BOWMAN PULLS OFF LATE MOVE
Another week, another agonizing loss for Denny Hamlin.
And this time it was to Alex Bowman, who came from nowhere with 10 laps to go at Richmond (Va.) Raceway to put the No. 48 Chevrolet in victory lane for the first time in nearly four years.
Bowman won for the third time in his career Sunday and denied Hamlin a win in a race he had dominated to become the eighth winner in nine Cup races this season.
Bowman’s victory in the No. 48 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports came on the same day the former driver of the car, seven-time champion Jimmie Johnson, made his debut in the IndyCar Series in Alabama. It was the first victory for the No. 48 since June 4, 2017.
Johnson was the only driver of the No. 48 when it was formed in 2001 and Bowman was hand-picked by sponsor Ally to replace him.
Bowman overcame a penalty on lap 247 for a loose tire on pit road to rally for the win.
For Hamlin, it was the third defeat in three races.
In Richmond, Hamlin raced with the hashtag #fedexstrong on the back of his car and on his pit wall to honor the eight people who were fatally shot at a FedEx facility in Indianapolis on Thursday. He again had the dominant car and led 207 of the 400 laps. He’s led 483 laps the last two weeks.
“First and foremost, we want to think of all of the families in Indy right now,” Hamlin said.
“Awful tragedy to happen there. Our thoughts and prayers are with these names. We will get (wins). We will keep digging. We are dominating — just have to finish it.”
Palou scores in IndyCar
Alex Palou celebrated his move to Chip Ganassi Racing with his first career IndyCar victory by beating a pair of series champions to win the season-opening race at Barber Motorsports Park in Birmingham, Ala.
The Spaniard used a twostop strategy on the picturesque permanent road course to take control of the race but still had to hold off hard-charging Will Power and Scott Dixon over the closing laps. The 24-year-old beat Power by .4016 seconds to claim his first win in his first race driving for the storied Ganassi organization.
“We knew (a win) was possible because we knew we had the best team and the best cars,” Palou said.
Dixon, the six-time and reigning IndyCar champion, finished third and was followed by pole-sitter Pato O’Ward, who was on a threestop strategy.
Johnson, who at 45 is older than Palou’s father, is learning every session and taking small gains. He celebrated not qualifying last on Saturday and was satisfied with his 19th-place finish Sunday.
Elsewhere
Max Verstappen won a dramatic Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Italy, after world champion Lewis Hamilton hit a wall in a race that was also temporarily suspended following a separate incident involving Hamilton’s Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen led for the majority of the race on the wet Imola track with the Red Bull driver beating Hamilton by 22 seconds for the 11th win of his career.
• Erica Enders went from nearly not qualifying to winning the Pro Stock finale in the NHRA Four-Wide Nationals at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Steve Torrence in Top Fuel, Bob Tasca III in Funny Car and Ryan Oehler in Pro Stock Motorcycle also won in their respective categories.
Notable
There will be two Formula One races in the United States next year with the new Miami Grand Prix added to the calendar from 2022. Next year’s race will be the first in a 10-year deal and is in addition to the existing grand prix at Circuit of The Americas in Austin, Texas.