From the Crossville Chronicle – Crossville, Tn. May 15, 2007
By Joe Dunn / joe@onpitroad.net
DARLINGTON, SC — Denny Hamlin got his first Busch series win of 2007 at ‘The track too tough to Tame’ Friday night. Hamlin’s win of the Diamond Hills plywood 200, marked a repeat of last years win from the pole at Darlington and marks his third win in the Nascar Busch series.
In a race that had it’s share of crashes and cautions, 10 cautions for 48 laps, 6 of which for crashes. Hamlin started from the pole and led 79 of the 147 laps holding the lead for the final 51 laps of the race.
On lap 138 Bobby Labonte to0ok a hard hit on the inside wall of the front straightaway, Nascar Red flagged the race for 3 minutes and thirty-three seconds to clean up the debris which resulted in a 6 lap green flag sprint to the finish. There was no stopping Hamlin as he charged on to the checkers. Mark Martin, in his first race ever driving for Rick Hendrick managed to get by his former teammate Carl Edwards to finish second in the 5 car. Edwards third place finish leaves him with a solid 433 point lead over second place Kevin Harvick.
Hamlin was very pleased with the win and the track, “I feel like I’m more on a level playing field with these guys when we come to these different racetracks.” explained Denny, “ No one’s really figured out how to get around these racetracks — there is no perfect way. And I think that kind of plays into my hands.”
