Hamlin happy with early success

probabl wa for him back then.

mayb get on here Inflatable Bouncer Christ or there the first 12, We didn t expect to have the success. We thought we could contend for race wins. Hamlin said. We realli want to come on right after Indy. Our goal wa to turn the light switch on and realli go for it.

We ll see what happens. I think that it s veri encourag for me that we re win right now under the circumstances.

Hamlin s success late ha even caught hi crew chief Mike Ford off guard.

I m surpris how strong we ar right now, Honestly. he said. Not to spill the beans, but we re work on Chase stuff right now. We re race thing that we were race at the end of last year so we

can concentr on the later month of thi year.

especi with Johnson s struggl lately. Hamlin wa tab by mani as the preseason favorit to dethron Jimmi Johnson s bid for five straight championships. It might come true.

The four-tim champion had hi third DNF Saturday.

we re just win races. That s all I can say, I m sure there s no caus for panic on their side. For us. said Hamlin, who ha move up to sixth in Sprint Cup points.

Hamlin struggl to start the season and tore hi ACL plai basketbal March. Hamlin won that week at Martinsvil and had surgeri a week later.

Hamlin drove at Phoenix and hasn t look backA ft surgery..

Hamlin said he never thought of just start a race and let a relief driver finish it.

in my head, Good decis or bad decision. it wa the onli decision, Hamlin said. There s been mani time my gui have gone over and beyond for me in certain situat and stuck up for me. If I tell

thei still didn t care. Thei pat me on the back and we went on to next week. them thei did a crappi job.

but it s paid off. We have those good pit stop at the end. Is it coincidence? Maybe. But I can I felt like it wa import for me to step up and do the same for them. It s paid off. Peopl don t believ it.

tell you our team is hit it stride. Everyon is get along as good as thei ever have.

Hamlin gain even more respect from those on hi race teamBy stai in the car..

the mental toughness, He went up a few notch in my eyes. said J.D. Gibbs, presid of Gibb Racing.

especi with the tradit that Th tough Hamlin ha shown is the kind of gritti displai by other driver who have won at Darlington. Hamlin said Saturdai s win had extra special meaning.

win at Darlington carries. He rememb watch Bill Elliott win the Winston Million on televis in 1985.

but he wa my driver, I wa five year old. he wa my guy. I ll never forget that, him win that here at Darlington, Hamlin said. For us to have a similar situation, it wa as big for me now as what it