
29 15 Michael Annett Germain.com / Pilot Travel Centers Toyota
30 73 Derrike Cope Charter Dodge
31 56 Kevin Lepage Mac Hill Motorsports Chevrolet
32 28 Kenny Wallace Royal Purple / AAA Parking Chevrolet
33 61 Josh Wise Ride to the Rock for Autism Ford
34 34 Tony Raines Long John Silver’s Chevrolet
35 16 Matt Kenseth Coupons.com Ford
36 26 Brian Keselowski K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge
37 07 Danny Efland C3i Sports/AmrcnsHnrng Amrcns Chevrolet
38 35 Jason Keller upillar.com Chevrolet
39 87 Joe Nemechek NEMCO Motorsports Chevrolet
40 01 Mike Wallace OneHourAirCndtning & Heating Chevrolet
41 24 Eric McClure Hefty Odor Block Ford
42 09 Chad McCumbee TheGPSStore.com / Garmin Ford
43 92 Dennis Setzer K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge

Darlington has reached out and grabbed a bunch of Cup Series drivers already, here’s a list.

CLICK HERE FOR A CHANCE TO WIN DOVER TICKETS

1 Jamie McMurray
16 Greg Biffle – BU
18 Kyle Busch – BU
20 Joey Logano
33 Clint Bowyer – BU
34 Travis Kvapil
36 Casey Mears – BU
42 Juan Pablo Montoya
47 Marcos Ambrose – BU
82 Scott Speed BU
88 Dale Earnhardt Jr. – BU
87 Joe Nemecheck – BU

BU- Going to a backup car

New fans, a Darlington stripe is simply when a stock car hits the wall and puts a stripe on the wall, and their car.  It’s especially unique at Darlington due the tracks odd shape.

Guest Column By Cathy Elliott

It’s race week in Darlington, and I am sitting in my office — also in Darlington. I am surrounded by flyers and posters and cardboard stand-ups of various drivers smiling hopeful smiles, most of which will be replaced by scowls and a few choice words once the green flag drops at the cantankerous old track.

I’m thinking about what happened last year and 10 years ago, and what might happen next week, when that familiar wave of nostalgia hits me. For those who are fans of NASCAR’s grand and slightly checkered past as well as its glamorous present, there is simply no better time of year than the month of May.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events run in May offer some of the best racing of the season at three of the sport’s finest – and oldest – tracks.

These include, in addition to Darlington Raceway, Richmond International Raceway, whose furious short track action generally fans a few flames and whips up some sort of a grudge match headed into Darlington, and Charlotte Motor Speedway, home of both the NASCAR Sprint All-Star Race and the annual NASCAR marathon also known as the Coca-Cola 600.

These places can only be described as legacy tracks. Darlington’s first race was held in 1950, and Richmond was hot on its heels, opening the gates in 1953. Charlotte is the baby of this family; they didn’t start superspeedway racing until 1960.

Just to add a little icing on the cake, the NASCAR Hall of Fame will officially celebrate its grand opening this month, as well.

Seriously, May is so richly grounded in racing tradition it’s like one of those chocolate truffles that are so sweet they actually hurt your teeth. It almost makes you want to give the other months a hug, just to make them feel better about themselves.

Cruising through the garage on race weekend at some of these older tracks makes you feel like an extra in the movie Back to the Future. On any given day you might see David Pearson eating a sandwich while explaining the vagaries of Darlington’s Turn 2 to a rookie driver, Bud Moore leaning up against a stack of Goodyears in Charlotte, or Richard Petty pretty much anywhere, ambling around and just being nice to people, because that’s how he rolls.

Not too many years ago, you stood a pretty decent chance of bumping into another guy, checking things out with a sharp eye while chomping on a hot dog, which was his favorite food. Media-friendly drivers aside, the late Bill France, Jr. is probably stock car racing’s most recognizable face.

The new book titled Bill France Jr.: The Man Who Made NASCAR, couldn’t have been released at a more appropriate time. As the races this month chronicle the expansion of NASCAR’s early years, the book chronicles the hand that primarily guided its growth for more than three decades.

As author H.A. Branham has structured the story, France’s life and career mirrors the evolution of the sport with which his family’s name is synonymous.

For example, France spent his early days selling snow cones at the track and yanking people off fences who were trying to watch the races for free.

Later, he brokered the groundbreaking sponsorship deal with RJR that would brand the entire Cup Series with the company’s top product name. Back then, the sheer scope of such an idea was basically untried and unheard of. Branham describes it as “a match between an outlaw sport and an outlaw product.”

During those first couple of decades of racing at these tracks we now consider the cornerstones of the sport, NASCAR really was a snow cone-eating, fence-yanking kind of animal – a renegade. But thanks in large part to that outlandish sponsorship idea, a trail was blazed for companies like current series sponsor Sprint to move in with innovative technology that provides the perfect vehicle for the contemporary face of stock car racing. Sadly, France is gone, but his son Brian stepped into those ambitious shoes, and kept right on walking.

And the beat goes on. Sponsors will inevitably come and go, and NASCAR will continue to identify its boundaries, and then expand them.

The cool thing is that while moving ahead just as far and fast as it can go, the heart of NASCAR will still find a way to remain grounded in its past. If history came alive in the classroom like it does at Darlington, Richmond and Charlotte, we would all have been much better students way back when.

Thank goodness – and thank NASCAR – these old teachers are still on the job. Just ask the drivers still pursuing those elusive A+ trophy grades – they still have something left to teach us.

The opinions expressed in this articles are solely those of the author and not this website.