His left hand bandaged as the result of 'horseplay,' Hamlin details how thrilled he was to race in Richmond.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. burns some rubber after winning the Crown Royal 400 Saturday night.

Earnhardt (right) embraces Denny Hamlin in Victory Lane following the race. The longtime friends became fierce rivals Saturday as they jostled at the end of the Crown Royal 400 for the lead.

Denny Hamlin (11) held the Crown Royal 400 lead for 18 laps before finishing second to Dale Earnhardt Jr. Saturday night.

Crown Royal 400 review

By JIM McCONNELL

Date published: 5/8/2006

By JIM McCONNELL

RICHMOND--Separated by an entire continent, Manchester High School's most famous alumnus grabbed starring roles in two radically different sports dramas Saturday night.

In San Diego, Chicago Cubs rookie left-hander Sean Marshall continued his impressive run of early-season performances by mowing down the Padres through five no-hit innings at Petco Park. Three thousand miles away, Nextel Cup rookie Denny Hamlin found himself leading the Crown Royal 400 in his big-league debut at Richmond International Raceway.

Alas, neither enjoyed a big, splashy Hollywood ending.

Marshall lost his no-hit bid in the sixth inning and wound up with a no-decision in the Cubs' 2-1 loss. Hamlin, whose lead lasted just 18 laps, finished second to NASCAR superstar Dale Earnhardt Jr.

But if you don't believe second place is a happy ending, don't tell Hamlin. He was ecstatic after performing so well at a track where he used to watch races as a boy.

"This is by far the biggest race of my career. It's something that's very special and to have so many friends and family here, it's awesome. I can't tell you how I feel," Hamlin said. "I'll be riding this wave for months to come."

Life has been a wild ride for Hamlin over the last couple of years. The Chesterfield County native zoomed from weekly Late Model racing to the pinnacle of his sport--Nextel Cup--in less time than it takes to earn an associate's degree, then wasted little time proving he belonged there.

Hamlin posted top-10 finishes in three of his first five starts last season. In case anyone thought it was a fluke, he loudly announced his intentions by holding off teammate and defending Nextel Cup champion Tony Stewart to win the first race of 2006, the non-points Budweiser Shootout.

Other than a Busch Series win in Mexico, that had been the high point of Hamlin's season until Saturday.

He was 19th in points and coming off a 22nd-place finish in Monday's rain-delayed Aaron's 499 at Talladega. He was also nursing a heavily bandaged left hand, the result of "horseplay" during Wednesday's testing session at Lowe's Motor Speedway; the severe cut on the outside of his pinkie finger required 19 stitches and left him questionable for the weekend of racing at his hometown track.

Date published: 5/8/2006