Loudon, N.H. – Denny Hamlin was so nervous during the last few laps of Sunday’s NASCAR Nextel Cup race at New Hampshire International Speedway that his right foot was shaking on the gas pedal.
Hamlin, who believes he needs race wins to be a serious contender for his first Cup championship, was out front with four-time series champion Jeff Gordon looming close in his mirrors.
“You see Jeff coming and you’re trying your best to not be the guy who chokes at the end,” Hamlin said.
Last year’s top rookie had his hands full at the end, trying to keep his No. 11 Chevrolet out of the wall and ahead of Gordon’s No. 24.
“I was all over the track those last two laps,” Hamlin said. “I was basically just trying not to give up the bottom.”
Hamlin pulled it off, beating the series points leader to the finish line by 0.068 seconds – less than a car length – to earn his third career victory and first since last July at Pocono.
Hamlin came into the race second in points, but he has been frustrated, leading laps and contending without being able to take a checkered flag in the first 16 races.
Hamlin has said he and his team were working hard to win races because the 12 drivers who qualify for this year’s 10-race Chase for the Championship will be seeded, with each driver getting 10 extra points for each win during the 26-race regular season. Both Gordon and Hendrick Motorsports teammate Jimmie Johnson, fourth in the points, have four wins this season.
While Hamlin worked hard to stay out front, Gordon was working over Martin Truex, trying hard to get by the second-place car. The two Chevrolets spent a lot of time side-by-side and nose-to-tail until Gordon finally squeezed past seven laps from the end of the 300-lap race on the 1.058-mile oval.
