Todd makes history with NHRA victory
J.R. Todd became the first black winner in NHRA Funny Car history Sunday, beating Tim Wilkerson in the Sonoma Nationals.
The 35-year-old Todd, from Lawrenceburg, Indiana, also joined Don Prudhomme as the only NHRA drivers to win at Sonoma Raceway in both nitro categories. Todd won nine time in Top Fuel.
Todd beat Wilkerson with a 4.049-second pass at 323.27 mph in a Toyota Camry.
“Our car showed us a lot of promise in Denver which gave us hope coming into here,” Todd said. “We’ve been struggling so bad this season. I’m just happy to win a Funny Car. I was able to win here last year in Top Fuel and to be able to come back and do it again in Funny Car is pretty special.”
Wilkerson’s Ford Shelby Mustang went up in smoke in a 6.823 at 100.26.
Steve Torrence raced to his sixth Top Fuel victory of the season, Tanner Gray topped the Pro Stock field for his third win in his rookie season, and LE Tonglet took his fifth Pro Stock Motorcycle victory of the year.
Torrence beat Antron Brown in the final with a 3.784 at 329.42. Gray had a 6.572 at 210.05 in a Chevrolet Camaro to edge points leader Bo Butner. Tonglet beat Matt Smith with a 6.783 at 197.02 on a Suzuki. Tonglet won the Mickey Thompson Tires Pro Bike Battle on Saturday.
NASCAR
Kyle Busch used a bumpand-run on Kevin Harvick to take the lead and held on to snap a 36-race losing streak and win the NASCAR Cup race at Pocono Raceway.
Busch won for the first time this season in the No. 18 Toyota and won for the first time ever at Pocono. Busch had led more than 1,000 laps this season entering the race.
He was racing for the lead last weekend in the Brickyard 400 when he wrecked with Martin Truex Jr., which led to a pit road altercation between members of both teams.
Busch won from the pole and gave Toyota its 100th Cup win since its 2007 debut.
Busch, the 2015 Cup champion, had never gone a full season without winning a race. Charlotte Motor Speedway is now the only track where he’s failed to win.
Harvick finished second, followed by Truex, Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski.
Harvick, who hasn’t won in 34 career races at Pocono, said he had nothing for Busch down the stretch.
Busch earned a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs. There are just three open spots and five races left before the field is set.
Indy Car
Josef Newgarden dominated at the Mid-Ohio Sports Car Course on the way to his second straight IndyCar victory at the Honda Indy 200 on Sunday.
Newgarden was not challenged most of the day on the 90-lap, 2.2-mile course and finished 5.156 seconds ahead of Team Penske teammate Will Power, the pole-sitter.
Newgarden moved from fourth to first in the series points standings, seven points ahead of Helio Castroneves.
Formula One
Sebastian Vettel won the Hungarian Grand Prix to extend his championship lead over archrival Lewis Hamilton by 14 points heading into the summer break.
Vettel’s fourth win of the season came from pole position, on a Hungaroring track where overtaking is notoriously difficult. With his teammate Kimi Raikkonen driving brilliantly behind him to fend off the fast-closing Mercedes, Vettel held on and Ferrari got a 1-2 with Raikkonen second.