Source: http://adamcooperf1.com/2012/11/03/lewis-hamilton-we-were-faster-than-i-expected/
Zsolt Baumgartner Elie Bayol Don Beauman Karl Gunther Bechem
Saturday
Lewis Hamilton: ?We were faster than I expected?
Lewis Hamilton admits he was surprised to be fast enough to beat Red Bull to pole in Abu Dhabi, and has no explanation for McLaren?s pace given that there are no updates on the car. Hamilton?s first run in Q3 … Continue reading
The Benefits of a Hybrid Car
Everyone’s heard of hybrid cars, but not many people take the time to fully realise the benefits. Whether it?s the financial or environmental advantages, or simply considering it as investment for the future, there are a number of advantages that can’t be found on strictly-petrol based vehicles. Hybrid cars also aren’t brand new, either. The [...]
Source: http://www.autocarblog.co.uk/338-the-benefits-of-a-hybrid-car.html
Fred Agabashian Kurt Ahrens Jr Christijan Albers Michele Alboreto
Star Motorcycle V Star 250
You won?t find many mean looking street bikes in the 250 cc segment. Most of them are unintimidating and small and due to this fact many beginners aren?t eager of buying one and find it hard to follow the friendly advices of more experienced bikers. However there are a few interesting options that worth to be taken into consideration.
At the front of the pack sits the sporty Kawasaki Ninja 250R, followed by the Honda Rebel and the Suzuki brothers ? TU250X and GZ250. The Star Motorcycle is also worthy of being mentioned among them, as is the only V-twin 250 bike found in this class. It is significantly tinier than its bigger siblings, but its compact dimensions, easy handling and the low weight make it a good choice for those who are still learning the secrets of riding a bike.
While most of the small bikes aren?t capable of offering any terrible thrills, the Star Motorcycle V Star 250 was always seen as a decent cruiser that manages to deliver a reasonable riding experience and does a great job as an entry level model.
Hit the jump for more information on the Star Motorcycle V Star 250.
Star Motorcycle V Star 250 originally appeared on topspeed.com on Saturday, 3 November 2012 11:51 EST.
George Connor George Constantine John Cordts David Coulthard
Toyota Racing Development Interested in a Supercharged Scion FR-S
At the 2012 SEMA Show, we got a look at a few Scion (Toyota) sponsored FR-S models featuring superchargers strapped to the tops of their 200-horsepower boxer engines. With that, we began wondering if Toyota was planning to add a supercharger to the FR-S mix and if this was a way to see how the FR-S would respond to it. Sure, Toyota played the denial game in terms of a turbocharged model, but nothing was ever said about a supercharger.
A new report from Car and Driver, following a sit down with TRD at SEMA, is showing that there is interest in adding a supercharger to the line of manufacturer-backed performance upgrades. While there is still no official confirmation, the pure fact that TRD would confirm that there is interest pretty much locks it in. Manufacturers will rarely offer up information on unconfirmed products, let alone let loose that there is an interest.
There, of course, are no specifications to release yet, as TRD is obviously still in R&D mode with this experiment. Given Toyota has to strap a warranty to this package; we wouldn?t expect to see much more than about 6 pounds of boost. While there are too many variables to be accurate on estimate output, this would likely equate out to a 60 to 70-horsepower gain from a supercharger on top of the Scion?s engine.
For now, we are simply speculating, but a 270-horsepower, supercharged FR-S sure does sound like load of fun to us! We?ll keep a very close eye on this situation and get you updates as soon as they come out.
Toyota Racing Development Interested in a Supercharged Scion FR-S originally appeared on topspeed.com on Friday, 2 November 2012 17:00 EST.
Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler Birabongse Bhanubandh
Friday
2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice in pictures | F1 pictures
2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice in pictures is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Pictures from the first day of practice for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
2012 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix practice in pictures is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/11/02/2012-abu-dhabi-grand-prix-practice-pictures/
Kats Nakasuga To Replace Ben Spies At Valencia
Katsuyuki Nakasuga is to replace Ben Spies in the factory Yamaha team for the final race of the season at Valencia. Spies, who had to undergo surgery on the shoulder he damaged in the race crash in Sepang, has been ruled out of the rest of the season. The race at Phillip Island had come at too short notice for Yamaha to find a substitute for the injured Spies, but the Valencia race allowed them to secure the services of Nakasuga.
