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F1’s Canadian GP will clash with the Indy 500 every five years

The clash between Formula 1’s 2026 Canadian Grand Prix and IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500 will only happen once every five years, Motorsport.com understands. On Tuesday, F1 announced its 24-race calendar for next year, which sees Imola drop out in favour of a new race in Madrid as Spain’s capital takes over the Spanish Grand Prix moniker […]

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The clash between Formula 1’s 2026 Canadian Grand Prix and IndyCar’s Indianapolis 500 will only happen once every five years, Motorsport.com understands.

On Tuesday, F1 announced its 24-race calendar for next year, which sees Imola drop out in favour of a new race in Madrid as Spain’s capital takes over the Spanish Grand Prix moniker from Barcelona. The calendar also features date changes in May and June, with Monaco moving back by two weeks and Canada taking its place on 22-24 May.

Before the calendar was published in full, Monaco’s already announced move seemed to be encouraging news for IndyCar, as no F1 clashes would perhaps lead to more international media attention and potentially even left-field drivers if qualifying was also on a non-F1 weekend.

But the confirmation that the Canadian Grand Prix will now run on the same day as the Indy 500, and given the time zones will therefore directly clash with IndyCar’s crown jewel, will be a bitter pill to swallow for avid motorsports fans.

Motorsport.com understands, however, that said clash will be an exception rather than the new norm, and as the calendar ebbs and flows it is only expected to occur once every five years, with Montreal expected to run the weekend before Indy in 2027.

By moving Montreal to May, F1 management achieved a long-standing objective of bringing the Canada round closer to Miami, which is seen as a key element in making the 24-race calendar more sustainable.

Being able to ship a bigger portion of freight directly from Florida to Quebec without having to return to Europe helps as F1 works towards it Net Zero 2030 campaign, although the series will have wanted the two rounds to be closer together than the current compromise: Miami runs on 3 May, with Canada on 24 May after a two-week gap.

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren

Christian Lundgaard, Arrow McLaren

Photo by: Brandon Badraoui / Motorsport Images via Getty Images

That means that while the situation improves for CO2 emissions and the flow of freight, travelling personnel will still have to make two standalone trips across the pond in May.

The biggest reason for Montreal’s insistence on running as late as possible that month is primarily for operational reasons. As anyone who has travelled to Montreal can attest to, the weather in May can be rather unpredictable. Coming off the month of April in which severe snowstorms are not uncommon, every week the race is brought forward increases the risk of inclement weather and glacial temperatures.

That also eats into the preparation time required to run the event, which has seen several logistical issues in recent years that the organisers are hoping to address at this weekend’s edition. Settling on the last weekend of May presents a compromise on both accounts. Additionally, it is understood Montreal was hesitant to run back-to-back with Miami due to concerns over the two events competing over ticket sales.

So, what of the Indy 500, which starts over an hour earlier but due to its length will clash fully with the Canadian Grand Prix? The fact is that F1 doesn’t really seem to mind and certainly wouldn’t be expected to take other racing series into consideration. As a case in point, it has also been happy to run in Montreal during the Le Mans 24 Hours, as is the case once more this weekend.

At the end of the day the large majority of TV viewers will simply pick their favourite event, and it is a smaller segment of hardcore fans that will really be affected.

Losing some North American viewers seems like a price worth paying for the overall goal of streamlining its congested calendar, as it is understood that F1 feels the demographic it is chasing doesn’t overlap all that much with that of the Indy 500 anyway.

Why Madrid’s Spanish Grand Prix is held in September

IFEMA Madrid

IFEMA Madrid

Photo by: Formula 1

Intriguingly, the two-week gap between Miami and Montreal does seem to leave wiggle room for another race should F1’s new kid on the block, Madrid, not be ready. There had been some concern over the time it took to finally break ground on the Madring circuit near its Barajas airport, with suggestions the departing Imola might return after all in 2026.

But those fears have eased now construction finally appears underway, and the whole point of moving Montreal in the first place, which has taken a long time for the organisers to agree to, was not to return to Europe after Miami.

One emergency alternative, however, could be to move Barcelona to Madrid’s September slot and bring back Imola in June.

Madrid’s place on the calendar was celebrated last weekend with a show run by Williams driver Carlos Sainz on the already existing street portion of the hybrid street/permanent track, which will also feature a fast purpose-built section including a flat-out high-speed banked corner.

