Bowyer beats rain, Harvick
Clint Bowyer raced to his second NASCAR Cup Series victory of the season when Sunday’s event at Brooklyn, Michigan was called early because of rain.
Bowyer beat out Kevin Harvick on a restart to begin the third stage, and then the race went under caution when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went into the wall. The rain put a stop to the race after 133 of the planned 200 laps on the 2-mile track.
Harvick was second, and pole winner Kurt Busch finished third, completing a sweep of the top three for Stewart-Haas Racing. Kyle Busch was fourth, the lone Toyota near the top in a race dominated by Ford. Four more Fords — Paul Menard, Brad Keselowski, Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney — rounded out the top eight.
Kyle Larson, who had won the previous three Cup races at Michigan, finished 28th after spinning onto the grass on lap 85.
Blaney won the first stage and Harvick took the second. After the end of the second stage, both Harvick and Bowyer came in to pit road. Bowyer took only two tires — and felt that decision by crew chief Mike Bugarewicz ultimately won him the race.
“It was a gamble on his part,” Bowyer said. “It was uncharacteristic for him. That’s part of growing and blossoming as a crew chief and being one of the elite.”
After that quick pit stop, Bowyer had outside position on Harvick on the ensuing restart and was able to take the lead.
Bowyer didn’t have to race much longer in his No. 14 car. He had the lead when Ricky Stenhouse Jr. went into the wall, bringing out a caution. The rain put a stop to the race after 133 of the planned 200 laps on the 2-mile track at Michigan International Speedway.
The race was delayed by rain at the start. Three Joe Gibbs Racing drivers — Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin and Erik Jones — had to start at the back because of inspection failures related to the splitter. Busch made it back into the top five, Hamlin finished 12th and Jones was 15th.
Harvick led a race-high 49 laps and secured his 11th topfive finish in 15 races this season. Bowyer led only eight laps. This was his 10th career victory and first at Michigan.
Kyle Busch kept the points lead, by 75 over Harvick. FORMULA ONE » Sebastian Vettel led from the pole to the checkered flag — and then some — to claim a long-awaited Ferrari victory at the Canadian Grand Prix.
The four-time world champion sped on after the checkered flag was waved one lap too early, finishing his wire-to-wire victory at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve to claim his third win of the year and the lead in the Formula One standings.
“I was a bit confused. I told them I don’t think the race is over yet,” said Vettel, who confirmed on the counter in his car and with his team that he was only completing his 69th of the scheduled 70 laps.
“Some of the marshals were already celebrating,” he said. “I was just worried that people don’t jump on the track and start celebrating. We’re still going at full pace.”
Canadian model Winnie Harlow blamed race officials for telling her the wrong time to wave the flag. Formula One regulations say that if a checkered flag is waved too early, the race is over as of the last completed lap, making the results official as through 68 laps.
F1 spokesman Matteo Bonciani said there was confusion getting the message from a course official to Harlow on the platform.
Mercedes was second with Valtteri Bottas — not erstwhile championship leader Lewis Hamilton — about six seconds back after never really challenging for the win.
Hamilton, who was fifth on Sunday, fell from the top of the Formula One standings and now trails Vettel by one point, 121-120. He had been going for a record-tying seventh victory in Montreal and a third win in four races.
NHRA » Courtney Force beat father John Force in the Virginia NHRA Nationals for her fourth Funny Car victory of the season.
Courtney edged her 69-yearold dad with a 4.039-second pass at 321.96 mph at Virginia Motorsports Park.
Steve Torrence won in Top Fuel, Tanner Gray in Pro Stock, and LE Tonglet in Pro Stock Motorcycle.