After a rocky start to 2022, Denny Hamlin won his first Cup Series race of the season on Sunday at Richmond Raceway. Brad Keselowski finished 13th.
For some fans, the race proved less exciting with long green flag runs and limited cautions. Others appreciated the short track action for the strategy involved. The latter include Count Hamlin and Keselowski. They admitted this on social media.
Denny Hamlin wins for the first time in 2022
▶” src=”https://www.youtube.com/embed/y0qeuCNOs3o?feature=oembed” frameborder=”0″ allow=”accelerometer; auto play; write clipboard; encrypted media; Gyroscope; Picture-in-Picture” Allow full screen>
After a week at Austin at the Circuit of the Americas that included a final lap with three lead changes in the final four corners of the 3.41-mile track, it was hard to expect the next Cup Series race to be of this level would live up to the excitement.
A short track like Richmond could come close with some punches and punches and some warnings to tighten the race as riders battled and tires fell off. However, that was not the case this year.
The race had a total of five warnings – two of them stage interruptions. There were limited incidents on the route and many green flag runs.
Denny Hamlin and crew chief Chris Gabehart came prepared with a specific pit strategy and followed it. It paid off as the number 11 raced through the field and passed William Byron to take the lead with five laps to go. The three-time Daytona 500 winner held off a stubborn Kevin Harvick over the final few laps to claim victory.
Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski agree on races
💯
36 weeks of the same is a poor formula for long-term success.— Denny Hamlin (@dennyhamlin) April 4, 2022
While the race featured fewer cautions and lead changes compared to the previous races of the season, it offered a change of pace that called for strategy. This different kind of race didn’t go unnoticed by Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin.
The 2012 Cup Series champion tweeted what he thought of Richmond in a response to Jeff Gluck’s “good run” poll.
“I liked yesterday’s race, it was a nice change from the last few weeks,” said Keselowski. “I think it’s good to have different types of races for the fans week after week.”
Hamlin agreed.
“100 percent. 36 weeks of the same is a poor formula for long-term success,” added the race winner.
Some fans disagree with the drivers
Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski drive during the NASCAR Cup Series Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond Raceway on April 3, 2022. | Photo by Jared C Tilton/Getty Images
According to the survey, 63 percent agreed with the two drivers that it was a good race. The other 36 percent were not so enthusiastic. Interestingly, a significant proportion of them attributed their lackluster enthusiasm to the Fox show, which some said failed to properly explain the strategy involved.
“It was crazy to see how fast Hamlin/Harvick came up in the interval ticker but the only mention on TV was that they won’t have enough time when there’s about 15 laps left and then they completely ignored them,” wrote a fan.
“Although cough cough if Fox covered the sport more seriously I think more people would get invested,” wrote another. “F1 is mostly strategy and 18-30 demo eats it up.”
As the old saying goes – variety is the spice of life. What NASCAR fans saw in the early part of the 2022 schedule was very varied. Richmond was a new spice.
It’s like a baseball game. Some fans like a 1:0 pitcher duel. Others prefer an 11-10 home run derby. They are different, but none of them are wrong.
The same applies here.
Like Sportscasting on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter @sportcasting19.
RELATED: The message NASCAR sent to Brad Keselowski was heard loud and clear by other drivers: ‘I’m pretty sure it scares everyone to death.’