The Spanish Grand Prix is now set for 13 September, which makes it a logical double-header with Monza’s Italian Grand Prix a week prior. That date, as the last European race of the year – unless one counts Baku – means it gives organisers the best chance of getting ready in time and it will also create a healthy three-month gap with Spain’s existing race in Barcelona, which is heading into its final contract year.

The race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is yet to receive a new name, with ‘Catalan Grand Prix’ a sensible option given the regional government’s backing of the event.

How many triple-headers does F1 2026 have?

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, the remainder of the field at the start

Charles Leclerc, Ferrari SF-24, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20, Carlos Sainz, Ferrari SF-24, George Russell, Mercedes F1 W15, Pierre Gasly, Alpine A524, the remainder of the field at the start

Photo by: Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Calendar tweaks in May and June do have one positive effect for F1 staff, as the European season no longer features a triple-header. Monaco and Barcelona are both moving back to form a double-header, followed by a one-week gap into Austria and Silverstone, with the latter double-header remaining tricky for trucking logistics.

What hasn’t improved is F1’s brutal end to the year, with a run-in of six races in the space of seven weeks between mid-October and early December. After one year of running as a standalone, Brazil is reconnected with the logical Austin-Mexico double once more, while the trio of Las Vegas, Qatar and Abu Dhabi remains in place for the third consecutive year.

What was once seen as an emergency measure during the pandemic is now something that has begrudgingly been accepted. Triple-headers are inevitable if F1 remains keen on hosting 24 races – which it very much is – while still maintaining a mandatory summer shutdown and a reasonable length off-season break.

Instead, teams are rotating more and more travelling personnel while some roles have moved to the factory thanks to modern communication technology.

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Bell “disappointed in myself” after spinout from lead fight

Christopher Bell led 67 laps at Dover on Sunday, scoring 19 stage points and winning Stage 2. But that doesn’t mean he had it easy — as Bell ultimately finished 18th after spinning twice during the race. Starting the final stage while leading the race, Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spun out. Somehow, […]

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Christopher Bell led 67 laps at Dover on Sunday, scoring 19 stage points and winning Stage 2. But that doesn’t mean he had it easy — as Bell ultimately finished 18th after spinning twice during the race.

Starting the final stage while leading the race, Bell’s No. 20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota spun out. Somehow, the entire field avoided him and he was able to rejoin at the back of the cars still on the lead lap.

While Bell did a great job slicing back through the pack, he gained a lot of track position by staying out longer than most other drivers and catching a well-times caution.

After an hour-long rain delay, he found himself restarting on the front row with teammate and eventual race winner Denny Hamlin. Neither driver gave an inch, but Bell got loose on the bottom and ended up spinning wildly out of Turn 4. Again, no one hit the No. 20 as he spun in front of the field, but his chances of winning at the ‘Monster Mile’ were officially over.

Nobody was lifting

Christopher Bell spins, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Christopher Bell spins, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Sean Gardner / Getty Images

“I definitely wasn’t going to lift and I knew he wasn’t going to lift either,” Bell told NASCAR on TNT. “We were gonna race really hard, and I just spun out. Dover and spinning out — I’ve got a problem with that. It’s a bummer.

“The guys did a really good job. I’m honestly proud of the effort that this team has put into trying to improve. The intermediate stuff has been a little hard for us, and the guys on this #20 team did a really good job bringing really good pace this weekend. I felt like we were as strong as any of them. We restarted on the front row with under 10 to go and had a shot at it. It didn’t work out, but we got a playoff point. Hopefully, we can keep bringing that speed and I can be in contention more often.”

In the end, Bell was happy to see another JGR driver win, but he was obviously furstrated with himself over what could have been.

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota, Christopher Bell, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota

Photo by: Meg Oliphant / Getty Images

“I’m glad that JGR still won the race,” said Bell. “Denny did a great job, obviously. He always does, closing these things out. Chase [Briscoe] got a good finish, and yeah, great day for company. Disappointed in myself for making so many mistake, but our speed was really good.”

Along with a 1-2 finish by Hamlin and Briscoe, Ty Gibbs also managed to advance into the finals for the $1 million bracket challenge, where he will face Ty Dillon.

