Hamlin ‘flies’ at Darlington in preparation for playoffs

In this year’s latest throwback version of the Southern 500, the results at the Darlington Raceway were classic. From the drop of the first green flag, drivers found it difficult to maneuver around the “Old Lady in Black” without hitting something, spinning or crashing, which is the way it should be on such treacherous and hallowed racing ground.

Winner Denny Hamlin seemingly channeled two traditions from the olden days of NASCAR beyond knocking one driver out of the way in route to Victory Lane. He drove a Toyota carrying the “Flying 11” paint scheme first made famous in the 1960s by “Rapid” Ray Hendrick on board a Modified Chevy coupe at the Southside Speedway in Virginia. Hendrick’s son, Roy, who Hamlin grew up watching dominate on board Late Model Stock cars at the same Chesterfield County track, also carried the “Flying 11” number design.

Hamlin said he drove his rear end off trying to catch leader Martin Truex Jr., who was gunning for a third sweep of stage wins, including the all-important final one. A later pit stop, albeit botched, and fresher tires eventually paid off for Hamlin.

“That’s as hard as I can drive,” the spent driver said. “It was the ‘Flying 11’ and we were flying.”

Ray Hendrick was a terror on short tracks up and down the Eastern seaboard in the Modifieds of various car owners, but especially in the “Flying 11” owned by Clayton Mitchell and Jack Tant.

The original “Flying 11” was recently restored by NASCAR team owner Rick Hendrick, who is a fellow Virginian but no relation. The team owner got his first taste of racing by joining his father, Joe, at the shops of Mitchell while growing up and eventually worked on the “Flying 11.” Rick Hendrick met with Hamlin in Darlington’s victory lane with the venomous-looking orange Chevy coupe for a pre-race photo, which apparently became a motivating factor for the driver.

According to one racing historian, Ray Hendrick won as many as 900 races. The big man found a regular work week and driving on weekends at short tracks preferable to the riskier business of making a stab at the big time in NASCAR’s Cup series. Hendrick made 17 starts in NASCAR’s premier division at tracks in Virginia and the Carolinas, including just one at Darlington, where he was among 70 starters in 1956 and finished 52nd.

When it came to Darlington’s 1.367-mile crooked oval on Sunday, Hamlin appeared to be channeling another driver in the closing stages as he hunted down Truex Jr. from a half a lap deficit. David Pearson, who earned his nickname “The Silver Fox” from his come-from-behind victories on the South Carolina track in the 1970s, was among the first to recognize driving at Darlington is all about rhythm, not necessarily consistent lap times.

Once Darlington moved out of starting a multitude of cars three abreast and into the high-speed era, Pearson was among the first to recognize that where you catch lapped traffic was most important. He eventually won 10 times at the track, including the final two of his 105 career victories.

“There’s different ways to get around this racetrack, and running faster is not always the fastest way,” said Hamlin, who found himself in 14th position with 54 laps remaining after missing his pit entry. “It’s really weird, but you’ve got to just know when to pass, know when to let off, and position yourself for a pass, and I think I optimized the traffic that I was in when I had fresher tires.”

While appreciation of heroes of yore and the paint schemes reminiscent of the hey days of Dale Earnhardt Sr. and Bill Elliott — with crew uniforms to match — might have determined the atmosphere, the looming playoffs provided the spark. In the end, Hamlin confirmed he and his Joe Gibbs Racing team are contenders to win his first Monster Energy Cup at season’s end.

Could this finally be the year Hamlin goes the distance? He has 31 career victories — the most of any active driver without a sip of the championship champagne.

“This year is really no different,” he said. “I mean, we’ve been at this point before where we’ve had wins going into the playoffs. You know, luck has kept us from championships in the past, and mistakes have kept us from championships in the past. Not many times has it been performance. I think you’ve just got to put those two things together and prepare for anything that can get thrown to you.”

Hamlin’s mentor, team owner Joe Gibbs, won three Super Bowls with the Washington Redskins. He has been the only team owner Hamlin has known in the Cup series, but so far hasn’t been able to capitalize on the Gibbsian Methodology.

“I know Coach is all about having a game plan,” said Hamlin, who added he has been working harder this year on arriving at the track with a better plan on how he approaches a race. “It’s paying off.”

Hamlin was planning on getting into the pits quickly on is final stop despite a hefty lead. But he overcooked it and missed the pit entrance, which nearly cost him the victory and the five playoff bonus points.

A good postseason plan would include lots of playoff bonus points, but Hamlin has only two stage wins. His second victory has boosted him to 12 playoff points, and a predictable fifth-place finish in the regular season standings will add another six. Meanwhile, Truex Jr. clinched the regular-season title Sunday night and will enter the postseason with a minimum of 52 points.

All of this sets the scene for Hamlin at the regular-season finale on Saturday night in Richmond, where he has three career victories on the half-mile. Another win there would add momentum and bonus points.

Although the Richmond track, which ran its first Cup race in 1953, has been on the schedule almost as long as Darlington, there won’t be any throwback celebration or paint schemes. But it’s likely Hamlin will once again be thinking of the “Flying 11” Modified of “Rapid” Ray and once again trying to channel history.