Denny Hamlin ends 10-year win drought at Martinsville Speedway
Associated Press
MARTINSVILLE, Va. (AP) — Denny Hamlin ended an agonizing 10-year winless streak at Martinsville Speedway, holding off teammate Christopher Bell in his home state to secure a spot in the NASCAR Cup Series playoffs.
The Joe Gibbs Racing star, who was raised a few hours away in the Richmond suburb of Chesterfield, leads active Cup drivers with six victories at Martinsville. But Sunday was his first checkered flag on the 0.526-mile oval in southwest Virginia since March 29, 2015.
Hamlin was a frequent contender during his 19-race drought at Martinsville, posting 10 top fives and leading 226 laps.
Bell, who leads the Cup Series with three wins this season, was second, followed by Bubba Wallace, Chase Elliott and Kyle Larson.
With the 55th victory of his career, Hamlin also snapped a 31-race winless streak since last April at Dover. Special day turns sour
After being honored Sunday morning with a Virginia General Assembly proclamation commending Wood Brothers Racing's 75th anniversary, Josh Berry led 40 laps in the team's hometown race before disaster struck. Berry's No. 21 Ford was hit in the left rear by the No. 23 Toyota of Bubba Wallace while exiting the pits, causing Berry's car to stall in Turn 2.
Berry, who can withstand a poor finish because his Las Vegas victory qualified him for the playoffs, returned after losing two laps for repairs. He still managed to lead the most laps for Wood Brothers Racing at Martinsville since NASCAR Hall of Famer David Pearson led 180 on April 29, 1973 (the team's most recent victory at the track just east of its museum in Stuart, Virginia). Up next
The Cup Series will race next Sunday at historic Darlington Raceway, the South Carolina track that will celebrate a 'throwback weekend' that encourages teams to feature vintage paint schemes and crew uniforms.
It's the first of two annual races on the 1.366-mile oval that dates to 1950. Brad Keselowski won last year's throwback race, and Chase Briscoe won the Southern 500 last September.
___
AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
recommended
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
24 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Action! Derrick Henry can parlay a 2,000-yard rushing season into a movie cameo with Adam Sandler
BALTIMORE (AP) — 'King Henry' finally has the attention of 'The Waterboy.' Baltimore Ravens star running back Derrick Henry has an offer from Adam Sandler, his favorite actor, to be cast in a movie if the five-time Pro Bowl selection rushes for 2,000 yards this season. The offer grew out of Henry's appearance on radio personality Dan Patrick's show this week to discuss his $30 million, two-year contract extension. Patrick told Henry he would get him in a Sandler movie if he made NFL history with a second 2,000-yard season. Two days later, Sandler made the offer himself in a video shown to Henry on the practice field. 'That's my dawg,' a wide-smiling Henry said while watching the video. Sandler, star of 'Happy Gilmore' and the remake of 'The Longest Yard' along with 'The Waterboy,' said he was in a hotel room while filming his greeting for Henry. At one point, Sandler turned the camera to show his bulldog. 'Two thousand yards-plus this year not only gets you in a movie, but we'll have a nice dinner together and talk about Dan Patrick's facial hair and how hard it is for him to grow it,' Sandler joked in a video posted Friday. 'I love ya and keep it up.' Sandler came up during Patrick's interview with Henry because Patrick was hearing a hoodie for the soon-to-be-released 'Happy Gilmore 2.' Sandler had given Patrick the hoodie. 'Can you do me a favor?' Henry asked Patrick. 'If you ever see him again, tell him I'm a really big fan and would really love to meet him one day.' Patrick left Sandler a voice message — and Sandler responded. 'Dan you're a real one!' Henry later wrote on social media. Henry rushed for 2,027 yards with Tennessee in 2020, when he was an All-Pro and the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year in the fifth of his eight seasons with the Titans. Henry nearly did it again as a 30-year-old in a resurgence with the Ravens last season, when he ran for 1,921 yards. Saquon Barkley of the Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles led the NFL with 2,005 yards. ___ AP NFL:
Miami Herald
25 minutes ago
- Miami Herald
Panthers fans, many eager to attend Game 3, cheer as Florida evens Stanley Cup Final