Photos from Dover – Race

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Exclusive Video From Tommy Baldwin Racing/Catalano Motorsports Confrontation Sunday At Monadnock

Exclusive Video From Tommy Baldwin Racing/Catalano Motorsports Confrontation Sunday At Monadnock – RaceDayCT.com We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Manage consent Copyright 2018 E-Media Sports Website Designed […]

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AUTO RACING ROUNDUP: Denny Hamlin picks up Cup Series high fourth win of season at Dover

AUTO RACING ROUNDUP: Denny Hamlin picks up Cup Series high fourth win of season at Dover Published 2:18 am Monday, July 21, 2025 Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s rain-interrupted AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Del. (Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images) DOVER, Del. — Denny Hamlin waited out a one-hour red-flag delay, won three […]

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AUTO RACING ROUNDUP: Denny Hamlin picks up Cup Series high fourth win of season at Dover

Published 2:18 am Monday, July 21, 2025

Denny Hamlin won Sunday’s rain-interrupted AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway in Dover, Del. (Matthew O’Haren-Imagn Images)

DOVER, Del. — Denny Hamlin waited out a one-hour red-flag delay, won three restarts on older tires inside of 10 laps to go, and took the overtime checkers in Sunday’s rain-interrupted AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.

In the second overtime, Hamlin lined up beside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, who was on much fresher tires. The Toyotas made contact coming to the white, allowing Hamlin’s No. 11 to nose ahead and beat Briscoe’s No. 19 by 0.31 seconds for his series-leading fourth victory.

Hamlin, who led 67 laps, also fended off teammate Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson in late restarts — in regulation with eight laps left and the first overtime, respectively — to help him repeat at Dover and give Toyota its third straight win there.

Alex Bowman, Larson and Ty Gibbs completed the top five.

In the In-Season Challenge semifinal, NASCAR’s version of the Final Four, Gibbs (fifth place) beat Tyler Reddick (12th), while Ty Dillon (20th) topped John Hunter Nemechek (21st).

Gibbs and Dillon will square off Sunday at Indianapolis for the $1 million top prize given to the winner of the 32-car tournament.

The first stage, a 120-lapper around the one-mile concrete track, was all about Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who managed to beat Bell as the segment ended and hold on to the point.

Following that pair were Hamlin, William Byron and a fast-moving Bowman, who sliced through the top 10 in Stage 1’s late laps.

Elliott’s day turned sour when his Chevy fell off the jacks while being serviced under green on Lap 186. After the stops cycled, Bell was out front with Hamlin over three seconds in arrears.

In his No. 20 Toyota, Bell won Stage 2 and told his JGR team to leave the car as it was as he headed to pit road. Bowman and Hamlin crossed under the checkers for second and third in bonus points, respectively.

However, Bell spun on his own while leading on the Lap 260 restart and racing with Elliott, hitting nothing and forcing the field to split as his JGR ride slid down the high banks.

NASCAR puts brakes on

2026 Chicago Street Race

The Chicago Street Race will not be on the NASCAR calendar in 2026, officials announced Friday.

NASCAR and city officials are working toward a return to the Windy City in 2027.

“Following the success of the first three years, the Chicago Street Race will hit pause in 2026 to afford us the time necessary to work collaboratively with the City of Chicago to explore a new potential date and to develop a plan that further optimizes operational efficiencies, with a goal to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027,” the event’s social media account posted on X.

“Together, we have built and grown an expanded community of fans that consists of longtime NASCAR enthusiasts and first-time racegoers from around the globe, and for that, we are immensely grateful.”

From 2023-25, drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series raced along a 12-turn, 2.2 mile course from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue.

Shane van Gisbergen of New Zealand dominated the Chicago streets, winning the Cup Series races in 2023 and 2025 and the Xfinity races in 2024 and 2025.

DOVER, Del. — Denny Hamlin waited out a one-hour red-flag delay, won three restarts on older tires inside of 10 laps to go, and took the overtime checkers in Sunday’s rain-interrupted AutoTrader EchoPark Automotive 400 at Dover Motor Speedway.

In the second overtime, Hamlin lined up beside Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Chase Briscoe, who was on much fresher tires. The Toyotas made contact coming to the white, allowing Hamlin’s No. 11 to nose ahead and beat Briscoe’s No. 19 by 0.31 seconds for his series-leading fourth victory.