The choice of Nakasuga is a safe and very conservative one, but it was always the most probable outcome. Nakasuga is Yamaha's MotoGP test rider, and would have been on hand in Valencia anyway. Nakasuga made an appearance at Motegi this year, where he finished a creditable 9th. Fans had been lobbying for either AMA champion Josh Hayes or former BSB champion Tommy Hill to take the ride. Hayes, in particular, had proven his worth with an impressive outing as a replacement for Colin Edwards at Tech 3 in Valencia last year.
The 2013 Schedule? On Double Headers, Balance and ABC
The 2013 Indycar schedule came out on Sunday and fans have shown equals parts joy, hate and total indifference. I am positive you readers have had about enough of the scheduling talk, but I?ve got a few things to say … Continue reading 
Thursday
Abu Dhabi Grand Prix: Top FIVE Moments
The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix first ran in 2009 as the final race of the season, and has been a success in the following years. Traditionally at the end of the season, it is often crucial in deciding the winner of the Drivers? Championship and is Formula One?s only day-night race where drivers start the [...]
Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Formula1Fancast/~3/LycZEA5pVVc/abu-dhabi-grand-prix-top-five-moments
Open-Wheel Timeline, Part 1? The Sanctioning Bodies
The history of American Open Wheel Racing and its respective national championships are as confusing and intricate as any other aspect of the sport. Controversy between the various sanctioning bodies, participating manufacturers and of course the Indianapolis Motor Speedway has … Continue reading 
2013 Silly Season? Who?s Where, and What?s What
It may only be October, but it?s never too early to start thinking about silly season in indycar world. Without the post-Vegas fallout to contend with this year, silly season has picked up steam much earlier this year than in … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/10/2013-silly-season-whos-where-and-whats-what/
Wednesday
Jimmie Johnson and Greg Biffle are at the head of the field at Kansas
What impact will the new surface at Kansas Speedway have on Sunday?
That's the question that you'll hear more times than you can count over the course of this week, as Sunday's race is the first Sprint Cup Series race at Kansas since the track repaved. Gone is the consistent 15 degrees of banking throughout the track's four corners, replaced by variable banking of 17 degrees near the white line and 20 degrees near the wall.
So, we ask again, what impact will the new surface have? Since racing can be such a finicky beast, it's probably impossible to figure out the exact significance of past performance at a remodeled racetrack. You certainly can't look back to the last few races on the old surface for a reliable indicator, but can you throw out the results completely?
The result is probably somewhere in the middle. What we do know, however, is that Jimmie Johnson (surprise!) and Greg Biffle were the two best drivers at Kansas before the repave. And it wouldn't be stunning if they were two of the best drivers at Kansas after the repave. But how much of it is the driver and the car instead of the track?
Johnson: Vader has two wins and 10 top 10 finishes at Kansas Speedway for an average finish of 7.9. He won last year's fall race here and was in the thick of the Chase mix until the following week at Charlotte. He was also third in the spring.
Biffle: Biffle is just fractionally worse than Johnson at Kansas with an average finish of 8.0, and that can be traced back to his only nine top 10s in 12 starts. Biffle also has two wins at Kansas; in the near darkness in 2007, and in the fall race in 2010.
Brad Keselowski: Jetski's first Sprint Cup Series win for Roger Penske came in the 2011 spring race at Kansas, when he conserved enough fuel over the final laps to pull away from the field. Back then, it was a surprising win. Now? No, not at all, and we're surprised when Keselowski and Paul Wolfe don't make their fuel supply last longer than everyone else's. His average finish is 10.2.
Jeff Gordon: The winner of the first two races at Kansas hasn't won since, but has nine top 10s in 13 starts at the track. His average finish is 11.1, but his last two Kansas finishes have been 34th thanks to an engine failure, and 21st.
Tony Stewart: Stewart showed Keselowski how to win a fuel mileage race at Kansas in 2006, when he coasted more than a half of a lap without fuel to the win. In 2009, he won without the benefit of fuel mileage, outrunning Gordon to the finish over the race's final green flag segment. His average finish is 12.2.
Kevin Harvick: Harvick's average finish isn't too far behind Stewart's at 13.0, but he hasn't been to victory lane at Kansas. Harvick has six top 10s in 13 Kansas starts, and with the way that RCR is going this year, it wouldn't be surprising if Harvick made it seven in 14 without sniffing the lead.
