© Suburban Journals of Chicago Inc.
by Dan Peters
IT’S HAMLIN…MAKE THAT
ALMIROLA IN THE AT&T 250
West Allis, Wis., (June 23)—Just when you think you have seen it all,
along comes a race like the AT&T 250 NASCAR Busch Series race
Saturday night at The Milwaukee Mile. A strange twist of events
culminated with NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series regular Denny Hamlin pulling
into A.J. Foyt Victory Lane at America’s Legendary Oval, with the win
being credited to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Aric Almirola.
Huh?
Hamlin started his day 2,150 miles from Milwaukee in Sonoma, Calif.,
which meant Almirola was tabbed as the practice and qualifying driver,
allowing Hamlin to show up in time to drive in the AT&T 250.
Almirola won the pole in qualifying earlier in the afternoon for the
second straight year at The Mile, and was prepared to give the keys to
Hamlin from the cherished front row position for the race.
Rewind to one year ago, Hamlin flew from Sonoma to Milwaukee in time
for driver introductions, a helmet exchange with former Green Bay
Packers lineman Gilbert Brown, now a Milwaukee Mile shareholder, and
Hamlin started the race.
Hamlin was scheduled to arrive at The Mile in time to drive in the
NASCAR Busch Series event after completing his NEXTEL Cup obligations,
but ran into logistics issues along the way, forcing him to miss the
start of the AT&T 250.
Almirola led the field to the green flag and led the first 43 laps
before turning the seat over to Hamlin at the team’s discretion on
under the event’s third caution between laps 58 and 62.
By rule, the driver who starts in a NASCAR Busch Series events receives
the credit for starting the race, accruing all the points and finish
position.
“Aric deserves 75-percent of this win and it’s great his name will be
in the papers as the winner, “ Hamlin continued. “What better way to
showcase both drivers than to have both in the race.” “To get this win
after the long trip then not being able to land and having to sit out
the first 60 laps is incredible.”
Hamlin entertained thoughts about relief driving for ill-feeling driver
Steve Wallace until the call was made to call Almirola down pit road.
“I could live with the team’s decision either way (making the driver
change or leaving Almirola in the car)” a weary Hamlin stated
afterwards. “I know I flew a long way to race but Aric was doing an
incredible job in the car so I’m happy he’s credited with the win.”
Once at the wheel, Hamlin passed cars with conviction, ultimately
making a highlight reel, three-wide pass on the flat one-mile oval for
the lead entering turn one, powering past Wausau, Wisconsin’s Scott
Wimmer and Californian Jason Leffler in one fell swoop 22 laps shy of
the checkered flag. It was a lead he would never relinquish.
Almirola elected not to participate in the post-race celebration with
the team’s Milwaukee-based sponsor Rockwell Automation.
Wimmer led 14 laps late in the going and was poised to extend the run
to three of Wisconsin NASCAR drivers winning the AT&T 250 at The
Mile (Necedah’s Johnny Sauter in 2005, Eau Claire’s Paul Menard in
2006) in front of the 41,925 partisan fans.
A series of late race cautions and Hamlin’s determined drive left
Wimmer searching for longer, green flag runs.
“It’s not a bad night and we were decent all day, but long runs were
the best for us,” Wimmer explained. “My car really took off after
twenty or thirty laps and I just couldn’t get going on the
restarts. I had to slow down to get the car to turn and then
buzzed the tires off the corner. I drove as hard as I could.”
Leffler, who challenged for the lead but never officially led a lap
while racing with Wimmer and Hamlin, used pit strategy in a two-tire
stop late to challenge with Wimmer side-by-side for the lead, with
Hamlin’s spectacular move late in the going spoiling Leffler’s attempt
to become the first Toyota Camry driver in the NASCAR Busch Series to
record a victory.
“I had something for Wimmer for about two laps and knew I had to beat
him on the restart,” Leffler stated. “But Hamlin set us up like a
couple of bowling pins and went right by us both. I knew that was
coming when we were going down the back straightaway, but it’s all good
though. It was a good run for us.”
Rookie Brad Coleman, a Joe Gibbs Racing teammate to Hamlin, ran an
impressive fourth seven days after an impressive second place at
Kentucky Speedway.
2003 AT&T 250 race winner Jason Keller was fifth in the BREWCO
Motorsports Kleenex Ford. Toyota drivers Todd Bodine – subbing
for Dave Blaney - and David Reutimann finished in sixth and seventh
place respectively.
Current NASCAR Busch Series point leader and NASCAR NEXTEL Cup Series
regular Carl Edwards arrived literally within minutes of his qualifying
attempt to start and race from his ninth starting spot, dominated the
first half of the event after grabbing control by lap 44 and leading a
race high 123 laps.
Edwards’ race changed as a cut tire on lap 173 left him a lap in
arrears after being forced to pit under the green flag.
Not-so-surprisingly considering his string of success this season in
the Busch Series, Edwards made up the lost lap and was among the
fastest cars at the finish to come home eighth.
“It was pretty frustrating, “Edwards said of the flat tire
misfortune. Janesville, Wisconsin’s Travis Kvapil, Edwards’ Roush
Fenway Racing Truck Series teammate, set the car up. “But you know
what’s cool? We raced hard and we had a lot of fun here at Milwaukee.”
“Congratulations to Denny Hamlin,” Edwards continued. “I can’t believe
they did a driver switch and he still won the race; that’s pretty
awesome.”
Fresh off of his Friday night Toyota Tundra Milwaukee 200 NASCAR
Craftsan Truck Series victory, Johnny Benson drove a solid race to take
the checkered flag in ninth, while Shane Huffman crossed the finish
line in tenth.
This marks the first time a relief driver won an event since Harry Gant
subbed for Jack Ingram at Darlington on April 13, 1985.
At The Milwaukee Mile, the world’s oldest active speedway, the last
stock car relief driver who drove to victory was recorded on August 20,
1964, when Parnelli Jones stepped in for an ailing Rodger Ward in the
USAC Fair Stock 200.
The AT & T 250 featured five lead changes among four drivers and
was slowed a total of nine times under the caution flag for 48 laps.
The race was completed in just under three hours at an average speed of
85.203 mph.
For unofficial AT&T 250 race results and information on Wisconsin
NASCAR Superstar Matt Kenseth’s return to The Milwaukee Mile to race in
a super late model on Sunday, August 26th, part of an all-stock car
Governor’s Cup weekend, log on to www.milwaukeemile.com.
Past Sports News
Local
Sports and
Teams
|
