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Injured Hamlin Wins at Martinsville

Still battling a torn anterior cruciate ligament injury he got during a basketball game this January and in the eve of a surgical intervention, Joe Gibbs Racing Denny Hamlin managed to score his second consecutive victory at Martinsville Speedway.

Hamlin took advantage of a pit stop under caution on Lap 493 and, boasting fresh tires, wrestled his way passed Ryan Newman, Matt Kenseth and Jeff Gordon, finshing the race on a cut tire with only a .670 lead ahead of teammate Joey Logano.

"I had to bully my way through there toward the end, but everybody was just running into everyone," Hamlin said after the race, according to NASCAR. "I flattened my tires with Kenseth going down the backstretch and just somehow made it work."

As said, Hamlin is getting ready to go under the knife, with him hoping to be back behind the wheel of the No. 11 Toyota as soon as the next Sprint race on April 10 in Phoenix.

"This is probably the most gratifying win I've had, simply because we came through adversity so many times, whether it be because of pit road [dropping the jack too soon on an early pit stop] or that dash at the end," Hamlin added.

"We just flat out drove through 'em at the end and got the win. I'm not sure we've gotten a win like this before."

Hamlin was followed, as said, by Joey Logano. Jeff Gordon finished third, while Ryan Newman and Martin Truex Jr. completed the top five at Martinsville.
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About the author: Daniel Patrascu
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Daniel loves writing (or so he claims), and he uses this skill to offer readers a "behind the scenes" look at the automotive industry. He also enjoys talking about space exploration and robots, because in his view the only way forward for humanity is away from this planet, in metal bodies.
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