Mondays are the new Sundays when it rains

Written By: Matt "Night" Rider


NASCAR  Sprint Cup Series
Hamlin Wins 3rd in Home State

MARTINSVILLE SPEEDWAY- GOODY'S FAST PAIN RELIEF 500 (MARTINSVILLE, VA.)- Chesterfield, VA. native Denny Hamlin (Pictured Left, Black Car) went to victory lane for the 3rd time on Monday afternoon in Martinsville. Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Joey Logano stayed around the top ten and walked away with a strong second place showing. Hendrick racer Jeff Gordan fought hard to stay up with the front runners towards the end. Gordan's day ended in a great third place finish. Fourth belonged to South Bend, IN native Ryan Newman, while Martin Truex Jr. brought home a solid fifth place finish for Michael Waltrip Racing.

Coming in sixth behind Truex Jr. was Red Bull racer Brian Vickers. Clint Bowyer put together a hard fought race, to take a seventh place finish. Eighth place belonged to Roush Fenway racer Carl Edwards. Last weekend's winner Bristol victor Jimmie Johnson flirted with the top ten all day, ending his day with a nineth place showing. Greg Biffle grabbed the last top ten spot in tenth.

Finishing on back in the field was some great racers. These racers include; Dale Earnhardt Jr. in 15th. Kasey Kahne in 17th. Matt Kenseth slid up the race track with just a few laps to go and finished 18th. Mark Martin had a dominant car, but was caught up in pit penalties. Martin took the checkers in 21st. The Busch brothers (Kyle and Kurt) took 22nd and 23rd place finishes respectfully. Tony Stewart had trouble with his car, but finished the day in 26th. Daytona winner Jamie McMurray finished 30th. Kevin Harvick had brake problems throughout the day and picked up a 35th place finish. All of these racers will look to bounce back in the coming races.
It was a dominating day for Hamlin, but it wasn't easy. Hamlin was in a back and forth battle with another Virginia native, Richard Childress Racing's Jeff Burton, whose from South Boston, VA. Burton had a very strong car, but cut a tire with just laps remaining in the race. Burton finished his day in 20th.

With about 10 laps to go, Hamlin and JGR teammate Kyle Busch made a surprising pit stop, to get four fresh tires. Hamlin took the green in nineth place but quickly moved up. Four fresh tires made the #11 faster in traffic. Then Busch was turned around. This set up for an exciting green, white checkered finish. Gordan had his eyes on an eighth Martinsville Grandfather Clock, if he could just hold off the hard-charging Hamlin. Kenseth slid up the race track, opening the door for Hamlin and JGR teammate Joey Logano. Hamlin took the checkers. Logano was right behind Hamlin in second place. All in all, it was a great day for Joe Gibbs Racing at Martinsville.

The NASCAR Sprint Cup Series take a break for the Easter holiday, but then head to Phoenix International Raceway to race the Subway Fresh Fit 600 on Saturday, April 10th. The race can be seen on the FOX stations at about 7:30 PM.


Denny Hamlin Picture credited to:
www.flickr.com/photos/nascarsays/3399149938/

 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series "Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500" Results credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/2010/6/data/results_unofficial.html


NASCAR Sprint Cup Series 2010 Schedule credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/races/cup/

Hamlin To Have Surgery
Despite winning his 3rd career Martinsville race on Monday, the Joe Gibbs racer will be heading into surgery to repair his left knee. Hamlin will have the surgery on Wednesday afternoon, and then take some time to heal up before the Subway Fresh Fit 600 at Phoenix International Raceway on Saturday, April 10th. I want to wish Denny a speedy recovery, and will look forward to covering the race in Phoenix.

Information on Hamlin's Surgery credited to:
http://www.nascar.com/2010/news/opinion/03/29/one.menz.jmenzer.dhamlin.martinsville/index.html

IZOD Indy Car Series
Power Is On Fire After Monday's Win

Winning 2nd straight

HONDA GRAND PRIX OF ST. PETE (ST. PETERSBURG, FL.)- Will Power (Pictured Right) took the lead with about 40 laps to go, and never looked back. The Team Penske racer is on fire, after winning the 100 lap Hondra Grand Prix of St. Petersburg on Monday afternoon. This was Power's second straight victory this season. 

Dreyer & Reinbold racer Justin Wilson put together a solid run to pick up second place. Third and fourth went to Power's Penske teammates Ryan Briscoe and Helio Castroneves. Target Chip Ganassi's Dario Franchitti rounded out the top five finishers .

FAZZT Race Team driver Alex Tagliani finished the afternoon in sixth, while Andretti Autosports entry Danica Patrick matched her car number (7) and her finish (7th) in Monday's race. Luczo Dragon Racing de Ferran Motorsports racer Raphael Matos ran a smart race to finih eighth. Nineth went to Graham Rahal, who was racing for Sarah Fisher Racing. Andretti Autosports driver "TK" Tony Kanaan raced his way to a tenth place finish. Macro Andretti took a 12th place finish. Target Chip Ganassi racer Scott Dixon was up front for most of the day, but with about 25 laps to go, Dixon made contact with the wall. Dixon's day ended in an 18th place finish. Dan Wheldon finished 20th. Milka Duna finished 24th for Dale Coyne Racing.

The IZOD Indy Car Series will take the Easter holiday off, but will be back in action on Sunday, April 11th, when they race the Indy Grand Prix of Alabama presented by Legacy Credit Union from Birmingham, Alabama. All the IZOD Indy Car Series action kicks off at 3:00 PM on the Versus Network.

Will Power Picture credited to:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/nphotos/Honda/ss/events/bs/081217_honda

IZOD Indy Car Series "Honda Grand Prix of St. Petersburg" Results credited to:
http://www.indycar.com/schedule/raceresults/55-izod-indycar-series/1800-honda-grand-prix-of-st-petersburg/

IZOD Indy Car Series 2010 Schedule credited to:
http://www.indycar.com/schedule/