Denny Hamlin posted the seventh- and 11th-fastest times during Wednesday's test sessions. Credit: Autostock

Hamlin hopes to avoid traditional Year 2 slump

Last season's rookie of the year admits there's still things to learn

Life has changed dramatically over the last 12 months for Denny Hamlin, the reigning Nextel Cup rookie of the year.

But after finishing a surprising third in points in 2006, Hamlin is hoping to avoid the trauma of a season of change in the wrong direction -- or the so-called "sophomore jinx" -- in 2007. The best way to do that, he said, is to acknowledge that in many ways, this season has absolutely nothing to do with the success he enjoyed last season.

	Credit: Autostock
	"I didn't know how long my racing career was going to last. I didn't know how I was going to do in the Cup Series or if I would even be capable of doing it. So I jumped on every opportunity I could to make a dollar." - Denny Hamlin

"I think you have to start all over again," Hamlin said. "It's so hard to stay on top in this sport -- because if you have a good year, you've got five or six really good teams with the same budget you have who are going to try to get to your level. When you're on top, you've got to find ways to stay on top. And it's harder to do that than it is for the guys who are going to be making gains right behind you.

"That's what the hard part about this sport is. Your team as a whole can be on top one year and come back just three months later and you can't hit a ball. It's just amazing. It's just part of this sport and that's why it's so competitive."

Carl Edwards discovered that the hard way last year. Edwards technically wasn't a rookie in 2005 -- he ran 13 races in '04 and therefore couldn't qualify for rookie-of-the-year honors in '06. But he basically was considered a newcomer when he ran his first full-time Nextel Cup schedule that year, and he stunned the racing world by registering four victories and nearly chasing down a championship.

Then came last year, when Edwards failed to win a single race and finished 12th in points, out of the Chase for the Nextel Cup altogether. It was the type of dropoff Hamlin intends to avert this season.

"A slump is more a team as a whole [rather than just the driver]," Hamlin said. "Roush [Racing] was really on top of their game in Carl's so-called rookie year [2005]. They didn't perform as well last year and it showed through the whole program. You just have to minimize those peaks and valleys you're going to have as a race team."

Hamlin said that the Gibbs race team that he drives for does an excellent job of just that.

"Gibbs has done a good job of maintaining a steady level. There are going to be ups and downs. Sometimes things are right; other times things are wrong," Hamlin said. "But that's just mental stuff. If you're going to make it and your car is good, you're going to perform well."

Then again, Lady Luck plays a role in each and every racing season. Sometimes she shines on individuals and teams, and sometimes she abuses them unmercifully. Hamlin readily acknowledges that as an uncontrollable factor, too, although he is just as quick to point out that how a team handles adversity usually has much to do with its chances for overall success in a season.

"Luck is going to happen," Hamlin said. "We had good luck last year. We could fall apart and have bad luck this year. Still, we can bounce back from anything."

Like Edwards, Hamlin set up his first full-time season by first gaining some valuable part-time experience. He ran the last seven races of the Cup schedule in 2005, showing promise by winning one pole and finishing in the top 10 three times.

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He used that as a springboard to last season, when he won both poles and both races at Pocono while registering eight top-10 finishes and 20 in the top 10 overall.

If he's looking to avoid that second-year slump, he might want to start the season focusing on finishing better in the Daytona 500. Last year he placed 30th and went on to struggle at superspeedways all year long. That's why he said he was so encouraged by the positive manner in which his team tested earlier this week at Daytona International Speedway.

"The superspeedways were definitely my Achilles' heel last year," Hamlin said. "I think I crashed in every single one of them, except one. I just would get involved in something because I was running mid-pack. I just could never get to the front."

He said it takes experience to learn how to run consistently and avoid trouble on the superspeedways.

"I need to learn more in the draft and that's just going to come with time and years and more races," Hamlin said. "If they keep me around long enough, hopefully I'll get better and better."

The 26-year-old can relax about that. After last year's stellar start to his full-time Nextel Cup career, he doesn't appear to be going anywhere for a long time.

He said his life definitely has changed since this time a year ago, for the better. To keep it that way, he said he is going to have to learn not only how to draft on a superspeedway but also how to best budget his time away from all the tracks. Otherwise, he said a young driver can burn himself out and lose the focus he needs to continue being successful.

"You definitely have a whole lot more opportunities," Hamlin said. "But you realize that last year at this time versus this year, I didn't know how long my racing career was going to last. I didn't know how I was going to do in the Cup Series or if I would even be capable of doing it. So I jumped on every opportunity I could to make a dollar -- [I would] fly here, fly there trying to make some money.

"You can turn down those things now because the time is worth more than money. I found that out pretty quick. For me, it's a learning experience. You have to pay your dues. You've got to go out there and answer the media and not turn anything down for awhile because you've got to earn your keep in this sport. These guys who are able to [regulate what they do more] now have earned that right."

Hamlin figures he is now one of those guys, and he would like to keep it that way.