Hamlin backs team amid pattern of gear problems

	Problems on pit road at Darlington cost Denny Hamlin a victory he and his car seemed primed for Sunday afternoon. AP

Remember the movie Groundhog Day where the lead, played by Bill Murray, woke up and relived the same day over and over? That's how Denny Hamlin must be feeling these days. Not so much because he has repeatedly been beaten by a Hendrick Motorsports driver, but because he can't seem to escape the pit stop or mechanical gremlins that have kept the driver of the FedEx Chevrolet out of winner's circle this year despite having a competitive car week in and week out.

Last year's NASCAR Nextel Cup rookie of the year just can't seem to catch a break, while rivals Jeff Gordon and Jimmie Johnson can do no wrong.

The second-year driver has led 611 laps, out of the 3,653 run, more than any other driver except Gordon (with 674). Yet Hamlin sits in fourth place with no victories. Gordon, the points leader, has three wins under his belt this year while Johnson, with four wins and 529 laps led, sits in second place. Even Matt Kenseth, having led only 203 laps, is sitting prettier in third place. Tony Stewart, Hamlin's Joe Gibbs Racing teammate is the only other driver

After another frustrating loss in Darlington Sunday, Hamlin explained: "If we lose about 20, 30 points when it comes down to the championship, we know exactly where we lost it, and that's on pit road. I gave away Phoenix, that's my fault. But there's two to three other races that we had the best car most all day, and even at the end, and just gave it away on pit road. Today was a prime example of that."

The lesson is that leading laps, but, not the final one, is very costly in the points. It takes flawless execution to get those precious victories these days.

Take Sunday's rain-delayed Darlington race. Hamlin led a race-high 179 laps only to have a disastrous pit stop that cost him the race while Gordon's engine was boiling off just about all of its water, but still lasted long enough to take the win and do victory doughnuts.

Hamlin's a smart driver; he knows enough not to pile it on his pit crew because they probably feel a lot worse than he does at the moment.

When asked about how to fix his problems, Hamlin said, "the immediate reaction you think about is 'get rid of people and get new people'. That's just not the answer, I don't think. I think you bring new people in there and the chemistry is not the same; it takes a while to get jelled and everything. So we need to sit back and I think it's just a head aspect right now."