Denny Hamlin was the dominant driver in the rain-delayed Samsung Mobile 500 Sprint Cup race at Texas Motor Speedway. His victory was dramatic by holding off a charging Jimmie Johnson in the final 12 laps of the race despite his continuing after-effects of his recent knee surgery..
Hamlin won for the second time in three races, but both victories coming in races that were postponed by rain before being run on the following day.
"I'm trying to get it straight right now," said Hamlin, who gingerly climbed out of the car in Victory Lane. "I did it for the long run. Even though it was going to take some sacrifice, I knew once I came back I was going to be stronger."
Still the race was dominated by Hendrick Motorsports drivers Geff Gordon, Jimmie Johnson and Dale Earnhardt Jr. who were in the lead for the majority of the race.
Johnson and Gordon raced more like rivals than Hendrick Motorsports teammates. When Gordon, who led a race-high 124 laps, passed Johnson for second place off Turn 4 on Lap 240, contact between their Chevrolets left a tire mark on the right side of Gordon's No. 24.
Hamlin started 29th and never led until that final run, set up after a spectacular nine-car crash involving polesitter Tony Stewart and Jeff Gordon, who had led a race-high 124 laps and was trying to get back to the front.
On the first lap after a restart with 18 laps left -- following yellow-flag stops when Stewart was among the Hendrick drivers Gordon and Johnson who were in their way back in their lead battle and all of them ended up three-wide with Gordon in the middle and Johnson on the inside coming out of Turn 4.
Stewart got loose in the pack and there was contact with Gordon, who had three-time Texas winner Carl Edwards coming up behind and trying to follow him. Then things spun out of control along the frontstretch, though Johnson escaped that wreck unscathed.
"Definitely my fault," Stewart said, taking the blame for the accident after leading five times for 74 laps.
When Gordon got out of his mangled No. 24 Chevrolet, he walked directly to Stewart, who was only halfway out of the car, still sitting on the door frame. Stewart put his hand on Gordon's shoulder and they then walked away toward the pits talking to each other and trying to figure out what happened.
Even though Johnson had an astonishing battle with his team-mate Geff Gordon during the race, he finished 2nd after escaping the crash, followed by the Bush Brothers Kyle and Kurt who had a quiet race and just took advantage of the retiring cars. Kasey Kahne brough his RPM Budweiser car in the top 5 finish, a strong result after the announcement that he would move at Hendrick Motorsports in 2012.
It was the 10th career victory for Hamlin, who won a Monday race at Martinsville in March, then had surgery two days after for a torn ACL in his left knee. Still he managed to race every lap both at Phoenix during Subway Fresh 600 and in Texas during Samsung Mobile 500.