Denny Hamlin: The Hamster is going for a rare sweep of two wins in the same season at the same track that really isn't the same track. He ran down and passed Martin Truex Jr. in the spring after the sun came out late at Kansas in the spring for his only win and just his third top 10 at the track. His average finish is 14.1, thanks in part to Hamlin completing all but four laps in his Kansas races.
Clint Bowyer: Saturday night's winner hasn't had the best luck at the track that's just an hour and change from his hometown of Emporia, KS. Since finishing second in his second Kansas start, Bowyer has only finished higher than 12th once. His average finish is 15.0. (Did you know that Bowyer's win at Charlotte was his first at a 1.5 mile track?)
Kasey Kahne: Kahne, who has an average finish of 16.1, has started on the pole twice at Kansas, but in those two starts, he's finished 33rd and 37th. Kasey, you may not want to lead the field to green on Sunday. He was second in this race last year for Red Bull Racing, and was 8th in the spring.
Matt Kenseth: Kind of surprising to see Kenseth so far down the list, no? His average finis is 16.9, and that's after finishes of seventh, sixth, fourth and fourth in the last four Kansas races. Four finishes of 32nd or worse will do that to you.
Martin Truex, Jr.: This would be a different paragraph if Truex would have been able to hold on in the spring. He dominated the race, leading 173 of 267 laps on his way to a second place finish. And that second place finish? That was his first notable finish at Kansas; his previous high finish was 11th, and that came in his first start at the track. Hence the average finish of 23.2.
Alain de Changy Colin Chapman Dave Charlton Pedro Matos Chaves
Chase Power Rankings, where we try to find the blend line
The first race of the Chase is over, and that means it's time for Power Rankings! But we're doing things a little differently now that we're in the postseason. It's all-Chasers, all the time. Good job, good effort for those of you that didn't make it, but we've got bigger fish to focus on. We'll be judging who's running well, considering not just finishing position but quality of run, expected potential, and general gut feelings. As always, we hate your guy and are biased against him. Now, enjoy.
1. Brad Keselowski: We kept looking to Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Carl Edwards as the logical rivals to Jimmie Johnson, but is it possible we were looking at the wrong teams? Keselowski has now outthought and outdriven some of the biggest names in the sport, and he's got a series-leading (tied with Hamlin) four wins. That's about as definitive a statement on his arrival as you can make. Who else is thinking he's going to be around until Homestead?
2. Jimmie Johnson: Be afraid, everyone. Be very, very afraid. Sure, the 48 lost the race, but that's only because of one key decision. Other than that, Johnson et al. ran a flawless Chicago. And there's no evidence that they'll be any weaker at any other track. The run at six is very much alive.
3. Kasey Kahne: Well hey there, Kasey! Glad you got all those early season wiggles behind you once and for all. Kahne did exactly what we expected he would in Chicago, stay close to the leaders and not do anything stupid to jeopardize his Chase hopes.
4. Tony Stewart: Yes, we all know about the Windy City Grope, but Stewart still had to drive the doggone car after that. And he did so quite well, posting a sixth-place finish. You know what that means: watch your back(side), Delana.
5. Denny Hamlin: Sure, he ran out of gas and plummeted down the standings on the final lap. But with any luck (for his sake), that boneheaded miscalculation will spur the team on to get everything exactly right from here on out. Hamlin isn't out of the Chase, not by a long shot, but he can't afford any more of those miscues.
6. Dale Earnhardt Jr.: See, this is why Junior is going to have to find an extra gear come Chase time. He ran exactly the kind of race he has all year, finishing eighth to his average finish of 9.9, and yet he's already a third of a race behind the leaders. Not going to get it done that way, 88.
7. Clint Bowyer: Decent enough day for Bowyer; a top 10 finish is nothing to sneeze at. (Why any finish, good or bad, would make you sneeze is beyond me and probably requires a medical professional's care.) Still, like Earnhardt he'll need to run stronger to keep pace.
8. Matt Kenseth: Shock the Matty! A lost shock pretty much killed an otherwise solid day by Kenseth, who was on the way to one of his characteristic strong finishes. Remember, crews: when installing parts, check twice, screw once. Just like ... nah, I better leave that one alone.
9. Jeff Gordon: Yeah, he got an up-close introduction to the wall, but before that, he was putting together a solid afternoon. He may well have killed his Chase hopes early on for the second year in a row, but he's been in the "desperate must-win" situation before, and look how that turned out.
