Having said Friday that he expected to win the Sunoco Red Cross Pennsylvania 500 at Pocono Raceway, Hamlin charged to the front from the sixth position with 13th laps left in Monday’s rain-postponed race and ended a 50-race drought in the Sprint Cup Series.
After beating Juan Montoya to the checkered flag by. 869 seconds, Hamlin wept in Victory Lane, overcome with emotion in the aftermath of the recent deaths of his grandmother, Thelma Clark, and the mother of tire specialist Patrick Mullen at Joe Gibbs Racing. NASCAR
Hamlin got the win he needed to prove his car was just as strong as the ones at Hendrick Motorsports, and solidified his spot in the Chase for the championship.
“We’ve been the most solid car that hasn’t had a Hendrick label, ” Hamlin said. “For the most part, I take a lot of pride in that. We’re taking strides starting today. “
With a heavy heart, Hamlin held off Juan Pablo Montoya over the final riveting laps at Pocono before choking up with grief in Victory Lane.
Hamlin had few bigger fans than his grandmother. She wore her No. 11 socks, held her No. 11 stuffed bear, and watched every race on TV — even as she sat and squinted only inches away from the 30-inch screen.
“She understands the competition of the sport and she understands how much she means to me, ” Hamlin said. “Like today, she’s pretty proud. ” The Associated Press
Montoya moved around Bowyer with eight laps remaining en route to a season- best second-place finish. He capitalized on a pit strategy late in the race when he pitted just before the eighth caution came on lap 165.
“We had a great strategy, and we had good fuel mileage, ” Montoya said.
Montoya dominated last week’s race at Indianapolis, but a pit-road speeding penalty in the late-stages cost him the victory. He finished 11th.
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series: Pennsylvania 500 - Race Results
Bowyer and Sam Hornish Jr. were among those drivers who did not pit during the final round of stops. Bowyer hung on for a third-place finish, while Hornish Jr. came in fourth, his best performance in his two-year Sprint Cup career.
“It hasn’t really been going our way exactly all year long, so it feels good to have something swing your way a little bit, ” Bowyer said.
Kasey Kahne completed the top-five.
Brian Vickers finished sixth, followed by Mark Martin, Jeff Gordon, Kurt Busch and Tony Stewart, who started from the rear of the field in a backup after wrecking in Saturday’s practice. MiamiHerald.com
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