Denny Hamlin jumped out of his car, removed his helmet, pumped his fists a few times and made a beeline across the track to pick up the checkered flag.
After jogging back to his car, which he left parked at the bottom of the track, Hamlin climbed back in and did a burnout in front of adoring fans.
Finally, after so many hometown heartaches at Richmond International Raceway, Hamlin could crow. Richmond Times Dispatch
“This is my house,” Hamlin said. “It has been for the last two years—we just haven’t got the win to show for it. Finally, [Saturday night] our FedEx Toyota showed that we’re a championship contender.”
But Hamlin had to share the spotlight with Brian Vickers, who drove his way into the Chase for the Sprint Cup with a seventh-place finish at the .75-mile short track. Vickers knocked 25th-place finisher Matt Kenseth out of the 12th and final berth in the Chase, beating fifth-place finisher Kyle Busch for the position by eight points.
The win was Hamlin’s second of the year and the sixth of his career and helped set aside past disappointments at Richmond.
Kurt Busch ran second, followed by Jeff Gordon. Pole-sitter Mark Martin also secured a place in the Chase with a fourth-place result. NASCAR
Kyle Busch finished fifth, but Vickers seventh-place run was good enough to put the Red Bull Racing driver in the Chase for the first time in his career.
NASCAR Sprint Cup: Chevy Rock & Roll 400 at Richmond - Race Results
“Tonight was a great racetrack, and it was one of best cars I’ve ever had here tonight, one of our best finishes,” Vickers said. “It would have been better if it weren’t for that last caution but that’s okay.”
Matt Kenseth came to Richmond 12th in points, but failed to qualify for the playoffs after dealing with an ill-handling car throughout the race. Kenseth, who won at Daytona and California at the start of the season, finished 25th and missed making the Chase for the first time since the championship format began in 2004.
“Since California, we went to Vegas, and broke in the second lap or first lap and everything has really been downhill since there, so I can’t say I’m really surprise that had we didn’t make it,” Kenseth said. “I’m really disappointed we didn’t make it, but we just didn’t perform good enough.”
Johnson is the only driver who has qualified for the Chase in all six years. The Hendrick Motorsports driver will begin his quest for a record fourth straight Cup championship in the third seed. Kansas City Star
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