Richmond native Hamlin pursues his personal Chase (cont'd)

It was never in doubt, really. Hamlin led 299 laps and was so dominant that hardly anyone else could get close to him. And yet, memories of those Richmond races that had gotten away always lingered, to the point where some worry began to creep in when Hamlin started experiencing some brake fade late in the event.

Still, his sizeable lead remained intact. Had the race stayed green, he would have run away. But of course, Richmond is a short track, so the race didn't stay green. Brad Keselowski spun with 19 laps remaining to bring out a caution, and send all the leaders down pit road one more time.

"Try not to choke," Hamlin said he told himself. But it wasn't all up to him. Pit road is where Hamlin saw his dominant effort of this past spring evaporate into the Virginia night. Nerves? Yeah, there were nerves.

"I was nervous for the pit crew," he added. "I knew what my nerves were just trying to do everything I could to try to get in the stall right and not lose the race on pit road, because that's where we've lost it a couple of times here. So I was nervous for those guys. Their eyeballs were popping out of their heads trying to make sure they didn't make a mistake. They nailed it. They did what they had to do."

That was it. There would be no cut tire, no wreck in front of him, no late-event heartbreak to deny him once again. This time, a driver who has now led 563 laps in his past four Richmond starts combined finished the job. All the hullabaloo over the Chase, all the hand-wringing over who would get in and who would be left out, faded away like the thick white smoke that trailed Hamlin's burnout. This wasn't about securing a berth or making a statement. This was personal.

"I love it when a plan comes together," crew chief Mike Ford told his driver over the radio. "Good job. Happy for you. You ruled this joint."

Again, Hamlin's response was succinct: "My house," he said.

And it was -- to an extent. Not even Hamlin could keep the Chase at bay for long. On television, his effort was almost a sideshow to the battle between Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers for the final Chase berth. In the media center, race winners are typically flanked by their team owner and crew chief, and hold court for about a half hour. Saturday, Hamlin sat with two other Chase participants, and fielded only a few questions before it was time for someone else to take his seat.

"Get the hell out of here," Carl Edwards told him, jokingly.

Fortunately, NASCAR brought Hamlin back a little later on. And appropriately so, given how much races at this track mean to him, and how much he's burned to win here, and how much of a whipping he put on the rest of the field Saturday night. Not even the all-powerful Chase could obscure that.

"I wanted to win this race before I won a [Daytona] 500," Hamlin said. "I know how special that race is to everyone. This one in particular to me, especially after all the heartbreak, it makes it more gratifying to win now. This is by far the biggest win in my career. And hopefully it goes a long way for this race team over the next 10 weeks."

Of course, the looming playoff couldn't be ignored for very long. "I hate to say it, but take care of that car. We're going to need it in the Chase," Ford told his driver over the radio, before a burnout that would leave steam shooting like a geyser out of an overflow valve. With his second victory of the season, Hamlin heads into the postseason seeded fourth, 20 points behind leader Mark Martin. His current string of six consecutive top-10 finishes gives him momentum.

"I think the fact that Denny's made a lot of noise shows what he's capable of and what his team is," three-time defending champion Jimmie Johnson said. "They're a very good organization, and Denny's always been one on track who's been able to balance aggression and patience at the same time. It's no surprise to me, and I think he's going to be very competitive in the Chase."

But in Victory Lane, as pieces of multicolored confetti descended on the winning race car and happy crewmen splashed Gatorade on one another, nobody was thinking about the Chase. Mary Lou Hamlin shot photos with a small digital camera. Friends and family members posed for pictures in front of the large guitar-shaped trophy, which nobody had any plans to smash. For one moment, at least, the Chase faded into the background, a bit player in a more personal drama many years in the making.

The opinions expressed are solely of the writer.