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Denny Hamlin wins NASCAR All-Star Race: 5 takeaways from Charlotte

By Charles Rahrig V

May 16, 2015; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates after winning the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
May 16, 2015; Concord, NC, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Denny Hamlin (11) celebrates after winning the Sprint All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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It was a monumental night as Denny Hamlin picked up $1 million and a victory in the NASCAR All-Star Race.

It was a night of confusion and frustration for just about every driver on the track except for Denny Hamlin.

After a frustrating week at Kansas where Hamlin felt NASCAR didn’t call a caution soon enough after his front tire was cut, Hamlin bounced back to pick up the All-Star Race win and a cool $1 million.

It was also the first ever All-Star Race win for Joe Gibbs Racing and the win meant a lot to the team and Hamlin. The other drivers however didn’t seem too happy with the race.

With the rules package in place, it’s hard for cars that aren’t in first on restarts to get the jump to overtake the leader. It appeared that Hamlin may have even taken off early in the restart zone, but that part of the track is a clear judgment call by track officials.

With the NASCAR All-Star Race in the books, here are five takeaways from Charlotte.

1. Brad Keselowski had a case of bad luck

Brad Keselowski led the most laps at the track Saturday night, and it appeared he would have the best chance to take Denny Hamlin down at the end. Unfortunately before the final restart, Keselowski tried to beat Hamlin off pit road and was over the speed limit by .33 mph. Talk about cutting it close.

The frustration didn’t end there for Brad either. After the race, Keselowski talked about how the aerodynamic packaging on the car makes it almost impossible to win the race from second and he compared it being in last place. He wasn’t the only driver with those sentiments either.

2. Kyle Busch is back!

After a nearly crippling injury at the Xfinity series at the start of the year in Daytona, many weren’t sure if Kyle Busch would ever race again. Defying all odds, Busch returned to the track on Saturday night, and finished sixth in the non-points competition.

Busch looked rusty at times, but as the race wore on, No. 18 found his legs on the track and looked better with each lap. There are still plenty of races for Busch to try and get a win left, and the fact that he is racing again is one of the best moments of the season thus far.

3. Kevin Harvick finishes second again

Kevin Harvick may not be winning the races, but he is near the top of every race and the type of driving he is doing is going to lead him to another championship. He might not have walked away with the big money, but he gave Denny Hamlin a run for his money.

Harvick has a championship spirit and isn’t happy when he doesn’t win. He’s having one of the most special years in recent memory and coming into the All-Star Race, he had finished top-2 in eight of 11 races. That’s something that hasn’t been done since Cale Yarborough was on the track.

Keep an eye on Harvick, because with each race history is being made.

4. SkirtGate is a thing

Jimmie Johnson and his crew could find themselves in a bit of trouble. According to FOX Sports, the No. 48 is being investigated to see if the team adjusted the skirts on the side of the car illegally to the No. 48’s advantage. Teams used to be able to adjust skirts, but as of the 2015 season they are no longer able to do so.

What’s worse is that even if the skirts were adjusted to give Johnson an edge, it didn’t help much. Johnson finished only 15th out of a possible 20 drivers. NASCAR is expected to rule this week on whether or not there was tampering with the skirts. Hopefully Ted Wells doesn’t get involved with this one.

5. College isn’t cheap

Denny Hamlin is a financially sound man. Although he won $1 millon and could do a variety of things with it, he knows that the future of his daughter is more important. After the race Hamlin talked about saving the money for his daughter’s college fund.

Sure, Hamlin could buy a sweet boat, a house and a bunch of cool cars, but he has plenty of other prize money to do that with. With the rising costs of college tuition, it’s probably best to save some cash and $1 million should be plenty for a college degree and even further.

Good thinking Denny.

Conclusion

To the victor goes the spoils and on Saturday, Denny Hamlin was the big winner. Everyone else though left the track frustrated with the race and NASCAR. Luckily for everyone, they get another crack at Charlotte Motor Speedway next Sunday, when the drivers hit the track for the Coca-Cola 600.

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