Hamlin wins marathon 600-plus
Denny Hamlin held off Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch in the second overtime Sunday night to win the longest — and perhaps wildest — Coca-Cola 600 in history.
Hamlin won for the 48th time in the Cup Series, and for the first time in a points race at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
“It is so special,” Hamlin said. “That is the last big one that is not on my resume. We weren’t very good all day but got ourselves in the right place at the right time.”
NASCAR’s longest and most grueling race lasted more than 51⁄2 hours and took 413 laps to complete. There were 18 caution flags and 16 drivers failed to finish. The race featured a 12-car wreck and a magnificent crash that sent Chris Buescher’s car flipping over five times before stopping upside down.
Defending race champion Kyle Larson appeared ready to win the race in regulation before Chase Briscoe crashed trying to pass him with two laps to go. In the overtime period Larson had the inside lane on the restart, but Austin Dillon got a push from the second row and soon was running fourwide along with Larson, Hamlin and Ross Chastain. But a crash ensued involving several cars, including Larson and Dillon.
“I got a little loose and tried to make it stick,” Dillon said. “It didn’t quite work out there. I had to do what I had to do to win the race given where we are in points. We had a shot there to bring home another 600.”
On the next restart Hamlin took the lead and held off Busch. Kevin Harvick finished third and Briscoe was fourth. “It means so much to me being with the Coke family for 18 years,” Hamlin said. “It worked out perfectly.”
Perez gets his f irst victory of F1 season
Sergio Perez rebounded from Red Bull team orders that denied him a chance to race for the win one week ago to pick up his first Formula One win of the season in the Monaco Grand Prix.
“You dream of winning this, and after your home race, there is no place more special to win,” Perez said after waving the Mexican flag.
Perez earned his third career F1 victory on the rainslicked city streets of Monaco after a questionable strategy call by Ferrari cost polesitter Charles Leclerc a win on his home circuit.
Although Leclerc finished the race for the first time in four tries, he was fourth and allowed reigning world champion Max Verstappen to extend his lead in the points standings. Carlos Sainz Jr. finished second for Ferrari and Verstappen was third for Red Bull.
Verstappen now leads Leclerc by nine points in the standings.