10. Greg Biffle: A disappointing afternoon for Biffle; he could and should have run better. Again, it's early yet, but you don't want too many finishes in the teens on your resume.
11. Martin Truex Jr.: This was exactly what Truex didn't need. With no bonus-point cushion, Truex and Harvick have to be running better than their season average, race after race.
12. Kevin Harvick: Admit it. You'd love to see what Harvick would do if Kyle Busch or Joey Logano tried the grab-trick.
Non-Chaser of the week: Kyle Busch, of course. He's only 1,200 points behind Keselowski. With a good run of races, he should make that up by 2015 or so.
Program note: If you love (or loathe) these Power Rankings, be sure to check out my new all-sports column Case of the Mondays. Just like this, but with more Tebow.
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Guarantee, statement, whatever; Denny Hamlin dominates at New Hampshire
After running out of fuel in the waning laps at Chicago, Denny Hamlin sent a tweet shortly after the race that said "This is 1 week of 10. We will win next week."
A prediction? A guarantee? A (wait for it) Ruthian calling of his shot? Not really the case, Hamlin said on Friday.
"It was really meant to be nothing more than just, 'Hey, we'll get them next week. We'll win it next week.' People were just taking it a little further than that, but I'm racing ? doing the best I can ? and that's all I'm going to do."
[Related: Familiar name takes over Chase lead]
Well, whatever it was, it turned out to be prophetic. Despite starting 28th in line after a poor qualifying run, Hamlin dominated on Sunday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway to collect his fifth win of the season and close within seven points of Chase points leader Jimmie Johnson through two races.
New Hampshire's flat mile can be a tricky place to pass, but it wasn't for Hamlin early ? or at any point during the race, for that matter. He blazed his way to the front of the field from the start, taking the lead on lap 94 and with the exception of pit strategy and green flag pit stop cycling, never relinquished it.
The race's only potential late drama attempted to build up with 28 laps to go, when a caution for debris flew, wiping out Hamlin's five second plus lead over Jimmie Johnson. None of the top seven cars pitted, and as the green flag flew with 23 laps to go, it was Johnson's chance to swipe the victory from Hamlin.
And, well, it wasn't even close. Hamlin started on the inside and immediately drove away from Johnson by multiple car lengths as the two exited turn two after the restart. That was as close as it got, as Hamlin continued to drive away for Joe Gibbs Racing's 100th Sprint Cup Series victory.
After he exited his car after an epic burnout, Hamlin got in a batting stance and pointed, a la Ruth in the 1932 World Series, apparently forgetting that he said he really didn't make a guarantee, but rather a statement, a week ago. What was certainly a strong statement though, was Hamlin's performance on Sunday.
"You don't want to sound too cocky but I knew what we were capable of," Hamlin said in victory lane. "Our car was extremely strong and I have a really good knack for this racetrack and the two together with a crew chief like Darian (Grubb), it's a winning combination."
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Enrique Bernoldi Enrico Bertaggia Tony Bettenhausen Mike Beuttler
Tuesday
VIDEO: Kurt Busch talks about moving to Furniture Row
Kurt Busch talked Friday at Dover about his impending move to Furniture Row Racing, one that will start before 2013.
Busch will take over at Furniture Row at Charlotte for the final six races of the 2012 season in preparation for driving the full season for the team in 2013. He's replacing Regan Smith, who will drive his final race for Furniture Row at Talladega. A replacement for Busch in the No. 51 Phoenix Racing entry that he currently drives hasn't been announced.
Harry Blanchard Michael Bleekemolen Alex Blignaut Trevor Blokdyk
Remembering Dan Wheldon
There isn?t much more to say about the man that was Dan Wheldon. Many amazing columns have been written by people far more skilled than I. And honestly, what more is there to be added? October 16th will always be … Continue reading 
Source: http://anotherindycarblog.wordpress.com/2012/10/18/remembering-dan-wheldon/
VIDEO: Kurt Busch talks about moving to Furniture Row
Kurt Busch talked Friday at Dover about his impending move to Furniture Row Racing, one that will start before 2013.
Busch will take over at Furniture Row at Charlotte for the final six races of the 2012 season in preparation for driving the full season for the team in 2013. He's replacing Regan Smith, who will drive his final race for Furniture Row at Talladega. A replacement for Busch in the No. 51 Phoenix Racing entry that he currently drives hasn't been announced.
