Latest news with #ChristopherBell
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Thrilling NASCAR race at Dover has rain delay with 14 laps left, OT as 2 top drivers battle
DOVER − The NASCAR Cup Series race at AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway was delayed by rain with 14 laps remaining on July 20. The delay lasted 56 minutes as a storm moved quickly through the area. NASCAR officials set a drop-dead time of 8:10 p.m. because Dover doesn't have lights at the racetrack. Denny Hamlin was in the lead when racing was halted after 386 laps. He was clinging to a slim lead over Christopher Bell as the two went back and forth ever since a restart on Lap 343. With the weather growing ominous, Bell kept trying to pass Hamlin, who managed to hold him off. NASCAR IN DOVER UPDATE: Denny Hamlin shows killer Monster Mile mentality, giving fans a thrilling OT win After the restart, Bell crashed, bringing out another caution and guaranteeing overtime. Hamlin then outraced Chase Briscoe to win after 407 laps. Ross Chastain crashed on Lap 383 bringing out the caution flag. As the yellow flag was up, the rain started, causing the race to stop. Soon after, the rain stopped, and the sun reappeared. Then it became a question of how quickly officials can dry the track at the high-banked oval at The Monster Mile. When they did resume, there was plenty of time left to finish the final 14 laps. Contact Martin Frank at mfrank@ Follow on X @Mfranknfl. Read his coverage of the Eagles' championship season in 'Flying High,' a new hardcover coffee-table book from Delaware Online/The News Journal. Details at This article originally appeared on Delaware News Journal: Rain delays NASCAR race at Dover with 14 laps left, Denny Hamlin leading
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR Through the Gears: Denny Hamlin dries off. Court date looms. Chase Elliott morphs
Talk about mixed emotions at Dover. The week turned out quite well for Denny Hamlin the racecar driver. Denny Hamlin the plaintiff? Not so much, though he suggested things won't get fully up to speed for several more months. We'll get to that and honestly try to make sense of it all, but let's assume everyone is OK if we start by talking about auto racing. Good? Good. Hamlin and his No. 11 Toyota have been pretty darn good all year and that shouldn't be a shocker, since that particular man-and-machine combo has been really good for just about this entire century. But to win Sunday, Hamlin chose Nomex over vulcanized rubber. You heard me right, but settle down, I promise we're still talking about racing. Along the way, Hamlin had to beat back two on-rushing teammates in the closing laps. First, Christopher Bell took himself out with as pretty a pirouette as you'll ever see — he never touched a thing, but some of those in avoidance mode sure did. And then Chase Briscoe, who nosed to the lead on the final overtime restart but couldn't stick the landing. Turns out, he was on newer rubber but older Nomex. Grab that shifter and let's get up to speed. First Gear: Who needs fresh Goodyears when you have dry duds? It's doubtful you came here for an old Deion Sanders quote, but here you go. 'If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good. If you play good, they pay good.' During one of two late rain delays, Hamlin told the TNT broadcast audience he was going to change into a fresh Nomex-woven uniform because his was soaked with that nasty brew of sweat and rain and Lord knows what else gets kicked up and tossed through that window net. Yes, he was on worn tires, but he suggested fresh duds might make him feel fresher than he really was. He won, you know, so who's to doubt him? What's doubtful, however, is anytime in the near future, we'll hear a crew chief call his driver to the pits for right-side tires and a dry uniform. But there was also a time when sub-20-second pit stops seemed like science fiction. Second Gear: Denny Hamlin sends us an invitation (to court) Barring a serious change in strategy, not to mention tone, Hamlin's next big uniform change will see him shed the Nomex for wool or cotton, as he slips into a fancy bib-and-tucker for a December court date that continues to loom large up there around Turn 4. Up-to-speed time: Hamlin is co-owner of 23XI Racing, which along with Front Row Motorsports is suing NASCAR, alleging antitrust violations. Both teams have three cars, and all six are among the 36 'chartered' cars, meaning they're locked into each week's race while four additional spots are available to non-charted (or 'open') teams. Since the two plaintiff teams didn't agree to new charter terms late last year (13 other teams, which field 30 cars, did sign), NASCAR has said they forfeited their charters. A judge said that's not right, then another judge said yes it is, and another had to say the second judge was right and then … oh, never mind, who can keep up? Anyway, the two teams aren't currently chartered but won't miss any races, even if more than four 'open' cars enter an upcoming race (which is usually unlikely, given recent history). In fact, NASCAR did what it does throughout the season — update the rulebook. Usually it's about an evolving technical issue, but the day after Dover, NASCAR amended the rules in a way that basically guarantees 23XI and Front Row will have reserved seats for the rest of the season. And 29 days after the season finale, and just nine days after the awards banquet, the two teams and NASCAR (and their legal stormtroopers) are scheduled to be in court to start the official proceedings. Hamlin was asked about the ongoing friction during the Dover weekend and didn't break character. 