I would have live blogged yesterday’s race at Southside Speedway, but the dial-up was not really cooperating. So here I am, a day late but hopefully not a dollar short, with some off the cuff stuff.

* Denny Hamlin gave old running mate Chris Dodson all kinds of guff during the Late Model driver introductions. Hamlin, in a jovial mood, asked Dodson if he still got booed at Southside. Dodson laughed and tried to convince Hamlin that wasn’t the case ... which lasted until Dodson, the defending track champion, was introduced to a mixture of cheers and boos. That was enough to have Hamlin crowing.

* The reaction to Hamlin’s introduction was about what one would expect. He is, after all, their guy. Kyle Busch also was welcomed with open arms.

* Hamlin’s punting of Billy Morris just 36 laps into the race might have surprised some, including me, but Busch said it wasn’t that much of a shock. “I was behind him at that point, and I could see him getting impatient,” Busch said of Hamlin.

* Hamlin’s fourth-place finish apparently didn’t sit well with him. He apparently showed up at his hauler this morning talking about how he knew he had the fastest car, etc. My guess is that would have paid off if he hadn’t punted Morris.