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After a rookie year of deference, he's hoping for same from others
He's not as vociferous as Aretha Franklin, but Denny Hamlin is also crowing about r-e-s-p-e-c-t.
The Manchester High graduate, driving Joe Gibbs Racing's No. 11 Chevrolet for his second full season, returns to his home track at Richmond International Raceway for tonight's Busch Series Emerson Radio 250 and tomorrow's Chevy Rock & Roll 400.
And on the surface, not much has changed.
Last September, he was zipping around RIR on seven cylinders (after one fizzled out) and still locked himself into the Chase for the Nextel Cup with his 15th-place finish. Tomorrow night, he could ride a tricycle around the .75-mile oval and be assured of a spot in the 12-driver playoffs thanks to his 14 top-10 finishes this season.
And, at 26, he still has his boyish looks.
What's different, however, goes back to what he went out of his way to dish on his fellow drivers last year: Respect. Now he's seeking it. Or, at the very least, hoping some good karma comes his way.
"You know, you spend most of your early career trying to show respect [to the other drivers]. And hopefully it'll pay off in the long run for you," Hamlin said this week. "Racing around those guys last year, racing guys clean, having a chance to win a race and not doing it [by wrecking someone] comes back in the long run. [Wrecking others for position is] not the way I was taught to race."
Hamlin's tactfulness isn't lost on the series' defending champion.
"He's certainly driving hard, but he doesn't take unneeded risks," said Jimmie Johnson, who enters RIR sitting sixth in points. "He doesn't put people in compromising positions and situations. He's a very smart driver on top of an intense, hard and fast driver."
If year one was a learning experience for Hamlin - and that's saying something, considering he finished third in points - year two has seen him impart those lessons to others.
For exhibit A, revisit the Pepsi 400 in July at Daytona.
Running one and two, Hamlin and JGR teammate Tony Stewart became tangled early on, prematurely ruining the night for both. Stewart wasn't bashful about where the blame was to be.
"He [Hamlin] just wrecked two really good cars," Stewart said at Daytona. "He's a young guy and he wants to be successful, but I don't know if he knows what the definition of 'team' is right now."
How did the sophomore respond?
"If he wants to blame it on me, I'll be the bigger man and take responsibility for it," Hamlin said at Daytona.
Hamlin went on to have some stronger words for Stewart, but the proverbial olive branch was extended nonetheless.
Now Hamlin says the high road is the diplomatic way to go.
"I've never been in a teammate situation before when I've gotten into it before," he said. "Whether he or I was right or wrong, I think the thing to do is cover your teammate's back."
Besides, he says, there's no sense making a bad situation worse.
"I've grown up fast in this sport," he said. "And one thing I've learned is that the media makes [a potentially bad circumstance] worse than it is, so you need to squash it as fast as you can."
Hamlin is on record as saying he plans to let it all hang out tomorrow night. With no Chase pressures, it's all about a win and the 10 Chase bonus points that go with it.
"I definitely feel like the opportunity has been there for the last six, seven, eight weeks for us to get a win," he said. "We can run all out. We don't have to worry about running for points. It's going to be a big change."
Just don't expect him to dump someone unnecessarily.
"I was able to celebrate making the Chase here last season," he added. "But winning here would be the best."
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