Secure Hamlin gets more assertive

LOUDON, N.H. -- Denny Hamlin caught NASCAR by surprise last season, quietly winning two races and finishing third in the standings, the first rookie to make the Chase for the championship.

This year, he has spoken out to force pit crew changes, refused to back down to teammate Tony Stewart and proclaimed himself a title contender. He's also spent nine weeks running second to Jeff Gordon in the points standings.

"The very first year, you are trying to gain a lot of friends and be respectful," Hamlin said. "And I definitely still am, but this year I just feel a lot more comfortable. Being in the Chase and understanding how it works, I definitely feel a lot more secure."

Although Hamlin opens the Chase today (1 p.m., Channel 7) at New Hampshire International Speedway seeded sixth in the standings, he's feeling the pressure of a favorite. There are big hopes after a sophomore season in which he won once -- on this track in July -- and had 15 top-10 finishes.

"Last year we were just happy to be in it, and anything after that was going to be a bonus," Hamlin said. "This year, it's a little more stressful because we go into it knowing that we're capable of winning the Chase. If things go our way, I know for a fact that we can."

However, the last thing crew chief Mike Ford wants is his driver fretting about the final standings.

"Expectations are now a little higher, and Denny is putting more weight on his shoulders to perform. I think that's dangerous because that's when mistakes happen," Ford said.

Ford's challenge is keeping the intense 26-year-old driver on an even keel and challenging him to make the next 10 weeks fun. It may not be easy. After all, Hamlin has shown a side to him this season that he made a conscious effort to stifle during his rookie year.

In May, Hamlin openly criticized his pit crew. He was frustrated by a handful of victories that had slipped away because of human error on pit road or mechanical problems in the No. 11 Chevrolet.

That led to an immediate shake-up of the crew, leaving many surprised at Hamlin's conduct. Veteran drivers often try to handle those complaints internally, but Hamlin was tired of quietly trying to fix the problem.

Then Stewart, a two-time series champion, ripped Hamlin for allegedly causing an accident between the two at Daytona in July. Hamlin was leading and Stewart was second when the two cars knocked each other out of the race, and Stewart was quick to blame his young teammate.

In the moments after the accident, Hamlin accepted the criticism. But after watching replays, and stewing over his teammate's betrayal, he changed his mind and refused to accept blame.

In standing strong against a champion who has made a habit of picking on younger drivers, Hamlin became one of the first newcomers to not be bullied by Stewart.

And after blowing a motor at Bristol last month, Hamlin didn't fret about the lost opportunity. Instead, he focused on the potential his team had shown before the engine died.

"It was a rocket ship all day," he boasted. "The other 11 Chase guys are going to have to deal with us when it's all said and done."

Make no mistake, the kid has officially arrived.

"He's got a backbone," Ford said. "He is incredibly honest. He's going to say what's on his mind, and he usually takes an unbiased look at things before he says them. He doesn't see anything wrong with telling the truth, and last year he hid that.

"He probably kept his mouth shut a lot of times he shouldn't have. But he's more comfortable in his skin now and doesn't feel like the new kid anymore."

Stewart sees the shift in Hamlin but said the confidence was always there.

"You don't just come into this series and feel comfortable," Stewart said. "Your life totally changes when you come here. There is no way to prepare for it. You just get thrown into it and ... it takes guys a little while to get used to it."

Now that he's there, Hamlin plans to use this Chase to prove he's the real deal. His goal is to turn his team into an annual contender.

"If we can back up what we did last year, people will realize I'm not a fluke," he said. "I think we somewhat justified that by being second in points for most of the season, but you are still going to have people who are skeptical of that.

"I need to have a good Chase, and that can establish us as a tough team that people are really going to have to reckon with five, six years down the road."