After starting from the pole and leading 74 of the first 144
laps, Denny Hamlin’s car was carried off the track by a
wrecker after his engine died while he was running fifth in Sunday
night's Emory Healthcare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
"This is just great,” Hamlin said disgustedly.
“Hopefully we can still make the Chase. If not, this is
crap.”
Hamlin was fifth in the point standings entering the race.
As track officials carted off the No. 11 Toyota, crew chief
Mike Ford asked spotter Curtis Markham what the wrecker crew did to
the car.
“I think they’ve messed up the trunk
deck,” Markham said. “I think this is the first time
this wrecker has hooked up a car.”
Hamlin ended the night 43rd overall. Still, other drivers could not do enough to prevent the Joe Gibbs Racing driver to clinch a spot in the 2010 Chase for the Sprint Cup.
