Race to the Chase prompts Gibbs strategy change

LOUDON, N.H. -- As raindrops fell three weeks ago at Pocono Raceway, Denny Hamlin was livid at his race team not taking a chance to win; his Joe Gibbs Racing crew chief, Mike Ford, staunchly defended a strategy that was short-term conservative.

On Sunday at New Hampshire International Speedway, Hamlin and Ford put their No. 11 Chevrolet Impala in Victory Lane at the Lenox Industrial Tools 300, the 10th race before the cutoff for the Chase for the Nextel Cup, thanks to a bold strategic move.

Lap-by-Lap

Denny Hamlin went in for two tires on Lap 256, took the lead on Lap 257 and held on to win the Lenox Industrial Tools 300.

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"The big difference from Pocono to here was we've got a few more races under our belt and we've put a few more points behind us," Ford said. "We've got to the point where, with 10 to go [until the Chase] we feel we're comfortable inside [those qualified for the Chase] and when an opportunity comes up, we can be aggressive."

After Pocono, Hamlin was third in the standings, 247 points behind Nextel Cup championship leader Jeff Gordon but only 438 clear of 13th-place Ryan Newman.

Coming into New Hampshire, Hamlin had moved into second behind Gordon and closed that gap -- but most importantly, he was 548 points clear of Newman.

Hamlin complained in Pocono because he was frustrated at having what he felt were no fewer than three potential winning cars to that point of the season, and another chance to get the 10 points per win seeding bonus that will be used to set the Chase field was lost.

On Sunday, Ford felt it was time to strike.

"I don't know that it gets more aggressive than what we did [Sunday]," Ford said. "We didn't have the best car, and the only way we had a shot to get those 10 points inside the Chase is to shoot for the win -- which for most of the race didn't look like we were good enough to do.

"But that was our only shot, and it did work out. It was surprising, but it did work out."

"Mike was biding his time on when to make that two-tire call at the end," Hamlin said. "Of course I was giving them an earful at the beginning of the race about, 'I just need some track position.' It was so hard to pass, I knew if we just got that clean air that we would be in better shape." (Continued)