Denny Hamlin says the recent repaving of the 2.5-mile triangular track, where the Cup series races next week and Aug. 4, has taken away the edge he had there.
“We had a leg up& we had two legs up on everyone when we went there with the old pavement,” Hamlin said. “I think now we’re better than average, but we’re not the best anymore at that track. But it’s definitely a place that we have performed well. Even after it got paved we still performed pretty well. Yeah, it is a track I look forward to … Really, for me, I think that when they changed the track and they paved it, it changed everything. It really was like a whole new race track. Same with Kansas and Michigan — all of these tracks, as soon as they pave them, they took one track and they just really threw it out and you’ve got a whole other surface, new setups, new way of driving style every single time. I think that’s the challenge for us. We’ve got to really learn that race track again.”
Because passing is more difficult on the new Pocono surface, track position will be crucial. That may be good news for Hamlin, who will be trying for his third straight Sprint Cup pole next weekend at the Tricky Triangle. (NASCAR Wire Service)
