Hamlin uses late pass to nab first win at Bristol Speedway

Associated Press

BRISTOL, Tenn.

Denny Hamlin won for the first time at Bristol Motor Speedway with a calculated late pass.

Hamlin flirted with Carl Edwards for the lead late in the race, and set up his move with 39 laps remaining Saturday night. Hamlin used a slide move to get past Edwards, then held on as Edwards tried to use a cross-over move to get back in front.

It didn’t work for Edwards, and Hamlin drove away for his third victory of the season.

Jimmie Johnson finished second and clinched a berth in the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship. Greg Biffle and Dale Earnhardt Jr. also locked down spots in the 12-driver field.

Jeff Gordon was third, followed by Brian Vickers and Marcos Ambrose.

PENSKE WAITING

Roger Penske said Saturday he’s taking his time deciding who will drive his No. 22 car next season.

Penske released AJ Allmendinger following his failed drug test, and Sam Hornish Jr. has been driving the car since Daytona in July. But the search continues for a full-time solution.

“We’ve got a lot of races left and we’ve really got to take a look at all the options until we get to the final decision,” Penske said before the race at Bristol Motor Speedway.

“You just don’t make a decision like this. Sam’s running well, we’ve got sponsors, we’ve got to decide if we want to three cars next year or two.”

Penske fields two cars right now, but has room to expand providing he had the sponsorship for additional teams.

Joey Logano, in the final year of his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing, has been mentioned repeatedly as a strong candidate for the ride.

“He’s obviously a candidate,” Penske said. “But there’s other good people, too, that people haven’t talked about yet. There’s always a couple of rabbits.”