Harvick avoids trouble, wins at Indy
Kevin Harvick turned up the heat on Denny Hamlin late in the Brickyard 400. And on a cooling track, Hamlin’s worn tires simply gave out.
With the sun setting Sunday over Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Hamlin seven laps from victory, he went careening into the first turn wall, and Harvick beat Matt Kenseth off the final restart to pull away.
“We knew he was really close on tires so [crew chief] Rodney [Childers] said on the radio to keep the pressure on him,” Harvick said. “It’s the Brickyard, this is what I grew up wanting to do so to come here and win for the third time is something I couldn’t have dreamed up.”
Harvick won for the 53rd time to move within one of tying Lee Petty for 11th on NASCAR’s career list.
For the third race in a row, Harvick and Hamlin were in a league of their own.
Until the stunning twist as the sun was setting over the historic 2.5-mile oval, it looked is if Harvick and Hamlin would sweep the top two spots for the third consecutive race.
♦ Valtteri Bottas won a chaotic seasonopening Austrian Grand Prix in Spielberg, a race that saw Formula One champion Lewis Hamilton finish fourth after getting a late time penalty.
GOLF
DeChambeau wins with birdie binge
With jaw-dropping drives and some clutch putts, Bryson DeChambeau won the Rocket Mortgage Classic in Detroit by three strokes for his first victory of the season and sixth overall. He became the first PGA Tour player since 2004 to lead a tournament in driving distance, along with shots gained off the tee and putting.
DeChambeau shot a 7-under 65, birdieing four of the first seven holes and closing with three straight. He finished at a career-best 23-under 265. Matthew Wolff (71) was second. He started the day with a three-shot lead and hurt his chances with five bogeys over his first 10 holes.
MISCELLANEOUS
NHL passes protocols hurdle
Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said that the NHL and NHL Players’ Association have agreed on protocols to resume the season. Daly said the sides are negotiating a collective bargaining agreement extension. A CBA extension is still crucial to the process, and the league’s board of governors and players’ executive committee and full membership must approve that and the return to play protocols to bring hockey back this summer.
♦ The Bucks have closed their practice facility after the team’s Friday round of testing for the coronavirus. The team does not plan to reopen it before leaving for Florida on Thursday.