Christian Danner Jorge Daponte Anthony Davidson Jimmy Davies
Want to win the Sprint Cup Series title? Better grab a top 10 at Talladega
Wild Card! Lottery! Unpredictable!
You've heard those words and their brothers, sisters, cousins, and long-lost relatives more often than you can probably count when it comes to describing the Talladega Chase race, and let's be honest, they're all applicable. However, there's no point in rehashing what we already know, and that basically boils down to "anything could happen."
While the races themselves at Talladega can be unpredictable, the performance of the eventual champion isn't. Only once in the eight-year history of the Chase has the eventual champion finished outside the top 10 at Talladega. That was Jimmie Johnson in 2006 ? the race that saw him go spinning off the back bumper of then-teammate Brian Vickers as he went for the lead on the final lap. Here's how our three Chase champs have fared:
2004: 5th (Kurt Busch)
2005: 2nd (Tony Stewart)
2006: 24th (Jimmie Johnson)
2007: 2nd (Johnson)
2008: 9th (Johnson)
2009: 6th (Johnson)
2010: 7th (Johnson)
2011: 7th (Stewart)
After Sunday's race at Dover, Brad Keselowski said that it was then too soon to be picking favorites. But if seven of eight Talladega races are any indication, it may not be too soon to pick one late Sunday afternoon. And the guy atop the (admittedly easily skewed) average finish list is also atop the points standings:
Keselowski: In seven Talladega starts, @Kes has wins in his first one ? guess what race that was! ? and his last one, when he separated himself from Kyle Busch in May on the race's final lap in turns three and four. He's got an average finish of 13.0 and five top fives.
Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Kind of surprising that it's not Junior atop this list, isn't it? Junior has an average finish of 14.8, and his last Talladega win came in the 2004. He's led laps in 23 of his 25 Talladega starts. If he wins on Sunday, do you think NASCAR will let him say (poop) in victory lane without fear of a penalty? (Come on Junior, please do it if you win just to see what would happen.)
Tony Stewart: Smoke finished second six times before he broke through in 2008 for his only Talladega victory. And last year's Chase race is his only top 15 since then. If Stewart betters his average finish of 15.5, he's going to still be a title threat.
Kevin Harvick: Cupcake is a notch below Smoke at 15.6 and won his only Talladega race in the spring of 2010. Last year in this race, he was caught up in a crash on lap 105 and finished 32nd, effectively killing his Chase hopes.
Clint Bowyer: Bowyer is tied with Harvick in the average finish department and has won this race the last two years. A third consecutive win on Sunday could make a lot of people realize that Bowyer is a legit title threat.
Jeff Gordon: Sunday will be Jeff Gordon's 40th race at Talladega, and in his previous 39 starts he has six wins, including back-to-back wins in 2007 for an average finish of 16.8. Since those two wins, Gordon has been hampered by bad luck and has just two top 10s. How Jeff Gordon would it be if he finished first and then the top six drivers in the Chase finished second through seventh?
Johnson: Johnson hasn't finished any of the season's first three restrictor plate races, so first up on his checklist is to simply finish Sunday's race, and then he can worry about where he finishes. He finished 35th in the spring thanks to a blown engine, one of four engine failures he has in 21 Talladega starts. His average finish is 17.7
Denny Hamlin: Hamlin has three top fives in 13 Talladega starts and an average finish of 18.2 and he's finished 8th and 9th in the last two Chase races here.
Matt Kenseth: The antithesis of Johnson, Kenseth has been incredibly good at the three restrictor plate races this season, finishing first in the Daytona 500, third in the spring at Talladega and then third in July at Daytona. If he's got the same setup again, only a crash will prevent him from bettering his 18.6 average finish.
Greg Biffle: It's something about those Fords this year at plate tracks. Biffle was second to Kenseth in the 500, finished fifth in the spring here and was at the front of the pack on the last lap at Daytona in July when he was involved in a big crash. The Biff's average finish is 19.7, and he'll need to beat that significantly if he wants to have any hope of getting back in the Chase.
Kasey Kahne: Kahne's average finish is 20.8 and has three top fives and four top 10s in 17 Talladega starts. But two of those top 10s have come in the last two races.
Martin Truex Jr.: In 15 Talladega starts, Truex has nine DNFs, which leads to an average finish of 23.8. Two of those were for engine issues and seven were for crashes, including one in the spring race.
