{"id":16535,"date":"2018-04-20T18:18:33","date_gmt":"2018-04-20T23:18:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/?p=16535"},"modified":"2018-04-20T19:46:51","modified_gmt":"2018-04-21T00:46:51","slug":"virginia-native-denny-hamlin-returns-to-his-home-track-with-confidence","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/20\/virginia-native-denny-hamlin-returns-to-his-home-track-with-confidence\/","title":{"rendered":"Virginia native Denny Hamlin returns to his home track with confidence"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\"><em>By Holly Cain,&nbsp;NASCAR Wire Service<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. &#8211; It was certainly a rough start to his \u201creturn home\u201d for <strong>Denny Hamlin<\/strong> Friday at <strong>Richmond (Va.) Raceway<\/strong>, but the three-time winner at the track smiled and remained optimistic about his chances come Saturday night\u2019s green flag.<\/p>\n<div id=\"attachment_16552\" style=\"width: 310px\" class=\"wp-caption alignleft\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16552\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/20\/martin-truex-jr-claims-pole-at-richmond-for-450th-start\/monster-energy-nascar-cup-series-toyota-owners-400-practice-9\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?fit=4252%2C2830\" data-orig-size=\"4252,2830\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;9&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;NIKON D4&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;RICHMOND, VA - APRIL 20:  Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota, drives during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 20, 2018 in Richmond, Virginia.  (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1524224340&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2018 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;185&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;100&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.0015625&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 - Practice&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 &amp;#8211; Practice\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota, drives during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 20, 2018 in Richmond, Virginia.  (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?fit=640%2C426\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16552\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16552\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?resize=300%2C200\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?resize=300%2C200 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?resize=768%2C511 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?resize=1024%2C682 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?resize=284%2C190 284w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?resize=99%2C66 99w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?w=2000 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?w=3000 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16552\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Denny Hamlin, driver of the #11 FedEx Ground Toyota, drives during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 20, 2018 in Richmond, Virginia. (Photo by Robert Laberge\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">The Joe Gibbs Racing team was hard at work on Hamlin\u2019s No. 11 FedEx Toyota from Friday\u2019s opening practice on at the three-quarter mile Richmond track \u2013 trying to get it properly prepped for Saturday\u2019s Toyota Owners 400 (6:30 p.m. ET on FOX, MRN, SiriusXM NASCAR Radio).<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">By the time Hamlin faced the media Friday afternoon after practices and before qualifying he was disappointed in the day\u2019s rough start, but remained absolutely hopeful about the race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cObviously, it\u2019s super frustrating from my standpoint and it is for them [his team], too,&#8221; Hamlin said. \u201cThey don\u2019t want to have to completely rebuild a car while they are at a race track. We are trying to figure it out. We\u2019re trying to get between some teammates. We can get there here with some of our teammates, but we can\u2019t on other things. I don\u2019t know.<\/p>\n<h3>Denny Hamlin interview &#8211;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n<audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-16535-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/RR_MENCS_Hamlin_042018.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/RR_MENCS_Hamlin_042018.mp3\">http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/RR_MENCS_Hamlin_042018.mp3<\/a><\/audio>\n<div id=\"attachment_16538\" style=\"width: 219px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" data-attachment-id=\"16538\" data-permalink=\"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/2018\/04\/20\/virginia-native-denny-hamlin-returns-to-his-home-track-with-confidence\/monster-energy-nascar-cup-series-media-tour-3\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?fit=2091%2C3000\" data-orig-size=\"2091,3000\" data-comments-opened=\"0\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;11&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;Getty Images&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;Canon EOS-1D X Mark II&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;CHARLOTTE, NC - JANUARY 23:  Driver Denny Hamlin poses for photos during the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Media Tour at Charlotte Convention Center on January 23, 2018 in Charlotte, North Carolina.  (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;1516702020&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;2018 Getty Images&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;90&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;200&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0.005&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Media Tour&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;1&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Media Tour\" data-image-description=\"\" data-image-caption=\"&lt;p&gt;Denny Hamlin. