Motor Sports Update
Hamlin Finishes Second at Mexico City
Mexico City, Mexico (March 4, 2007) — Returning to the location of his first Busch Series win, Denny Hamlin and the #20 Rockwell Automation / Joe Gibbs Racing entered Mexico City as one of the favorites on the 2.5 mile road course. Bringing back the same car from last year, they would be challenged with some track changes from the year before that would force them to use a new setup. In addition, the competition would be solid with road course veterans Boris Said and Scott Pruett and NASCAR's newest international star, Juan Pablo Montoya in attendance for the weekend.
The #20 car showed strong in both practice sessions as Hamlin easily posted the third quickest time. Hamlin backed that time up the next day during qualifying with a lap of just over 103 mph, good enough for the 5th starting spot. It is important to remember the road course races are much different from oval competition. With the time it takes to complete one circuit on the track, teams are able to make green flag pit stops without worrying about going a lap down. To be successful on a road course race, the driver needs to take care of their equipment, get good fuel mileage and have solid pit strategy and pits stops just to put themselves in a position to win the race.
On the Sunday, the sun broke the clouds and temperatures jumped into the 80's as the drivers prepared to take the green flag. Hamlin quickly jumped into the top three by the time he completed the first lap. Trying to be patient he allowed two cars to pass as he focused on settling into his line. By lap 10, crew chief Dave Rogers called for Hamlin to bring his car to pit road to top it off with fuel. Hamlin abandoned the top spot and returned to the track in the 17th position. As other cars made regularly scheduled stops, Hamlin climbed back up to the fourth position when the field was slowed for the first caution of the day on lap 23.
As the race restarted, Hamlin quickly returned to the third position and began clicking off laps quicker than the leader. Challenged with a slightly loose race car, Hamlin rode comfortably behind the leaders until lap 44 when he would make his final pit stop of the day. Knowing his equipment would need to survive the final 36 laps, Hamlin chose to back off from the leaders and save his car for the shootout in the closing laps. During a caution on lap 52, race leader Montoya headed to pit road due to a fueling issue from his last stop. Returning to the track in the 19th position, Hamlin was concerned that he would still see the 42 car before the end of the race.
Hamlin continued to ride in the 2nd position saving his car as Montoya continued to work his way through the field. By lap 68, Montoya had caught Hamlin and passed him bringing Boris Said around the 20 car. Four laps later, as Montoya challenged race leader Scott Pruett, Montoya spun Pruett and Hamlin moved up to the second position. With 3 caution periods littering the final 8 laps, Hamlin took his best run at Montoya, but was unable to pass him and was forced settle for seeing the checkered flag in the 2nd position.
"We were probably the third best car in the race today," commented Hamlin after the race. "Montoya and Pruett had their cars working really well. Fortunately for us one of those took the other out so we ended up finishing second. I thought I would have a shot a Montoya at the end, but he had fresher tires. I could get to his bumper but I was going to have to turn him to get by him and I don't want to win that way."
The Busch Series will return to action next weekend at the newly redesigned Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Be sure to tune in at 3:00 p.m. EST on ABC as the teams tackle the fast 1.5 mile track.
