Pocono 'Angels' Dump Denny's Demons

A 50-race winless streak may well have been 500 for Denny Hamlin.

Fuel pump issues, late-race passes and even a transmission that broke so violently that the shifter split in half while he was holding it have been the chapters of Denny Hamlin's long, harrowing and extremely frustrating Sprint Cup novel since March of 2008.

But the Virginia driver sped to his fifth career win Monday at Pocono Raceway to dispatch of those demons while he had some "angels" by his side.

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"We've come close in a lot of races this year but came up short," said Hamlin in Victory Lane. "We definitely had some angels with us today."

The "angels" Hamlin was referring to were his 91-year-old grandmother -- and from his description, the biggest fan of Hamlin's race team -- who passed away last week, as well as a crew member on the No. 11 team who lost a mother recently.

If indeed Hamlin felt a boost from the sadness his team has felt in the past week, it couldn't have come at a better time for the team -- and Hamlin especially.

"I found myself over the last few months starting to think, 'Man, I'm only racing for second when I show up," said Hamlin. "That's no way to be."

Was doubt, then, starting to set in with Denny and his abilities?

"A little bit. A lot of it's from what I read," said Hamlin. "We can't close. We led how many laps and not got a race win. That's pressure that I put on myself. I read too much into it."

While he may have read into it, there was no getting around that since he last saw Victory Lane at Martinsville Speedway in March of 2008, disappointment has won out big over Hamlin.

First, there was the Richmond race in May 2008. Hamlin dominated his home-track event by leading some 381 laps of the 400-lapper. Suddenly, a tire blew with just handfuls of circuits remaining to take him from contention.

There was the spring race at Talladega that he led some 37 laps in before finishing 3rd, and this season, Jimmie Johnson used a bump and slide late at Martinsville to take the win after Hamlin had led 296 of 500 laps. And just last week, Hamlin went from having a decent car to suffering drivetrain issues that were so forceful after a pit stop that the shifter broke off in his hand.

Even the Pocono spring race was unbearable as the No. 11 developed problems under the hood before the field even reached turn one -- quite the shock for most since Hamlin is always considered a threat at the triangle track. Those problems, though, probably helped Hamlin and crew chief Mike Ford find the best setup for the second time around.

"It was tough to really use it as a solid test session because we had dirty air the whole day. We ran back there," said Hamlin of the June race. "We didn't want to race with any guys, affect their race. But we did learn some things. We really did."

Learned enough to lead some 91 laps and earn his third career win at Pocono, at least.

Thanks to the win, Hamlin's confidence certainly got a shot in the arm.

"This just puts the confidence back in me that I can come from middle of the pack with 30 to go and win a race," said Hamlin. "In the big, grand scheme of things, we've been the most solid car that hasn't had a Hendrick label on it. You know, for the most part I take a lot of pride in that. We're taking strides forward starting today."

Strides indeed.