Hamlin the same at PIR and in COT: on the cusp

Denny Hamlin seems to have this Car of Tomorrow thing figured out. Almost.

He led 177 laps in the COT's debut at Bristol, second only to teammate Tony Stewart. But a fuel-pump issue slowed his effort and resulted in a 14th-place finish.

Hamlin honors Tech

In addition to the Virginia Tech decal on his car -- all three series will honor the school through Richmond -- Virginia native Denny Hamlin will wear a VT logo on his helmet.

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He led 125 laps at Martinsville, second only to Dale Earnhardt Jr. He finished third, after starting from the pole.

On Thursday night at Phoenix International Raceway, Hamlin qualified third for the Subway Fresh Fit 500 (8 p.m. ET Saturday, FOX), his third top-10 start in as many COT races.

"The guys in the JGR [Joe Gibbs Racing] shop spent a ton of time and effort in preparing these cars and it is pretty clear they hit on something because we have been really strong," Hamlin said. "Really, only some random problems kept us or the 20 [Stewart] from winning at Bristol.

"Then we were both good at Martinsville the next weekend so I do feel like we are ahead of the curve at the moment but this sport can change in a hurry. We know we need to keep working hard on these cars, and hopefully win one here."

Hamlin will start in a favorable position for victory at Phoenix. Three races from PIR have been won from the third starting spot, tied with second for most at the track.

Hamlin earned his first career pole at Phoenix, in just his sixth Nextel Cup start, when he took the controls of the No. 11 Chevrolet for the final seven races in 2005. He finished 13th in that race -- a missed lug nut ruined a possible top-five finish -- but was third in his most recent attempt there this past fall.

"Really, no track that we visit reminds me more of racing when I was younger than PIR. I spent my early career running flat tracks in Late Models and this track feels like that to me," Hamlin said. "Put us out there under the lights and you can't get any closer to the Late Models days than here at Phoenix and that is one of the reasons it's my favorite place to race."

Hamlin finished 34th in his only other spring appearance at Phoenix after he lost a cylinder on the first lap and struggled with power.

"In past races here we've either had engine problems or trouble on pit road that has kept us from getting the results so knowing we are good enough to run up front but not showing it is a little frustrating," Hamlin said. "We have always been good here and feel like we should probably have more to show for it. But, it also motivates this team to come back here and get after it."

Jeff Gordon nearly won at Martinsville, and on Thursday won his second pole in three COT races. But no driver has ever won Phoenix from the pole; Gordon has never won at Phoenix, either.

Gordon wins pole

Jeff Gordon won his third Bud Pole of the early season at Phoenix and for the fourth time in eight races will lead the starting grid to the green flag.

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"There were a couple of times I thought we had a shot at the victory but pit strategy or something else ruined those chances," said Gordon, who has a third-place and runner-up finish in the first two COT races. "I think this race will give us a better idea of where we are with the Car of Tomorrow. It's a lot faster track where aerodynamics are much more of a factor.

"This race should be very interesting with the new car. It's hard not to compare it to the current car which has a certain feel and comfort level that we don't yet have in the Car of Tomorrow. But all teams are fighting through that. It may not give me the comfort level I'm looking for, but we have to get as much speed out of the car as possible while making it handle the best we can."

Jamie McMurray, who will start on the outside of the front row, has moved up 26 positions in the points to 10th place in the past five races. He is riding a three-race top-10 streak, including two ninth-places finishes in the COT races.

But Phoenix is the only track at which McMurray has never posted a top-10. In seven starts, his average finish is 24.7

"I look forward to Phoenix each time we travel out there, although my track record doesn't show that," McMurray said. "The last time we were there, we qualified well and started out really good, but we were wrecked pretty badly near the end of the race. Hopefully, that won't happen this weekend and we can have another solid run."

He's off to another good start.

"This team has been working hard back at the shop to build these cars and the payout is showing on the track," McMurray said "The cars have been really fast."

Despite his COT success, McMurray remains wary going into the first 1-mile race in the new design.

"We've had a tough time getting these cars to turn, but hopefully, we can find the right balance in Phoenix and make the car work for us," he said.