Hamlin, who led 67 laps, also fended off teammate Christopher Bell and Kyle Larson in late restarts — in regulation with eight laps left and the first overtime, respectively — to help him repeat at Dover and give Toyota its third straight win there.

Alex Bowman, Larson and Ty Gibbs completed the top five.

In the In-Season Challenge semifinal, NASCAR’s version of the Final Four, Gibbs (fifth place) beat Tyler Reddick (12th), while Ty Dillon (20th) topped John Hunter Nemechek (21st).

Gibbs and Dillon will square off Sunday at Indianapolis for the $1 million top prize given to the winner of the 32-car tournament.

The first stage, a 120-lapper around the one-mile concrete track, was all about Hendrick Motorsports’ Chase Elliott, who managed to beat Bell as the segment ended and hold on to the point.

Following that pair were Hamlin, William Byron and a fast-moving Bowman, who sliced through the top 10 in Stage 1’s late laps.

Elliott’s day turned sour when his Chevy fell off the jacks while being serviced under green on Lap 186. After the stops cycled, Bell was out front with Hamlin over three seconds in arrears.

In his No. 20 Toyota, Bell won Stage 2 and told his JGR team to leave the car as it was as he headed to pit road. Bowman and Hamlin crossed under the checkers for second and third in bonus points, respectively.

However, Bell spun on his own while leading on the Lap 260 restart and racing with Elliott, hitting nothing and forcing the field to split as his JGR ride slid down the high banks.

NASCAR puts brakes on

2026 Chicago Street Race

The Chicago Street Race will not be on the NASCAR calendar in 2026, officials announced Friday.

NASCAR and city officials are working toward a return to the Windy City in 2027.

“Following the success of the first three years, the Chicago Street Race will hit pause in 2026 to afford us the time necessary to work collaboratively with the City of Chicago to explore a new potential date and to develop a plan that further optimizes operational efficiencies, with a goal to return to the streets of Chicago in 2027,” the event’s social media account posted on X.

“Together, we have built and grown an expanded community of fans that consists of longtime NASCAR enthusiasts and first-time racegoers from around the globe, and for that, we are immensely grateful.”

From 2023-25, drivers in the NASCAR Cup Series and Xfinity Series raced along a 12-turn, 2.2 mile course from Columbus Drive to DuSable Lake Shore Drive and Michigan Avenue.

Shane van Gisbergen of New Zealand dominated the Chicago streets, winning the Cup Series races in 2023 and 2025 and the Xfinity races in 2024 and 2025.

Pato O’Ward wins in Toronto,

inches toward Alex Palou in season race

TORONTO — Mexico’s Pato O’Ward eked out his second win in three weeks on Sunday at the Ontario Honda Dealers Indy Toronto, keeping alive his underdog chances to win the season championship.

Alex Palou rode a dominant start to the season to a 129-point lead in the points race, the largest margin this deep in a season since IndyCar began using the scoring system. After the Spaniard finished 12th in Toronto, O’Ward sliced that deficit to 99 with four races to go.

O’Ward started back in 10th but led 30 out of 90 laps in his No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet and beat the Netherlands’ Rinus VeeKay by 0.4843 seconds. Kyffin Simpson of the Cayman Islands was third, his first podium finish in two IndyCar seasons.

“I knew I had a great car under me to race with and the guys nailed it on the strategy,” O’Ward said in his post-race interview.

That strategy was for O’Ward to start the race on his alternate set of tires before moving to his primary tires early on Lap 3.

“I was feeling so good on the (primary) tires all weekend really. We were just struggling to get the alternates to work in qualifying. Sadly, that’s the one you need to transfer,” O’Ward said.

Palou, conversely, started on his primary tires from the No. 2 position. The seven-time winner this year led 37 laps but faded down the stretch.

“Well, I chose the strategy, so that’s what we did wrong today,” Palou said. “I was pushing for that strategy. I thought it was going to give us the best opportunity to win. I wanted to be up front trying to avoid being trapped in traffic.”

Simpson was the biggest mover of the day after starting the race 13th.

“It was a crazy race,” Simpson said. “So many ups and downs. At one point we thought we were in the worst position, and then very quickly it turned into one of the best positions.”