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)&lt;\/p&gt;\n\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?fit=446%2C640\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-16538\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-16538\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?resize=209%2C300\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?resize=209%2C300 209w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?resize=768%2C1102 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?resize=714%2C1024 714w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/HamlinDenny-2018MENCS-HeadShot.jpg?w=2000 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 209px) 100vw, 209px\" \/><p id=\"caption-attachment-16538\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Denny Hamlin. (Photo by Chris Graythen\/Getty Images)<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cIt could be a really good race for us, it can also be really bad. I\u2019m really not sure how it\u2019s all going to turn out. I\u2019m not sure with qualifying if it will be indicative of anything we have going on, but we\u2019ll see how it all pans out. We\u2019ll try everything we can to make the right decisions for tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">The good news is Hamlin has always been good at Richmond. His three wins at the track is second only to JGR teammate Kyle Busch\u2019s and his 1,653 laps led is tops among all his competition this weekend. And he hasn\u2019t finished worse than sixth-place in the last five races here, including a win in September, 2016 from the Busch Pole position.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">The past success along with his local ties to the area \u2013 he grew up in Chesterfield, Va., &#8211; make Richmond a place, Hamlin always looks forward to racing. And he is vastly popular in the area \u2013 holding a hugely successful short track event at nearby Langley Speedway Thursday night to raise money for charities he supports.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cWe\u2019ve been more hit and miss,\u201d Hamlin explained. \u201cWe were competitive one race here last year and the other one, not so much. It\u2019s really feast or famine for us here at this race track.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">Hamlin enters the race ranked a respectable eighth in the championship standings, but he hasn\u2019t had a top-10 in the last three races. A crash at Texas Motor Speedway two weeks ago left him with a 34th-place finish and he was 11th at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway in Monday\u2019s rain-delayed race.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">That follows an incredible season start when he scored top-five finishes in three of the first four races \u2013 including a third-place in the Daytona 500. He had top-10s in four of the first fives races.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">Richmond presents exactly the kind of opportunity Hamlin wants and needs to put his season back on that title contention trajectory.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cI was really optimistic coming here that we were going to start pretty quick and the way our cars ran at Phoenix, everything is fairly similar with the cars,&#8221; Hamlin said, noting his fourth-place finish in Arizona.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cLike I said, here today was a struggle, where Phoenix was pretty easy for us. A disappointing start to our weekend, for sure, but it doesn\u2019t hamper what we expect for tomorrow night. I\u2019m hoping we get it all figured out and we\u2019re competitive enough as we should be here.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">Asked about his success in the spring versus fall races at Richmond and Hamlin again smiled, acknowledging all his victories have come in the fall. He said he had no logical explanation for that, except to note that he is a driver who typically gets better as the season goes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cI think typically I\u2019ve been a driver who has gotten stronger as the year goes on,&#8221; he said. \u201cThat hasn\u2019t changed for 13 or 14 years I\u2019ve been doing this and the stats will back this up.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cI\u2019m trying to do everything I can to perform earlier in the year, because we knew last year we didn\u2019t collect as many bonus points for the Playoffs during the season as we needed. It\u2019s on the radar for us.<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">\u201cIt\u2019s not like we\u2019re not trying, it\u2019s just a tough go at it right now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"aolmail_MsoNormal\">Hamlin qualified fourth for Saturday night&#8217;s Toyota Owners 400.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Holly Cain,&nbsp;NASCAR Wire Service DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. &#8211; It was certainly a rough start to his \u201creturn home\u201d for Denny Hamlin Friday at Richmond (Va.) Raceway, but the three-time winner at the track smiled and remained optimistic about his chances come Saturday night\u2019s green flag. The Joe Gibbs Racing team was hard at work [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":16552,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[11],"tags":[41,16,486,418],"class_list":["post-16535","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nascar","tag-denny-hamlin","tag-nascar","tag-richmond-raceway","tag-toyota-owners-400"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/racedaysa.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/04\/MENCS_RR_Hamlin_042018.jpg?fit=4252%2C2830","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p7hzTZ-4iH","jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16535","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16535"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16535\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16557,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16535\/revisions\/16557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16552"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16535"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16535"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/racedaysa.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16535"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}