NASCAR Cup

Martinsville II: Denny Hamlin preview

Hamlin at Martinsville Speedway: This weekend will mark Hamlin's eleventh career Sprint Cup start at Martinsville Speedway and he returns to southern Virginia as the winner of the past two races at the half-mile track. HAMLIN CONVERSATION -- ...

Published: Oct 21, 2010, 5:41 AM

Copy link

Share on Viber

Add as a preferred source

Hamlin at Martinsville Speedway: This weekend will mark Hamlin's eleventh career Sprint Cup start at Martinsville Speedway and he returns to southern Virginia as the winner of the past two races at the half-mile track.

HAMLIN CONVERSATION -- Martinsville:

You come back to Martinsville as the two-time defending race winner -- what is it about this track that suits you?: "It's really a combination of things. I have raced here more than I have raced at any other track when you consider total laps. Growing up in Virginia I had the chance to race here in some other series and all that track time definitely gave me a comfort level at Martinsville. That carried over to trucks and Nationwide Series and now to the Cup Series. I feel really confident at this track and I know we bring great cars -- those things together usually lead to success. It's also a lot of pressure because this is a race we circled as one where we expect to be really competitive."

What is the key to success at Martinsville?: "It definitely starts with having confidence there. It's not an easy place to race so you know you are in for a battle. It's really tight and there is no room for error. For me it's always been about braking at Martinsville -- that is where I find I have an advantage. You are always searching for grip coming off the turn there but if you can be smooth in and get the car situated on entry, you put yourself in much better position getting back to the throttle. You also have to be very patient. It's not an easy place to pass so you have to take the oppprtunities when you have them -- you don't want to be in position like I was last year, needing to make up a lot of ground in just a few laps."

-source: jgr

We want your opinion!

What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?

Take our 5 minute survey.

- The Motorsport.com Team

Read and post comments

Share Or Save This Story

Copy link

Share on Viber

Previous article Martinsville II: Regan Smith preview

Next article Martinsville II: Tony Stewart preview

Top Comments

There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?

View More & Comment

Latest news

The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season

NASCAR Cup

NAS NASCAR Cup 12 h

The ten closest finishes from the 2026 NASCAR season

‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes

Formula 1

F1 Formula 1 13 h

‘Lewis suspected a conspiracy’ – Nico Rosberg explains how Lewis Hamilton F1 rivalry went awry at Mercedes

BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC

WEC

WEC WEC

Monza

14 h

BMW "proud of what we achieved" after securing runner-up in 2026 WEC

The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down

MotoGP

MGP MotoGP

Qatar GP

16 h

The numbers that reveal how sprint races have turned the MotoGP title fight upside down

Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.

From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.

You have 2 options:

Become a subscriber.
Disable your adblocker.

Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here

Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page

Manage Alerts