It was just six races ago that Denny Hamlin's championship chances were being seriously questioned. His season started slowly, he was headed for surgery to repair a torn ligament in his left knee and the preseason pick to dethrone Jimmie Johnson had slipped to long shot status. Guess who's back? Hamlin continued his quest to prove his doubters wrong by becoming the first driver in 17 years to sweep Darlington Raceway. His win in the Southern 500 on Saturday night was his third in the past six races -- second since his March 31 knee surgery -- tying him with four-time defending champion Johnson for most in the Sprint Cup Series. Johnson wrecked halfway through the race and finished 36th. Hamlin, who has moved from 15th to sixth in the standings during that span, is now the hottest driver in the series. http://www.indystar.com/article/201.../1052/SPORTS01/Hamlin-sweeps-Darlington-races