 



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Denny Hamlin survives rain delay, overtime finish to win for 2nd straight year at Dover – Las Vegas Sun News

Published Sunday, July 20, 2025 | 4:19 p.m. DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin balked when a surfboard he was asked to sign for charity was placed on the floor. At his age, Hamlin cracked, he might not be able to get back up. The 44-year-old driver had similar aging concerns a night earlier when […]

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DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin balked when a surfboard he was asked to sign for charity was placed on the floor. At his age, Hamlin cracked, he might not be able to get back up. The 44-year-old driver had similar aging concerns a night earlier when the picture on the TV he watched as he started to doze off seemed a bit fuzzy.

“I’m not losing my eyesight am I?” Hamlin said.

Hamlin’s vision was on point Sunday at Dover — his sights set firmly on victory lane.

Hamlin can eliminate distractions and succeed like few drivers in the series can can do: He shook off a setback in his court battle with NASCAR, shrugged off old tire concerns once he took a late lead ahead of a rain delay, and survived a late charge from his teammate to go back-to-back at Dover Motor Speedway for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s series-best fourth victory of the season.

“I just love that I’m able to still do it at a high level,” Hamlin said. “Every morning when I wake up, I just hope I still got what I had yesterday.”

Hamlin won in the No. 11 Toyota for the second straight time at Dover to add to wins this season at Martinsville, Darlington and Michigan.

Hamlin has 58 NASCAR Cup Series victories, leaving him two short of Kevin Harvick for 10th on the career list. The veteran Virginia driver might hit that mark this season as he chases his first career Cup championship.

Hamlin is on NASCAR’s short list of greatest drivers to never win a championship. He won’t let the void on an otherwise stellar resume full of Hall of Fame credentials define how he feels about his career.

Hamlin says, it’s trophies, not titles, not he celebrates the most

“If we do, we do. If we don’t, we don’t,” Hamlin said. “I care about wins. I want more trophies, more trophies, more trophies. When I’m done, I want to be in the list of that top-10 all-time winners. That will mean more than any other accomplishment.”

Hamlin took the checkered flag days after he suffered a setback in court with his own 23XI Racing team’s federal antitrust suit against NASCAR.

On Thursday, a federal judge rejected a request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to continue racing with charters while they battle NASCAR in court, meaning their six cars will race as open entries this weekend at Dover, next week at Indianapolis and perhaps longer than that in a move the teams say would put them at risk of going out of business.

Hamlin vowed this weekend “all will be exposed” if the case goes to its scheduled Dec. 1 trial date.

The courtroom drama hasn’t affected Hamlin’s performance on the track. Hamlin held off JGR teammate Chase Briscoe for the victory. Hendrick Motorsports drivers took the next two spots, with Alex Bowman third and Kyle Larson fourth.

“I thought I did everything I needed to,” Briscoe said. “I thought I had him there for a second. I wish the Camry, the back, was about 3 inches shorter. I was so close to clearing him. I just couldn’t do it. Obviously, racing a teammate, I wanted to make sure at least a JGR car won.”

Hamlin held off Kyle Larson down the stretch last season to earn the second of his three career wins at the Monster Mile.

The first July Cup race at Dover since 1969 started with steamy weather and drivers battled the conditions inside the car during a relatively clean race until rain fell late and red-flagged the race with 14 laps left. Hamlin said the during the break changed his firesuit — temperatures inside the car soared to 140 degrees, and sweat kept dripping inside his visor.

He also returned to the car after the 56-minute delay with old tires. Hamlin — who was the betting favorite to win, per BETMGM Sportsbook —- had enough to win on cool tires at Dover and park the Toyota in victory lane.

There was never any real consideration to pit with the lead for fresh tires.

“We need wins,” crew chief Chris Gayle said. “How can we manufacture some way to give ourselves more opportunity for that to happen? Might not pan out, but we definitely weren’t going to do it doing the same thing as everybody else. That was our train of thought there and thankfully it worked out and we held on.”

He became the 19th Cup driver to win three times at Dover and the 13th driver to win consecutive races on the mile concrete track.

“I just studied some of the greats here,” Hamlin said. “I was very fortunate to have Martin Truex as a teammate. Jimmie Johnson, watching him win (11) times here. You learn from the greats and you change your game to match it, you have success like this.”

In-season challenge

The Tys have it in NASCAR.

It’s Ty Gibbs vs. Ty Dillon next week at Indianapolis to decide the first winner in NASCAR’s $1 million mid-season tournament.

