later in the season hamlin finished 43rd in a race at atlanta motor speedway. this was the first time that denny hamlin finished last in a race. this race moved hamlin into 10th place in the sprint cup series points, and made sure he would have a place in the championship race. denny hamlin won 8 races in the 2010 sprint cup series but finished the season 2nd in sprint cup series points behind jimmie johnson.