Early in the season it was clear 2013 was not going to be Denny Hamlin’s year.
A wreck at Fontana on March 24 sidelined the perennial NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup contender for four races but Hamlin, 32, fought valiantly to return to competition.
Still, chronic back pain continues to plague the Joe Gibbs Racing driver. After Hamlin won the pole Friday, it was as if the high banks of Bristol Motor Speedway exacerbated the problem.
“My daily life is miserable,” Hamlin said. “This is nothing.”
Hamlin led twice Saturday night for a total of 23 laps. He remained in striking distance – with the help of pit strategy – until Brian Vickers got into Hamlin, cut his tire and took out seven additional cars.
“We cannot catch a break,” Hamlin said. “You’ve got to laugh at it at this point. It’s somewhat humorous.”
So was his run-in with Kevin Harvick on pit road during the caution. Without seeing a replay, Harvick drove his mangled modified-looking machine into Hamlin’s pit – then laid in wait. Hamlin simply punted Harvick out of his pit then discussed the situation.
“Luckily, we were able to talk right away and hash it out,” Hamlin said.
Hamlin was able to salvage a 28th-place finish but after leading the most laps since Dover in June, he was expecting more.
“We were as solid of a car as we were,” Hamlin said. “We had a car that could run in the top five, and I thought we were better than the 5 (Kasey Kahne). Who knows what would have happened?”
Hamlin is resigned to be a “spoiler” this season. While he’s not giving up on winning, his most effective role over the next 12 races will be to help his teammates – Bristol winner Matt Kenseth and Kyle Busch – bring home the hardware for Joe Gibbs Racing. Despite not running a full season, Hamlin’s worst finish in points to date was 12th over the previous seven years.
“I’d like to win two to three races going into the stretch,” Hamlin said.
“Obviously, anyone that would hear me say that would think that’s a stretch the way we’ve been running, but this is a team that is capable of winning a lot and we know that. We can turn it on at any time. We’re just trying some things. Trying to get better. Trying to get a better feel so we have something to work on for next year. If we hit something like we did (on Friday) then we can be pretty tough going into the Chase and be a spoiler.
“It’s not going to be many years where you can race free will and do anything you want over these last few races and have that chance. Usually, you’re always so concentrated on the pressures of the Chase that you can’t experiment and work on anything for next year. Now that we can be the guinea pig for Toyota if they want to try some stuff it could make us stronger even two, three years down the road. Once I get myself fixed, we should be fine.”
As for Hamlin’s back, surgery to repair his spine is still “on the table” at the end of the season. Hamlin contends that “once I’m strapped in I’m fine” but also acknowledges that certain tracks – such as Watkins Glen two weeks ago – “definitely took its toll.” He describes the sensation as “a nagging pain that just won’t go away” but one has to wonder how long Hamlin can play hurt.
Clearly, Hamlin has not been “fine” this season. Hamlin has shown he can post a fast lap. Friday was his third pole since returning to action in May. However, one fast lap does not constitute a comeback. In his past 10 races, Hamlin’s best result is 18th. After 20 starts, Hamlin has a record five DNFs (did not finish) this season – all listed as crashes.
“I have to weigh the options,” Hamlin said. “What options do I have? There are 10 different things you can do to help with either pain or the structure of your back I just have to figure out which one is the right one for me.”
