Amid wreckage, Hamlin leaves with needed boost

BRISTOL, Tenn. -- For Denny Hamlin, last week was the low point.

An engine failure that relegated the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to a 39th-place finish at Michigan International Speedway led to a scathingly candid television interview, one in which Hamlin ripped his own team for making "stupid choices" and said his No. 11 squad didn't even deserve to be in the Chase (watch video). It was a moment of clear frustration for a driver who's fallen from what seemed a secure playoff spot onto the Chase bubble, and is struggling to build momentum week to week.

Sharpie 500

Official Results

Pos.	Driver	Make
1.	Carl Edwards	Ford
2.	Kyle Busch	Toyota
3.	Denny Hamlin	Toyota
4.	Kevin Harvick	Chevrolet
5.	Jeff Gordon	Chevrolet
6.	Ryan Newman	Dodge
7.	Clint Bowyer	Chevrolet
8.	Tony Stewart	Toyota
9.	Matt Kenseth	Ford
10.	David Ragan	Ford

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Saturday night at Bristol Motor Speedway, the rollercoaster was climbing the hill again. One of a handful of Chase contenders who avoided trouble on the short track, Hamlin recorded a third-place finish that moved him up one position to 11th in the standings, and seemed to ease the pain of the previous week.

"Last week was the low of lows, I guess could you say, for our race team," he said. "You know, there's not one specific place I was sitting there pointing fingers [at]. I just thought as a race team, we just weren't getting the job done. The driver is a big part of that race team, so I felt like there were a lot of things I could have done different throughout the summer. But for the most part mechanical failures ailed us. If we can put a halt to that, we are going to go out there and win races as often as Kyle [Busch] is, we are going to at least be a top-five, top-10 car every week. If you can do that, then you're going to put yourself in position to be a championship contender, because you know, there's going to be weeks when guys have bad weeks. We've just got to get there right now."

Getting there has proven the hard part. Hamlin was a relatively secure seventh in points six weeks ago, but since then has suffered four finishes of 23rd or worse. Entering Bristol, he held only a 26-point lead on Clint Bowyer for the 12th and final Chase position.

Leaving east Tennessee, he had a little more breathing room -- and some help. Bowyer and 11th-place Kasey Kahne were each involved in a seven-car crash on Lap 216 that started when Casey Mears moved up into Michael Waltrip (watch video). Bowyer's crew patched things up and salvaged a seventh-place finish, while Kahne was done for the night and settled for 40th. As a result, Bowyer moved to 12th in the standings and Kahne plummeted to 14th. Hamlin now has a 21-point lead on Bowyer heading to Auto Club Speedway in California next week.

"Definitely a boost of confidence, for sure," Hamlin said. "We needed it at this point. A lot of the guys right behind me finished in the top 10 also. We gained a little bit on a couple guys in front of us. But this is what we needed. All we can ask for is a top-three finish, and if we do that, it's going to work itself out in three races. But we can't help how good or bad they run."

Hamlin wasn't the only one to benefit from the events of Saturday night, which also saw Chase contenders Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., and Jeff Burton have trouble. On the heels of a 29th-place finish at Watkins Glen and an accident-induced 42nd-place result last week at Michigan, Jeff Gordon recorded a much-needed fifth. He remained ninth in points, but increased his margin over 10th-place Matt Kenseth from eight to 30, and more importantly had the kind of strong car he'll need to secure a berth in the Chase.

"It wasn't the best racecar that we put on the racetrack, but it was a really good racecar," Gordon said. "We had good track position through qualifying and great pit stops. Everything really worked out. It was kind of a flawless night in a way. We just didn't have the car to go up there and battle for the lead, but still had a great car. A good night for us."

It was also a good night for Hamlin, who this week left the histrionics to others -- namely Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Busch and race winner Carl Edwards, who battled during the race and bumped one another after it (watch video).

"It was a solid day, and we did what we had to," he said. "I didn't have to really race guys too hard, and guys really didn't race me too hard. It was a good day for us. This is what we needed."