Go Cats Go! The chants roared in Sunrise Friday, and they're only going to get louder next week. While the Florida Panthers breaking the hearts of Edmonton Oilers fans in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final up in Alberta, their delirious fans were warming up the barn by the swamp for their team's return to Broward County. The defending champs got the all-important split in Edmonton thanks to a thrilling 5-4 double-overtime victory Friday. Game 3 is back in Sunrise Monday, and if Game 2's Panthers watch party was any preview, expect a wild atmosphere. The lower level, packed for the start of the game, was far emptier when Brad Marchand ended it more than four hours later. But they made a major ruckus when the game winner went through the pipes. As a result, the Panthers don't need to win another road game if they take care of business in the swamp. But let's not get ahead of ourselves. This has all the makings of a series going seven games -- again. The Panthers and Oilers are as evenly matched as two teams can get. So if these teams go the distance for the Cup for a second straight year, Amerant Bank will be the place to be. Particularly for fans on a budget. The $15 entry fee for Friday's watch party – which benefitted the Florida Panthers Foundation – is pittance compared to the steep bill for Games 3, 4, and 6 (should the series get that far). 'This year, the prices have like tripled,' said Lorenzo Echeverria, 22, of Boca Raton. Echeverria was part of a big group that made the trip down the Sawgrass for Games 1 and 2. And he ponied up $500 for a seat in the last row of the building for Game 3. 'I didn't go the last couple of years, I was like, this year, I don't care what the prices we going. With Game 6, I think it is starting in like $1,000 I love the Panthers, but I got loans.' And an extensive wardrobe. Echeverria isn't a superstitious guy, but after the Panthers blew a 3-1 lead in Game 1, he changed up his threads. He went with the Matthew Tkachuk Four Nations Team USA sweater Friday night. After Florida's riveting come-from-behind win, he might never wash it. 'I think if we play our best hockey, there's no reason we go back-to-back.' Jackson Drowos, 13, wore his personalized Panthers jersey to the arena Friday. He'll wear it again to Games 3 and 4 – without laundering. Jackson's favorite player? Sam Bennett, who scored his 13th postseason goal in the first period Friday. His favorite part of Panthers games, which he attends with his dad Bryan? 'The atmosphere.' Credit the Panthers staff for making a game on TV feel like the real thing Friday night.
Boston Globe
26 minutes ago
- Boston Globe
Brad Marchand is the double-OT hero, as Panthers edge Oilers to even Stanley Cup Final
COREY PERRY!! WE'RE GOING TO OVERTIME!! 😱 🇺🇸: 🇨🇦: — NHL (@NHL) Much like last year and the playoff run to this point, Sergei Bobrovsky was dialed in when he was needed the most — making some unreal saves while stopping 42 of the 46 shots he faced. His teammates provided the necessary goal support. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Along with Marchand, Sam Bennett scored his postseason-leading 13th goal and NHL record 12th on the road. Seth Jones scored into a wide-open net after some spectacular tic-tac-toe passing, and fellow defenseman Dmitry Kulikov tied it with a shot through traffic that Stuart Skinner almost certainly did not see. Advertisement Kulikov's goal came after Florida controlled play for several minutes in the second period, hemming Edmonton in its zone shift after shift and piling up a 34-13 advantage in shot attempts during the period. Marchand's OT goal was his 10th career goal in the final to lead all active players. Game 3 is Monday night as the teams traverse the continent and play shifts to Sunrise, Fla. Advertisement The Panthers wrested home-ice advantage away from the Oilers by splitting the first two, rebounding from a Game 1 overtime loss and asserting they won't go quietly against Draisaitl and Connor McDavid looking like they'll do everything in their power to hoist the Cup for the first time. Of course, those stars had their moments. They assisted on Evan Bouchard's goal when coach Kris Knoblauch put them on the ice together, and McDavid stickhandled through multiple defenders in highlight-reel fashion to set up Draisaitl scoring on the power play. Connor McDavid is a human cheat code 😳 🇺🇸: 🇨🇦: — NHL (@NHL) There were a lot of those — 10 in total — after officials whistled 14 penalties, including three in the first four minutes. Each team had a few calls it was not happy with, though most of that evened out over the course of the game.
