David Reutimann did not comment on the wreck that occurred on lap 174. The accident began in turn three when Hamlin got into the back of Reutimann, sending him into his teammate Marcos Ambrose. Both Ambrose and Reutimann received heavy damage to their cars, as Hamlin went on to win the Pennsylvania 500.
You have to believe that Reutimann is thinking, ‘it’s bad enough for someone to wreck me, but even worse when they go on to win the danged race’.
Any driver in Reutimann’s position would be enraged at the impatience that Hamlin displayed.
Hamlin had the car to beat for most of the afternoon.
With over twenty-five laps remaining in the race, there was no sound reason for the aggressive tactics.
Reutimann’s chances at the
Chase for the Championship have dwindled now due to the incident.
Prior to the race, Reutimann was 68 points out of Chase contention.
He leaves Pocono sixteenth in the standings, 121 points below the cutoff.
He spent most of the afternoon in the top ten, ahead of the drivers he needed to beat, and was running eighth at the time of the accident.
He ended up finishing in the 29
th position.
Hamlin did not hide from the error.
He admitted fault.
“It was a lot of emotion.
I got guys in my mirror that I know I got to race for the win.
I’m racing for a win on a particular weekend where it means more than any other weekend.
I think emotion was probably part of it.
But I got to make it up to those guys somehow, cut them some breaks on the track or something,” he said.
It was a poignant weekend for Hamlin, who lost his grandmother just days before the running of the
Pennsylvania 500.
There was no doubt that Hamlin wanted to win this race for more than just points, money, and bragging rights.
He wanted the victory to ease some of the pain of losing a loved one, which is perfectly normal.
It was actually nice to see Hamlin win the race, not only because of what he is going through, but because he has had four or five wins slip away from him since his previous win at
Martinsville in April of 2008.
Moreover, it was a breath of fresh to see someone outside of the Hendrick Motorsports clique win.
I just wish it did not come at the expense of David Reutimann and Marcos Ambrose.
It is doubtful that Reutimann will enact revenge on Hamlin in the near future. However, do not expect Reutimann to cut Hamlin any slack while Hamlin is chasing the championship.
Marcos Ambrose finished 34
th after the accident.
Like Reutimann, he was enjoying a solid outing.
“We were running in the top ten and all of a sudden David got turned by the 11 car and I had nowhere to go.
That pretty much ended out day,” he said.
Comments
considering the prior penalty to robby gordon, I think this just proves the favorit status some drivers get.
The author doesn't expect the 00 to get payback? What planet is he from? It says Atlanta, but I'm in Ga., just north of Atl and everyone I know expects to see Buzzie's boy even the score....especially with the Glen as the next race. Can't think of a track better suited, unless maybe Bristol.
As for favoritism..........yer surprised? If you are "somebody" or drive for "somebody" you will get the breaks and the lesser/unknowns will get the shaft.
Case in point:What happened to Carl Long would/will never happen to Hendrick. Not because they're all {HMS}legal, but because of who Hendrick is.
Surte is nice to see the IRL back and adding cars almost every week. And with P-to-P, they're responsive to their failings and working to provide the best show possible for the fans. THAT'S racing!
Nascar has become a joke. They claim they want everyone to be equal,that is BS. Nascar is losing fans and ratings fast and they want everyone to believe its because of the economy,thats BS.Hamlin should of been black flag and had points taken away and fined. Others have been penalized for actions less than what Hamlin did. I enjoy saturday night dirt racing and only read highlights of the fake racing of nascar.
Typical Denny Hamlin. He has behaved this way since he arrived in the Cup Series. Should change his name to Denny "Ramlin".
NASCAR blows it AGAIN...remember what they did to Lefler at Daytona? Hamlin should have gotten a penalty for rough driving. Things need to be equal for every team & driver, it's obvious to me that it is not. But how else can NA$CAR help dictate the winners.
been a fan for longer than i care to say 4 to 5 races year but its now just like sat night w o w will not be going any more
I don't condone what Hamlin did but I do understand the emotional stress he was under. That was evident after the race when he could barely speak. I would like to see nascar go back to the good ol'days and let the drivers race. It has become more of a business than a sport. I miss the days of Earnhardt, Petty, Pearson, etc... They raced hard and did what it took to win and if someones "cage got rattled" they settled it among themselves. Thats what sold tickets!!
David Ragan flat out wrecked Bobby Labonte and no penatly for him. I don't see how you can compare the 11, 00 incident with the 12, 7 incident. There isn't anything similar with the two situations.
DAVID needs to be more aggressive, you no , like more hard driving, that way he will fit in. hard driving, thats the answer for the rest of the pack, dont let any one or two cars run away with the points lead, knock them suckers out, or to the rear for the day.
Unbelievable, what a whiney little baby! Why didn't he comment on being wrecked and finishing in 29th position. It is every drivers responsibility to address the media when something like this happens! I want to know what this guy had to say, and I only get Hamlin's side of the story. David Reutimann is a JERK! JKJK, Reutimann got screwed, however swap Reutimann for Ky. Busch and that is what the comments would have looked like after this article.
Wouldn't that be something? Reutimann getting payback? Wow that would be very cool, especially considering what a nice guy people think he is. Plus, if he did it DURING the Chase, when it mattered...whoa that would be cool...
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