Inside Dish: The future looks bright for Hamlin

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If Denny Hamlin's car control isn't enough to put his peers on notice, then they should factor in Joe Gibbs Racing's ability to remain competitive over the past eight years. Certainly, Hamlin is walking away from his first season with plenty of confidence. "I'm happy knowing that I was a championship contender before I was actually at my peak because I know that I'm nowhere close to that now," says Hamlin, the Raybestos rookie of the year. If his performance is any indication of what we can expect in the future, don't be surprised if JGR is the next organization to boast about three different Nextel Cup champions. . . . With additional support from Mars Inc., Robert Yates Racing will soldier on with the No. 88 Ford Fusion. Robert Yates, who will continue to be the sole owner of RYR, described the situation as "wonderful" and the way "it used to be." Yates adds: "We're going to focus on racing, and that's really what I know today. We're going to run our three cars--our two Cup cars and our 90 car--and things are great." A driver and a Mars product haven't been selected for the 88, but Yates has been high on Johnny Sauter in the past, and it's likely that a variety of products will be featured on the car. CitiFinancial will continue to support Yates' Busch program. Stephen Leicht is the driver. . . . Matt Borland, Ryan Newman's former crew chief, is expected to remain with Penske Racing as competition director despite speculation he was leaving to pursue other options. Newman says he wants "the best person" to fill the crew chief position, and that could be Mike Nelson, who inherited the role when Borland stepped away from the final two races for personal reasons. Newman feels comfortable with Nelson, the team engineer who has been with the crew since its inception, at the helm and insists that "an engineering background is extremely important" to him. Newman adds that he still has a lot of respect for Borland and doesn't want to blame him entirely for the team's poor performance this season. . . . Hall of Fame Racing will add a second car next season, most likely for Car of Tomorrow races in late summer, and will start looking for a driver in June. That's partly why Philippe Lopez moved up to competition director and turned the No. 96's crew chief job over to Brandon Thomas last month. Lopez says the switch has enabled him to concentrate more on the future and delegate the at-track duties to Thomas. With the organization's planned expansion, Lopez says the teams likely will move to Troutman, N.C., about 30 miles north of Charlotte. . . . Hot off his third win in the Baja 1000, Robby Gordon now has his sights set on the Dakar Rally, which departs from Lisbon, Portugal, on January 6.