Duel between Hamlin, Harvick resumes
Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick spent the final lap at New Hampshire a year ago jockeying for the lead, the two clearly the class of the field as the NASCAR Cup Series race approached the checkered flag.
It turned out to be a harbinger of the wacky 2020 season.
Hamlin and Harvick have been the strongest cars on a weekly basis amid the coronavirus pandemic, combing for nearly half of the wins through 19 races. Hamlin won his series-leading fifth just over a week ago at Kansas Speedway, where Harvick — the winner at New Hampshire last season — lamented how off his No. 4 Ford felt despite a top-5 finish.
“Those guys have been solid. They're going to be in the top five even on their bad days,” Hamlin said ahead of today's return to the flat, mile-long track at New Hampshire. “You call it a bad day; he nearly won it with 10 to go or so. He still finds a way to get to the top 5. That's just a really strong race team.”
Then again, so is the No. 11 Toyota for Joe Gibbs Racing.
Hamlin could match the six wins he posted a year ago, when he made the final round of the playoffs, and begin setting his sights on the eight wins he had during the 2010 season. And more importantly, he could continue to rack up playoff points to help usher him through this year's postseason as Hamlin pursues his first series championship.
“This race team, we go to win every week. That's our goal,” said
Hamlin's crew chief, Chris Gabehart. “I'm not saying we're going to meet that measure, but I go into every week planning to do our very best to do it.”
Hamlin and Harvick both have been pretty successful at New Hampshire. Harvick leads all active drivers in wins with four while Hamlin has three, and he has five second-place runs there with the most recent being last year.
Remember? When Harvick beat him? “I thought he just kind of outsmarted me really on that last lap, kind of protecting the bottom there,” said Hamlin, who admitted “butting heads” with Harvick early in the careers but that a certain amount of mutual respect now exists.
“I didn't do a good job on the final lap," he said. "I obviously had the fastest car. He just outsmarted me . ... He got the best of me. I certainly haven't forgot it. You learn lessons here and there from guys like him.”