Denny Hamlin Finds Success at Martinsville

The short track of Martinsville Speedway hosted the 2008 Goody's Cool Orange 500 today. The Sprint Cup drivers dodged a near-constant drizzle all day in Martinsville but were able to get the full 500 laps in.

Denny Hamlin was out front for the final long green flag run to the finish and was able to hold off a hard-charging Jeff Gordon to claim the win.

Qualifying

Jeff Gordon was fast in Martinsville last year. He missed winning this race last year by just a few feet. On Friday he dominated qualifying and ruled over practice on Saturday. Jeff Gordon looked to be a dominant factor on Sunday.

Denny Hamlin started on the outside of the front row in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Aric Almirola and David Ragan started in row number two while Jamie McMurray rounded out the top five starters.

Drop Of The Green

Denny Hamlin got a good bite on the outside and nipped Jeff Gordon for the lead of lap one. However, Jeff Gordon was patient on the inside lane and took over the top spot.

Jeff Gordon lead the first 44 laps until he was shuffled back a bit during pit stops. There were a bunch of cautions early in the race. Dale Earnhardt Jr. then took his turn at the front and went on to lead the remainder of the early going.

Storylines

Point leader Kyle Busch broke the rear gear and fell out of the race just past halfway. His team was able to get it fixed but not before losing many laps. Kyle Busch finished deep in the pack in 38th position.

As a result Kyle Busch dropped from the point lead all the way to fifth overall. Busch trails new point leader Jeff Burton by 84 points.

Chasing The Checkers

With 50 laps to go Denny Hamlin was leading a pack of wolves that included Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Jeff Gordon, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jimmie Johnson. Burton was closing the gap in traffic but Hamlin was holding them off as the laps were winding down.

The race ran green to the end. Jeff Gordon was making his way to the front but needed a caution to get the victory. His luck didn't hold and Denny Hamlin was able to pick up another win for Toyota.

Top Ten

1. Denny Hamlin
2. Jeff Gordon
3. Jeff Burton
4. Jimmie Johnson
5. Tony Stewart
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.
7. Casey Mears
8. Jamie McMurray
9. Carl Edwards
10. Clint Bowyer

The Points

For the second race in a row Kyle Busch found bad luck on the race track. In Bristol he gave up his cushion. This week he gave up the lead. Jeff Burton has been solid all year long and now takes over the point lead.

The top twelve are now:

1. Jeff Burton
2. Kevin Harvick -39
3. Greg Biffle -60
4. Dale Earnhardt Jr. -69
5. Kyle Busch -84
6. Tony Stewart -104
7. Kasey Kahne -129
8. Denny Hamlin -157
9. Jeff Gordon -166
10. Jimmie Johnson -169
11. Ryan Newman -174
12. Clint Bowyer -175

Next Week

Next week the Sprint Cup stars will speed into Texas. Texas Motor Speedway is one of the fastest race tracks on the schedule. Texas also has a tough reputation. This tough, fast race track will keep the drivers on their toes next week in Texas.