NASCAR seeded 32 drivers for the first In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Both drivers are winless and Dillon made it as the No. 32 seed. Gibbs finished fifth Sunday for JGR.

John Hunter Nemechek and Tyler Reddick were eliminated.

Logano’s 600th

Joey Logano finished 14th for Team Penske in his 600th career start.

Logano has made every start since the 2009, 597 straight, putting him within striking distance of Jeff Gordon’s Cup record of 797 straight starts.

Logano was 35 years, 1 month, 26 days old when he hits No. 600 on Sunday, making him the youngest driver to reach that milestone. He topped seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Richard Petty by six months.

Petty is the only driver to have won his 600th start.

Up next

It’s off to Indianapolis Motor Speedway where
Kyle Larson won last season
on the oval after a four-year break on the road course.

___

AP auto racing:
https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing





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Denny Hamlin survives rain delay, overtime finish to win for 2nd straight year at Dover | National News

DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin balked when a surfboard he was asked to sign for charity was placed on the floor. At his age, Hamlin cracked, he might not be able to get back up. The 44-year-old driver had similar aging concerns a night earlier when the picture on the TV he watched as […]

Published

on


DOVER, Del. (AP) — Denny Hamlin balked when a surfboard he was asked to sign for charity was placed on the floor. At his age, Hamlin cracked, he might not be able to get back up. The 44-year-old driver had similar aging concerns a night earlier when the picture on the TV he watched as he started to doze off seemed a bit fuzzy.

“I’m not losing my eyesight am I?” Hamlin said.

Hamlin’s vision was on point Sunday at Dover — his sights set firmly on victory lane.

Hamlin can eliminate distractions and succeed like few drivers in the series can can do: He shook off a setback in his court battle with NASCAR, shrugged off old tire concerns once he took a late lead ahead of a rain delay, and survived a late charge from his teammate to go back-to-back at Dover Motor Speedway for the Joe Gibbs Racing driver’s series-best fourth victory of the season.

“I just love that I’m able to still do it at a high level,” Hamlin said. “Every morning when I wake up, I just hope I still got what I had yesterday.”

Hamlin won in the No. 11 Toyota for the second straight time at Dover to add to wins this season at Martinsville, Darlington and Michigan.

Hamlin has 58 NASCAR Cup Series victories, leaving him two short of Kevin Harvick for 10th on the career list. The veteran Virginia driver might hit that mark this season as he chases his first career Cup championship.

Hamlin is on NASCAR’s short list of greatest drivers to never win a championship. He won’t let the void on an otherwise stellar resume full of Hall of Fame credentials define how he feels about his career.

Hamlin says, it’s trophies, not titles, not he celebrates the most

“If we do, we do. If we don’t, we don’t,” Hamlin said. “I care about wins. I want more trophies, more trophies, more trophies. When I’m done, I want to be in the list of that top-10 all-time winners. That will mean more than any other accomplishment.”

Hamlin took the checkered flag days after he suffered a setback in court with his own 23XI Racing team’s federal antitrust suit against NASCAR.

On Thursday, a federal judge rejected a request from 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports to continue racing with charters while they battle NASCAR in court, meaning their six cars will race as open entries this weekend at Dover, next week at Indianapolis and perhaps longer than that in a move the teams say would put them at risk of going out of business.

Hamlin vowed this weekend “all will be exposed” if the case goes to its scheduled Dec. 1 trial date.

The courtroom drama hasn’t affected Hamlin’s performance on the track. Hamlin held off JGR teammate Chase Briscoe for the victory. Hendrick Motorsports drivers took the next two spots, with Alex Bowman third and Kyle Larson fourth.

“I thought I did everything I needed to,” Briscoe said. “I thought I had him there for a second. I wish the Camry, the back, was about 3 inches shorter. I was so close to clearing him. I just couldn’t do it. Obviously, racing a teammate, I wanted to make sure at least a JGR car won.”

Hamlin held off Kyle Larson down the stretch last season to earn the second of his three career wins at the Monster Mile.

The first July Cup race at Dover since 1969 started with steamy weather and drivers battled the conditions inside the car during a relatively clean race until rain fell late and red-flagged the race with 14 laps left. Hamlin said the during the break changed his firesuit — temperatures inside the car soared to 140 degrees, and sweat kept dripping inside his visor.

