Denny Hamlin captured his 18th career Sprint Cup Series win but his first since last June.
Avondale, AZ (Sports Network) -
Denny Hamlin is back. At least it appears that way after he won Sunday's Subway Fresh Fit 500 at Phoenix International Raceway.
Hamlin, in his second race with new crew chief Darian Grubb, conserved enough fuel late in the race and then held off a fierce challenge from Kevin Harvick during the closing laps to capture his 18th career Sprint Cup Series win but his first since last June at Michigan (23 races ago).
"We knew we were going to have a rebound year, and I told everyone we were," said Hamlin, who led a total of 61 laps, including the final 59. "You got to prove it. You got to go out and win these races. This is a great step in the right direction for our race team."
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A vindication of sorts for crew chief Grubb
By Chris Symeon, Motorsports Editor
Philadelphia, PA (Sports Network) -
Crew chief Darian Grubb hasn't lost his winning touch.
Just days after he and Tony Stewart won the 2011 Sprint Cup Series championship, Grubb lost his job at Stewart-Haas Racing. But Grubb quickly found a new team, and it wasn't long at all before he made another trip into victory lane.
Grubb moved over to Joe Gibbs Racing to replace Mike Ford as crew chief for Denny Hamlin's No. 11 Toyota team. And what a turnaround its been for that team so far in the early season. In just their second points race together, Grubb guided Hamlin to an impressive win on Sunday at Phoenix International Raceway.
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