The Field Disintegrated While Hamlin Dominated
2/17/2014
Jim Fitzgerald
The annual spectacle known as the Sprint Unlimited took place this past Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway, and officially opened the unofficial 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. Eighteen drivers took to the track, either pole winners from the 2013 season or previous winners of the event. The cast of characters in this event would not disappoint those fans in search of early season excitement, and Denny Hamlin dominated to take his second win in the Unlimited Event.
The night began with the first of three fans votes, this one determining the segmented format of the 75-lap race. Those fans at home and in attendance who voted selected a first segment of 30 laps, and a second segment of 25 laps, while the third and final stage would be 20 laps in length. The fans would also determine how the drivers would line up for the start, and finally the criteria to determine how the drivers would line up for the start of the final segment of the race.
By the way, did you know that the UFC fight was on TV after the race?
When the race would start, it became known that the fans had selected the “Practice Speed” option, which meant that the fastest car in practice would start at the front of the field while the slowest would start shotgun. Denny Hamlin had the “pole” for the event, and that meant that slowest practicer Jimmie Johnson would start at the back. Normally, Johnson might be able to weave his way through the field, but on the 28th lap, he got a bit loose and spun to the inside, smacking the wall and ending his evening. Denny Hamlin led nine laps and won the first segment.
The second segment would start as the first one ended, but would unfold much differently than the first. On Lap 35, Matt Kenseth tried to move to the inside of the track, but wasn’t clear when he did so. The resulting crash took out Kenseth himself, as well as Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon, Carl Edwards, Kurt Busch, Ricky Stenhouse, and Danica Patrick. The carnage from the wreck left a limited number of cars to vie for the win, and it was Denny Hamlin again taking the win in the second segment, leading another sixteen laps in the process.
Enter the third fan vote. Instead of choosing the lineup to be set by the driver who had led the most laps, or who had run the fastest lap in the race, the fans chose the “mandatory pit stop” option. The drivers would be required to bring the cars down pit road for a pit stop, and the order the cars came off pit road would determine how they would be placed on the grid for the restart. Hamlin came off of the pit road first after a two-tire stop and would restart at the point. Before the final segment could begin however, the pace car began showing smoke from the rear and from inside the car. Pace car driver Brett Bodine pulled the car off to the side near a safety vehicle and he and NASCAR official Buster Auton exited the car safely as the small fire in the trunk area of the car was extinguished.
Secondary pace car in place, the final segment unfolded and the drama continued. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Marcos Ambrose were hooked up and trying to move to the front when Earnhardt’s car dipped to the middle lane for a heartbeat. Ambrose’s momentum continued and when Earnhardt tried to get back in line, the two drivers made contact and Earnhardt was turned into the wall, ending his night. This brought Kyle Busch back into the mix, as he was a half-lap down after making repairs for damage due to another almost-spin, similar to his spin when he won the event a few years prior. Brad Keselowski took a turn at the lead and was on top with just two laps to go. Busch had charged through the field and made a move past Keselowski, but was unable to complete it. As the No. 2 and No. 18 ran side by side, Hamlin pushed his No. 11 Toyota three-wide below Keselowski and Busch to take the top spot as the cars took the white flag. Keselowski moved high and low throughout the final lap but could not find a dance partner, and Hamlin took the win.
Busch finished in third place behind Keselowski, while Joey Logano and Kevin Harvick completed the top five. Eighteen cars began the non-points preliminary event, but only eight were running when it concluded. Said Hamlin of the move which took him to the win:
“Me and Kyle started getting huge runs towards the
front. Just started
picking 'em off one by one over the course of a lap
and a half. Once I pushed him
beside the 2, I had somebody behind me, I backed off and got a big enough gap
to where I knew I was going to have to make a decision whether to push him or
try to get the win for ourselves.
Had
it been a few more laps left, I definitely would have pushed him. But coming to the white, I felt like if I got
clear of those guys three-wide getting into turn three, it would be tough for
them to beat us.
Luckily
by an inch or two we got clear of our teammate and got a good one-three finish
and the gamble paid off.”