Short Track

Lars Anderson

April 07, 2008

Seconds after Denny Hamlin (right) cruised across the finish line in his number 11 Toyota Camry to win Sunday's Goody's Cool Orange 500 at Martinsville Speedway, he yelled into his radio, "Finally! Finally!" Hamlin was celebrating his first victory of the season, but he may just as well have been talking about Toyota's emergence. After 40 races in the Cup series, the Japanese manufacturer suddenly appears to be a full-fledged championship contender. The victory by Hamlin, who drives for Joe Gibbs Racing, is the second for Toyota in 2008, matching it with Ford, while Chevy and Dodge each have one W. In the standings Toyota drivers are now fifth (Kyle Busch), sixth (Tony Stewart) and eighth (Hamlin)—not bad for a manufacturer that failed to win a race in '07 and whose top driver finished 31st in points.