In the sport's infancy, NASCAR did not take a single step from the sands of Daytona Beach or the clay of the Carolinas to the biggest and fastest speedways on Earth. Once upon a time, before tracks like Daytona or Talladega could be conceived much less dreamed of,

Hamlin's win last week at Martinsville has him in the field of 16 when the playoffs come around in about five months. And he's prepping to run the Goodyear 400 on Sunday at Darlington Raceway, a track where he leads all current drivers with four previous victories.