NASCAR 2015 Episode 6: Martinsville
What went down: Good, old fashioned Martinsville racing played out this past Sunday, and that meant that it was a hell of show.
After winning the Camping World Truck Series race in dramatic fashion the day before, Joey Logano started from the pole and led most of the first part of the race, a common theme so far for Logano this year. But once again, Logano would lose the lead before the halfway point, suffering a pit road penalty, and would never regain the lead.
By the midway point, Kevin Harvick would gain the lead, appearing to be in position to continue his insane streak of top-2 finishes. Though he led the most laps on the day, Harvick would not lead during the final hundred laps, and finished a disappointing eighth place (haha).
The only car that was able to lead laps during every section of the race, however, was Denny Hamlin. The talk of the garage before the race, Hamlin backed up those assertions by proving he could move through the field consistently. Hell, he probably would've led the most laps if it weren't for minor pit road issues setting him back nearly every stop.
It wasn't a runaway win by any means. In fact, eight time Martinsville winner, Jeff Gordon, methodically worked his way to the lead with less than 50 laps to go, and was pulling away from Hamlin and Matt Kenseth when the final caution of the day flew. Kenseth won the battle off of pit road, while Gordon came out third and Hamlin fourth. However, Gordon was caught speeding on pit road and was forced to the back.
Hamlin was able to quickly assume the lead off the restart, but Brad Keselowski followed closely in tow. As the laps dwindled, Keselowski could get to Hamlin's rear bumper, but couldn't find a way around. Coming off the final turn on the final lap, Keselowski finally rammed Hamlin, but Hamlin was able to save the car from spinning out and captured the win.
What it means for Hamlin: During a week in which Joe Gibbs Racing's president J.D. Gibbs was hospitalized for neurological complications, it was a feel good story for Hamlin to score the win for the team.
Additionally, it was Hamlin's first win in nearly a year and now locks him into the Chase. Hamlin also scored his fifth career grandfather clock trophy with the win.
What it means for everyone else: This one has to hurt for Gordon. The retiring Martinsville ace now only has one more chance to score a victory at the paperclip shaped track before his career wraps-up. A speeding penalty in the Martinsville Chase race last fall also prevented Gordon from winning, he'll need to correct the problem if he expects to contend for the title.
Martin Truex Jr., Joey Logano, and Kevin Harvick all continued their top-10 streaks, being a perfect six-for-six in the category in 2015.
David Ragan, subbing for the injured Kyle Busch, finally put together a solid run in Busch's car finishing in the top-5 for the first time at Martinsville.
The heir to Jeff Gordon's car, Chase Elliott, ran his first race in the Sprint Cup Series this weekend as well. The highly anticipated debut was marred by a few crashes and Elliott finished 38th, 73 laps down.
What’s next: The Sprint Cup Series has an off weekend for Easter, but resumes racing the following Saturday at Texas Motor Speedway, the first night race of the year.
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