Toyota Could Dominate NASCAR Short-Track Racing

Denny Hamlin picked up his fifth win at Martinsville on Sunday, holding off Brad Keselowski to cap perhaps the most action-packed race of the year so far. The victory gave Hamlin a berth into the Chase and reestablished the No. 11 as a team to reckon with in terms of the NASCAR Sprint Cup championship. But stretching even further than Hamlin’s team or even Joe Gibbs Racing as a whole, the victory finally gave Toyota a much-needed boost.

Since the beginning of last season, Toyota has lacked the top speed needed to compete with the Chevrolet stables at Hendrick Motor Sports and Stewart-Haas Racing as well as the Fords at Penske Racing. Hamlin’s win Sunday on a half-mile track didn’t do anything to prove that the speed is back with the Toyotas, but it did serve as an blueprint as to how the manufacturer can compete on a championship level this season.

Tracks like Martinsville, Bristol and even Richmond, Dover, New Hampshire and Phoenix are much more about handling, braking and driver skill, all things the Toyota drivers have and then some. Hamlin’s teammates, Matt Kenseth and David Ragan, finished fourth and fifth respectively on Sunday and the fourth Gibbs car, Carl Edwards, was a staple in the top 10 throughout much of the race before a tire issue and a spin relegated him to 17th. Even Clint Bowyer from Michael Waltrip Racing, who had struggled with his car all week, found his way to the front and came home a respectable 13th.

Hamlin is one of a handful of short-track masters and should be a threat at the aforementioned courses all season. Bowyer too has proven to be an accomplished short-track driver, as is Kyle Busch, who will no doubt be a factor when he returns to the No. 18 car. Then there’s Kenseth, who wasn’t the best short-track racer for much of the early part of his career but has discovered the secret since coming over to Joe Gibbs Racing.

There are a total of 10 races left on the schedule at the six tracks previously listed including four in the Chase. If a Toyota driver can capitalize on those opportunities, it may prove to be enough to overcome the car’s shortcomings in terms of overall speed.

Ryan Pritt is a NASCAR writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on twitter @RPritt, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google.