Hamlin overcame bad luck, breaks for solid '08 season

Denny Hamlin had proven in his first two years he will be a force to be reckoned with in the Cup Series for some time. He made the Chase both seasons, won three races and his 38 top-10 finishes was fifth among all drivers. This season though, there was an unknown to how the No. 11 team would perform as it would be Joe Gibbs Racing's first in a Toyota.

Things looked great for Hamlin at Daytona. He won his Duel 150 and he led 32 laps in the Daytona 500 ultimately finishing 17th. The next week at Fontana, Hamlin finished 41st, but then he went on a tear with six top-10s in the next seven races, including a win at Martinsville and back-to-back third-place finishes at Phoenix and Talladega. But power steering pump failures took away great finishes at Atlanta and Bristol and would be a precursor for things to come.

Denny Hamlin's lone '08 win came in his home state.

Hamlin's 2008 will be remembered for some bad luck and bad breaks, and the first of those came at Richmond in May. He dominated most of the race, leading 381 laps, but a cut tire and two-lap penalty ruined his weekend and kicked off a rough patch in the season.

The No. 11 team finished 20th or worse in eight of the next 14 races -- and some unnecessary drama accompanied those poor results. He was caught up in a wreck not of his doing at Dover, Chicago saw electrical problems drop him five positions in the standings, and an engine failure at Michigan was the final straw for Hamlin as he called out his team following the race.

But any successful driver and team finds a way to battle through adversity -- and that's exactly what Hamlin and the No. 11 team did. Three consecutive third-place finishes at Bristol, Fontana and Richmond locked Hamlin in the Chase and things looked to be turning around.

Ultimately it wasn't meant to be for Hamlin though. Six finishes outside the top 10 ruined any hopes of a title. At Talladega, Hamlin had to go to the hospital after a cut tire led to a violent crash into the wall that forced him to miss the Nationwide race the following week at Charlotte.

Things ended on a high note for Hamlin with three top-fives in the final five races, giving him the boost he needed for 2009, where things will change dramatically for the young driver.

With teammate Tony Stewart leaving to become a driver-owner, Hamlin is now the veteran in the Joe Gibbs Racing garage with teammates Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. How he handles the role of leader will go a long way in determining how well his '09 season will go.

Sharpie 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway -- Yes, Hamlin won at Martinsville early in the '08 season, but it was his rebound performance at Bristol in September that was Hamlin's most impressive race. The week before at Michigan, Hamlin reached a low point on the season after his No. 11 posted a DNF due to an engine failure. Hamlin was visibly frustrated and said in his TV interview his team didn't belong in the Chase. But all that was a distant memory after 500 laps at Bristol. Hamlin was one of a handful of Chase contenders to avoid trouble, stayed up front all race, and finished third. The finish was his first of back-to-back-to-back third-place finishes and he cemented his spot in the top 12.

Camping World RV 400 at Dover International Speedway -- After the first Chase race, Hamlin found himself sixth in the standings, just 72 points behind leaders Carl Edwards thanks to a ninth-place finish at New Hampshire. The next race was at Dover -- a track where he was successful early in his career, but had struggled recently. Things looked to be turning back around when Hamlin put his No. 11 Toyota third on the starting grid. Unfortunately for Hamlin there was a plethora of issues, starting with an oil leak on Lap 173 when he was running in the top five. Hamlin stayed out for 70 laps before finally going to the garage where his crew had to replace both axles and the driveshaft. Hamlin ultimately finished 38th and kicked off a streak of four consecutive finishes outside the top 10, ending any hopes at the championship.

Denny Hamlin: 2008 Video Highlights | Superstore | Community Crew