'All I can tell you,' he began, 'and this will be my blanket answer for all questions about this … if you want answers, you want to understand all of why this is happening, come Dec. 1. You will get the answers that you are looking for and all will be exposed. 'Mark your calendar.' That's gonna be one awkward banquet if he finally wins a championship. Third Gear: Ty times Two as NASCAR brackets reach final rung Whose brackets had Ty Gibbs versus Ty Dillon in the final? Such a possibility was inherent when NASCAR debuted this five-week, in-season tournament to coincide with TNT's five weeks of coverage. At least Gibbs finished fifth at Dover to win his semifinal over Tyler Reddick, who slipped out of the top 10 in the late laps. Dillon finished 20th, one better than semifinal foe John Hunter Nemechek, and needed the day's final 'lucky dog' free pass to do it. Listen, don't be too cynical. At least they tried something, bless their hearts. And hey, there's a million bucks on the line for the Dillon and Gibbs teams. Assuming there's something close to the old industry standard — team and driver splitting race winnings — that'd be a helluva payday for Dillon. And not a bad one for team owner Matt Kaulig, who'd have to sell a lot of gutter guards to make 500k. Do your own research on that one. Fourth Gear: Chase Elliott makes his point(s) We should've smelled a rat when William Byron won the Daytona 500 but left town second in the standings, one point behind Ryan Blaney, who piled up race-day points with stage finishes of first and third. Two weeks later, Byron took over the points lead and held onto it after 17 of the next 18 races, despite not winning another race and despite a recent slump bordering on two months. He's finished 27th or worse in five of the last seven races, and in those other two, he was a ho-hum (for him) eighth and ninth. So your new leader atop the regular-season standings is Chase Elliott, who has morphed into Terry Labonte and become a points hoarder for most of this season. — Email Ken Willis at This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Denny Hamlin wins Dover, NASCAR amends, and it might get real awkward
NBC Sports
21-07-2025
- Sport
- NBC Sports
Cup drivers recap Dover race won by Hamlin
Hear from Christopher Bell, Ty Dillon, Chase Briscoe, Alex Bowman and Denny Hamlin following the NASCAR Cup Series race at Dover.
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR takeaways: Denny Hamlin outlasts Chase Briscoe during double-OT Dover race
Here is Denny Hamlin's Sunday story. 'Things were going pretty well there before the rain,' he said on the TNT broadcast after winning the Autotrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway. 'Then, obviously, had to endure.' For a long time. With 17 laps to go, Hamlin was the leader separating from second-place Christopher Bell when the caution flag emerged for Ross Chastain. With 14 to go and the race still under yellow, the rain hit. Action stalled for an hour, all while Hamlin waited in first place. He even had enough time to change his sweat-soaked suit. When the restart finally arrived with eight laps remaining, Hamlin outgunned Bell, only for Bell to spin and bring out another caution. Another yellow flag waved during the first overtime period, and Hamlin, on old tires, maintained his lead in double OT. He beat Chase Briscoe by 0.31 seconds. Alex Bowman snatched third. 'It was tough,' Hamlin said. 'Those guys gave me a run for it, no doubt about it. But this whole Progressive Toyota team just did amazing.' The victory is the 58th of his Cup Series career and his third at Dover. It's his fourth win of the season, which tops the circuit. In total, Hamlin led 67 laps. Chase Elliott led a race-high 238. He won Stage 1 and slotted sixth. Bell claimed Stage 2. What else happened? Let's break it down. 1. NASCAR In-Season Challenge bracket trims to 2 drivers It's a battle of Ty. NASCAR's inaugural In-Season Challenge is down to two drivers: Ty Dillon vs. Ty Gibbs. Dillon settled into 20th at Dover, edging John Hunter Nemechek, who followed in 21st. With a fifth-place finish, Gibbs defeated Tyler Reddick, who ended up 12th. As the 32nd seed, Dillon was the final driver to make the field. He now has survived four rounds to advance to the finals. Gibbs is a six seed. A prize of $1 million hangs in the balance. 2. Joey Logano breaks Richard Petty record In one category, Joey Logano is now The King. He broke Richard Petty's record for youngest driver to reach 600 career Cup Series starts. Logano is 35 years, one month and 26 days old. Petty's high mark was 35 years, seven months and 23 days. It stood for 52 years. Others who cracked the list before the age of 40: Kyle Busch (36 years, four months), Jeff Gordon (38 years, 11 months) and Kurt Busch (39 years). Logano placed 14th Sunday. Dover is a notable place for him. In May 2008, he debuted on the national stage, taking sixth in a Nationwide Series race at the Monster Mile. His first Cup start came at New Hampshire that September. Logano still has a long way to go to reach Petty's record of 1,184 career starts. Petty is also the only driver to win his 600th start. 