Hamlin ends skid in emotional day

LONG POND, Pa. --- Denny Hamlin had few bigger fans than his grandmother. She wore her No. 11 socks, held her No. 11 stuffed bear, and watched every race on TV -- even as she sat and squinted only inches away from the 30-inch screen.

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Associated Press

Denny Hamlin is overcome by emotion as he gets out of his car. "I felt like this weekend I was going to have help in a lot of different places," he said afterward.

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Associated Press

Denny Hamlin speeds toward the finish line at Pocono Raceway, where he picked up his first victory since March 2008.

When Thelma Clark died Friday at 91, there was a part of Hamlin that didn't want to be at the track.

With a heavy heart, Hamlin came to Pocono Raceway and snapped a 50-race winless skid. He took the checkered flag at the Pennsylvania 500 on Monday and dedicated this victory to his grandmother.

"She understands the competition of the sport, and she understands how much she means to me," Hamlin said. "Like today, she's pretty proud."

Hamlin held off Juan Pablo Montoya over the final riveting laps, then choked up with grief in Victory Lane.

Hamlin won for the third time in eight career starts at the triangle track that has become his personal playground. He has had three other top-10 finishes there in the No. 11 Toyota.

"We definitely had some angels with us today," said Hamlin, who was in tears after the race.

This was Hamlin's first victory since Martinsville Speedway in March 2008. He predicted victory and backed it up to strengthen his bid for a spot in the Chase for the Championship.

Hamlin, who swept Pocono as a rookie in 2006, is fifth in points and the only Joe Gibbs Racing driver in the top 12.

"I told him earlier, we're going to lobby for a few extra races at Pocono," team President J.D. Gibbs said.

The race had been delayed a day because of rain. The track isn't usually known for producing exciting races, but this one was wild and unpredictable almost from the start.

Hamlin led 91 laps, but had fallen to 11th. He bumped David Reutimann with 25 laps left to bring out a caution.

Fueled by emotion, Hamlin scrapped any ideas of a conservative approach for points and raced hard for the win. One member of Hamlin's crew recently lost his mother, and the whole team was mourning.

Hamlin couldn't keep his emotions in check.

"Every lap. Every single lap it comes out," he said. "When I got behind, it really started getting frustrating from my standpoint. I thought I was going to let it slip away with 50 to go."