MARTINSVILLE, Va. -- When the Goody's Fast Pain Relief 500 ended Sunday at Martinsville Speedway, there was still plenty of daylight left.

But that didn't mean some post-race fireworks weren't expected. Reporters and television cameramen rushed to the side of Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota as it pulled onto pit road after finishing second -- again -- to race winner Jimmie Johnson, figuring Hamlin had to be hot over how Johnson had moved him out of the way to take the lead for good on Lap 485, just 15 circuits from the finish at the demanding .526-mile short track (watch video).

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I had to nudge a lot of guys to get around them at points during the race. So it's hard for me to fault [Johnson] for what he did.

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DENNY HAMLIN

Hamlin climbed from the car, accepted a cold drink and a towel, wiped his face ... and actually smiled. Then he individually thanked each crew member in sight, exchanged a few calm words with crew chief Mike Ford, and turned to face the media.

He was, all in all, surprisingly calm and composed for a man who just led a race-high 296 laps and for the second consecutive week fell just short of being the guy celebrating wildly in Victory Lane.

"I'm honored to be on the race track with guys like Jimmie and Jeff [Gordon] and Tony [Stewart]," Hamlin said. "Those are the guys who are the best in the business.

"We came up short. That was short-track racing. I would've done the same thing to [Johnson] -- and if it comes back around, I will do the same. You can count on that. That's just the way it is. In Martinsville, you have to battle for every inch. I was trying to protect a spot, and he was trying to get it at the end of the race. That's just the way it goes."

Consistency rules

Hamlin has -- for better or worse -- become accustomed to running up front but rarely winning races. Last year he finished third a remarkable eight times. His only win came precisely one year ago Sunday in the 2008 spring race at Martinsville, and was the fourth of a Cup career that is only now beginning to emerge from its infancy in his fourth full season.

Hamlin admitted that he hungered for the victory Sunday, especially after coming close again a week earlier while finishing second to teammate Kyle Busch at Bristol. But it was, alas, apparently not meant to be. (Continued)