He also returned to the car after the 56-minute delay with old tires. Hamlin — who was the betting favorite to win, per BETMGM Sportsbook —- had enough to win on cool tires at Dover and park the Toyota in victory lane.

There was never any real consideration to pit with the lead for fresh tires.

“We need wins,” crew chief Chris Gayle said. “How can we manufacture some way to give ourselves more opportunity for that to happen? Might not pan out, but we definitely weren’t going to do it doing the same thing as everybody else. That was our train of thought there and thankfully it worked out and we held on.”

He became the 19th Cup driver to win three times at Dover and the 13th driver to win consecutive races on the mile concrete track.

“I just studied some of the greats here,” Hamlin said. “I was very fortunate to have Martin Truex as a teammate. Jimmie Johnson, watching him win (11) times here. You learn from the greats and you change your game to match it, you have success like this.”

In-season challenge

The Tys have it in NASCAR.

It’s Ty Gibbs vs. Ty Dillon next week at Indianapolis to decide the first winner in NASCAR’s $1 million mid-season tournament.

NASCAR seeded 32 drivers for the first In-season Challenge, a five-race, bracket-style tournament that mirrors the NCAA basketball tournaments.

Both drivers are winless and Dillon made it as the No. 32 seed. Gibbs finished fifth Sunday for JGR.

John Hunter Nemechek and Tyler Reddick were eliminated.

Logano’s 600th

Joey Logano finished 14th for Team Penske in his 600th career start.

Logano has made every start since the 2009, 597 straight, putting him within striking distance of Jeff Gordon’s Cup record of 797 straight starts.

Logano was 35 years, 1 month, 26 days old when he hits No. 600 on Sunday, making him the youngest driver to reach that milestone. He topped seven-time NASCAR champion and Hall of Famer Richard Petty by six months.

Petty is the only driver to have won his 600th start.

Up next

It’s off to Indianapolis Motor Speedway where Kyle Larson won last season on the oval after a four-year break on the road course.


AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing



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Cup Series: Denny’s Dover hat-trick

Credit: Ethan Smith / NASCAR Digital Media Denny Hamlin secured his third win and second in a row at Dover after a weather red flag and double overtime. Qualifying was rained out, so Chase Elliott was awarded the pole with Chase Briscoe alongside him. Prior to going green, NASCAR announced a competition caution will be […]

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Credit: Ethan Smith / NASCAR Digital Media

Denny Hamlin secured his third win and second in a row at Dover after a weather red flag and double overtime.

Qualifying was rained out, so Chase Elliott was awarded the pole with Chase Briscoe alongside him. Prior to going green, NASCAR announced a competition caution will be called at Lap 35.

They went green and Elliott had the initial lead but Briscoe jumped ahead on Lap 2. 

Shane van Gisbergen pitted on Lap 11 after reporting an issue and fell from sixth to 37th since the start. He came back out four laps down.

Elliot closely followed Briscoe through Lap 13 before sweeping around the outside of Briscoe for the lead on Lap 15.

On Lap 38, all drivers pitted under the scheduled caution. Elliott, Briscoe and Christopher Bell came out as they were, and Kyle Busch made up a few places off pit road.

For the restart on Lap 43, Elliott gets ahead immediately as Briscoe battles with Bell before Bell gets up to second. 

William Byron joins the battle for second on Lap 44. Briscoe gets ahead while Bell and Byron fight back.

Bell passed Briscoe on Lap 59. 

On Lap 76, Hamlin, last year’s Dover winner, passed Briscoe for fourth after starting in 13th.

Busch passed Briscoe for fifth on Lap 87.

On Lap 99, Alex Bowman passed Busch on the front stretch.

In the closing laps of the stage, Bell has closed in on Elliott as Elliott battles with lapped traffic. Hamlin also joins the fight on Lap 113. 

Erik Jones scraped the wall at Turns 3-4on Lap 119 but the caution is not called. AJ Almendinger also had damage from an unwound tyre but nursed it to the pit lane.

  1. No. 9 – Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)

  2. No. 20 – Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  3. No. 11 – Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  4. No. 24 – William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)

  5. No. 48 – Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)

  6. No. 19 – Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  7. No. 54 – Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  8. No. 8 – Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Motorsports) 

  9. No. 22 – Joey Logano (Team Penske)

  10. No. 5 – Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)

Most of the field pits under the stage caution. Elliott, Bell, Hamlin and Byron come out as they were, with Bell inches ahead of Hamlin.