3. NASCAR schedule: Next up, Cup Series is Brickyard-bound Prepare to hear the word "historic" over and over again in the coming week, as NASCAR visits Indy for the 32nd Brickyard 400 at, yes, historic Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Well, not exactly the 32nd, considering those three recent years when they raced on the Indy road course. The weekend begins with the Truck Series, which returns after a three-week break in the schedule. The trucks race Friday night at Lucas Oil Raceway, several miles west of Indy. Saturday, all the focus moves to Gasoline Alley, the Yard of Bricks and the "Racing Capital of the World," as the Xfinity Series presents the Pennzoil 250. The Brickyard 400, Race 22 of the 2025 Cup Series season, caps the weekend Sunday and completes TNT's five-week run of broadcasts. The green flag will fly at 2 p.m. — Ken Willis contributed to this story This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: NASCAR results today: Denny Hamlin is Dover race winner
Yahoo
21-07-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
NASCAR: Denny Hamlin holds on for chaotic overtime win at Dover after hour-long rain delay with 14 scheduled laps to go
Denny Hamlin's victory on Sunday at Dover looked pretty safe with 14 laps to go. Ross Chastain's crash brought out a late caution flag and rain started to pour not long after the yellow was thrown. Hamlin was leading teammate Christopher Bell and likely thought he had his fourth win in the bag. Not so fast. With the heavy rain being fairly brief, NASCAR immediately worked to dry the track. Roughly an hour after the race was red-flagged, it resumed for eight scheduled green-flag laps. The actual number ended up being far fewer than that. Bell spun to trigger a multi-car crash while racing with Hamlin for the lead on the first restart, and then Hamlin had to hold on for two more restarts to get his Cup Series-leading fourth win of the season as he kept teammate Chase Briscoe at bay over the final two laps. It ended up being a stellar day for Hamlin on the track after a less than ideal week in the courtroom. Hamlin's 23XI Racing team lost its charters along with Front Row Motorsports as a federal judge refused to grant the teams a temporary restraining order to keep them. The ruling was part of the teams' months-long battle with NASCAR over the sanctioning body's franchising agreement. Both 23XI and FRM sued NASCAR, claiming that NASCAR was monopolistic as it gave its teams just hours to sign a new charter agreement in the fall of 2024. Sunday's race ended up going seven laps over its scheduled distance thanks to the two crashes after the rain delay. After Bell spun to start a crash that included Noah Gragson and William Byron, Zane Smith and Ryan Preece crashed after that restart. Briscoe, meanwhile, worked his way through the field after pitting for two fresh tires immediately after the rain delay. Hamlin, Bell and others at the front of the field opted to stay out on older tires knowing that passing was incredibly difficult all day at Dover thanks to the aerodynamic deficiencies of the current Cup Series car. The rain delay put NASCAR in a unique situation. In most instances, a red flag for rain with less than 20 laps to go equals an automatic end to the race. You can understand why. It's a lot of track drying work for little payoff. Eight laps of green-flag racing at Dover is less than four minutes. But the quickness of the rain — and the concrete track surface — gave NASCAR a reason to think it could finish the race. And sure enough, it ended on a mostly dry track. It was an eventful payoff for the fans who stuck around both at the track and on TNT. On a slow sports afternoon following Scottie Scheffler's dominant British Open victory, NASCAR didn't have much competition for viewers' attention. And restart highlights make for great social media clips. But you can also see the argument against restarting the race. Especially if you're a fan of Bell, Byron or anyone else who saw their days go south after the rain delay. It would have been surprising had a crash or two not happened over the final eight scheduled laps. Drivers know that restarts are their best chances to gain track position even when passing isn't as difficult as it was at Dover on Sunday. The myriad tire strategies only added to that likelihood as the speed discrepancies between drivers on older and newer tires can easily create contact. Crashes, of course, increase costs for teams. And this is a NASCAR that has cut track time in recent years in the name of cost savings for its competitors. Even as the sun quickly shined following the rain, cutting the race short by just 14 laps is an easily defensible situation. This is, after all, a regular-season race in the middle of the summer. It's not a playoff race. Had Chastain not crashed and the rain hit with less than 10 laps to go, it's very easy to see how NASCAR calls the race early. But the final 20-plus actual laps produced more action than the first 386 laps did combined to provide a notable end to what had been a snoozer of a race. Had someone like Briscoe, Kyle Larson or another driver who hardly led a lap all day ended up winning after the rain, the outcome might be hard to stomach. Instead, the guy who was winning when the rain fell ended up showing why he's a title contender yet again by getting the winner's trophy over an hour later than he might have expected.
