Was anyone surprised to see Denny Hamlin get punted out of the lead by Jimmie Johnson in Sunday's Martinsville race? It's funny how the Hendrick drivers get away with tactics like that but let someone else try it and they'll get penalized or black flagged. Hamlin, who led most of the race, raced Johnson cleanly. Johnson returned the favor by a cheap shot pushing Hamlin's car high, then taking over the lead with less than 18 laps to go. And NASCAR folks are wondering why fans are getting more and more disgusted at the thinly-veiled favoritism shown the Rick Hendrick drivers.
Sure were a lot of empty seats at Martinsville, today, as well. Fortunately, ESPN ran the NHRA finals from Houston late this afternoon, so there was some actual competitive racing to watch...