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Monday
The day after the night before?
After the Grand Prix, it was time to bash out GP+ and then head for the airport. No sane soul wants to take a flight at 04.15, but half the F1 circus was there at Delhi International Airport, obviously keen to move on. That is not always easy in India because things move rather slowly. [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/10/29/the-day-after-the-night-before/
Eugene Chaboud Jay Chamberlain Karun Chandhok Alain de Changy
Bank wants money? just for a change
BayernLB, the Bavarian state bank, has asked Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone to pay back $40 million in alleged payments made by Gerhard Gribkowsky, its former chief risk officer, who is now in jail. It is also asking Mr E to pay $350 million which it believes was knocked off the price in the deal [...]
Source: http://joesaward.wordpress.com/2012/10/26/bank-wants-money-just-for-a-change/
Press Releases On Marc Marquez' 2012 Moto2 World Championship
A press release from Dorna and and an infographic from Repsol on Marc Marquez' 2012 Moto2 World Championship:
Marc Márquez - 2012 Moto2™ World Champion
At this weekend’s AirAsia Australian Grand Prix, Team CatalunyaCaixa Repsol’s Marc Márquez became the fifth Spanish rider ever to win a world title in the intermediate-class, and being the first ever to do so on a Suter chassis.
Marc Márquez’s debut World Championship campaign in 2008 immediately served notice of his talent, and he took a podium at Donington in his first season despite a shortened campaign due to injury. In 2009 he scored a single podium on his way to eighth overall, before his full talent truly blossomed in 2010 as he scored an incredible 10 victories from 12 poles on his way to the 125cc World Championship title. One of his most notable rides was the fight-back from last on the grid in Estoril to storm to victory.
Round Number:
17 Year:
2012
Vettel wins in India but Alonso limits the damage | 2012 Indian Grand Prix review
Vettel wins in India but Alonso limits the damage is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Sebastian Vettel edged away from Fernando Alonso in the drivers' championship after scoring his fourth consecutive win of 2012.
Vettel wins in India but Alonso limits the damage is an original article from F1 Fanatic. If this article has been published anywhere other than F1 Fanatic it is an infringement of copyright.
Source: http://www.f1fanatic.co.uk/2012/10/28/2012-indian-grand-prix-report/
Keith Andrews Elio de Angelis Marco Apicella Mбrio de Araъjo Cabral
Sunday
2012 Chase Prospects: Is it Denny Time?
You have to wonder how many times Denny Hamlin has played out the final two weeks of the 2010 Chase in his head.
By now, you know the story just as well as Hamlin does: dominating the season's penultimate race at Phoenix, fuel mileage came into play and Hamlin and then-crew chief Mike Ford pitted for fuel late in the race to ensure that his car would make it to the end under power. Hamlin finished 12th, and Jimmie Johnson finished fifth, closing the gap between himself and Hamlin at the top of the standings. Hamlin was dejected.
Hamlin was still the points leader by 15, but qualified poorly at Homestead and spun and damaged his splitter early in the race. His team scrambled all race and scraped out a 14th place finish. Meanwhile, Johnson qualified sixth and finished second. He won by 39 points. Hamlin was even more dejected.
Hamlin was a non-factor in the Chase in 2011 and started working with a sports psychologist to help his attitude.
Now, as we enter the 2012 Chase, Hamlin's atop the points standings and brimming with positivity. Can you blame him? He ripped off back-to-back wins at Bristol and Atlanta, and hasn't finished outside the top 20 all season except for accidents or mechanical failures. Hamlin's in a prime spot to be in the same position that he was in 2010, and does anyone think the script won't change if that's the case?
Best Chase Track: It's Martinsville, but you probably already knew that too. Hamlin has four wins and 12 top 10s in 14 starts. Given that Martinsville is also Jimmie Johnson's strength, Hamlin has to beat him here.
Worst Chase Track: Dover, where Hamlin has an average finish outside the top 20 and only two top 10s to his credit. He hasn't been incredibly sharp at Chicagoland either, so if he can buttress Loudon (a track where he's good at) with good finishes at Chicago and Dover, watch out.
NB's Prediction: 3rd. This is going to be a three team race down to the wire, and Hamlin will be one of the involved parties. If he's ahead of Johnson after Martinsville, the seventh race of the Chase, it will be advantage, Hamlin.
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