On Lap 129, Elliott clears for the lead again on the restart.

Bowman passed Briscoe for fifth on Lap 155.

By Lap 165, Elliott started to struggle against lapped traffic, and this allowed Bell and Hamlin to close in. 

Starting on Lap 181, cars start pitting and leader Elliott pits on lap 186. It was a slow stop for Elliott, allowing for Bell to pass him on pit road. Hamlin, who pitted one lap prior to both drivers, comes out on top. Carson Hocevar leads.

Hocevar pits on lap 194 as Bell passes Hamlin for the net lead.

Bell passed Daniel Suárez, who had yet to pit, on Lap 202.

Hocevar got loose and brushed the wall at Turn 2 from 29th on Lap 214.

On Lap 219, Allmendinger pitted from 26th with a reported brake issue. He goes back out but pits again on lap 225 after reporting no rear brakes. He goes behind the wall.

Kyle Larson passed Byron for fifth out of Turn 4 on Lap 242.

On Lap 244, Bowman passed Hamilin for second in Turn 4.

  1. No. 20 – Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  2. No. 48 – Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)

  3. No. 11 – Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  4. No. 9 – Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)

  5. No. 5 – Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports)

  6. No. 24 – William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports)

  7. No. 19 – Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  8. No. 54 – Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  9. No. 12 – Ryan Blaney (Team Penske)

  10. No. 23 – Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing)

After another cycle of pit stops, Bell and Elliot come out first. Elliott made up two places on pit road while Bowman and Hamlin fell two places each. 

On Lap 260, Elliott and Bell lead the way side by side until Bell goes sideways. This is the first incident related caution on the race, but he kept the car out of the wall and made it into the pits.

Credit: Riley Thompson / NASCAR Digital Media

Now, Elliott and Hamlin lead the way on Lap 266. Elliott easily cleared for the lead as Hamlin falls to third and Bowman moves up. Byron also moved up to fourth ahead of Briscoe on the opening lap. 

Hamlin repassed Bowman on lap 285 between Turns 1-2.

Briscoe passed Byron for fourth on Lap 306.

Some drivers start pitting on Lap 325. Leader Elliott pits on Lap 327 and comes out in 12th place, still net lead.

A caution is called on Lap 337 for light precipitation with Bell, Austin Dillon, Elliott and Hamlin in the front. Bell, A. Dillon and Elliott pit. Hamlin and Bell cycle to the front with A. Dillon and Elliott behind them.

Hamlin and Bell lead the way on lap 343. Hamlin gets the jump as Bell slots into second and Elliott into third. A. Dillon went to the outside of Elliott to challenge for third. The two remain side by side through the restart laps until Elliot clears on lap 350. 

Larson starts challenging A. Dillon for fourth on Lap 351. 

Bell dives to the inside of Hamlin for the lead on Lap 364 but did not clear for the lead.

Ross Chastain made contact with the wall on the exit of Turn 2 on Lap 384, bringing out the caution. While the caution was out, rain started falling again. The caution was upgraded to a red flag on Lap 386.

After an hour, we went back to racing with 14 laps to go. Ryan Blaney pitted from eighth and is the highest that opted to pit. Tyler Reddick also pitted from 10th, and came out ahead of Blaney. The top 7 stayed out.

Hamlin, Bell, Elliott and Larson made up the front rows for the restart on Lap 393.

Bell goes sideways again and collects Noah Gragson and Byron, bringing out the caution again. Gragson and Byron were not able to continue, but Bell made it to pit lane for four tyres.

Hamlin, Larson, Elliott and Briscoe are the new front rows for the overtime restart on Lap 399.

Hamlin and Briscoe get the jump on Larson and Elliott but Ryan Preece goes sideways after contact with Zane Smith, sending the race into double overtime.

Hamlin and Briscoe take the front row while Larson and Bowman take row two for the second attempt at overtime.

Hamlin and Briscoe are door to door throughout the last two laps, but Denny Hamlin wins back-to-back races at Dover!

  1. No. 11 – Denny Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing) 

  2. No. 19 – Chase Briscoe (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  3. No. 48 – Alex Bowman (Hendrick Motorsports)

  4. No. 5 – Kyle Larson (Hendrick Motorsports) +2 laps

  5. No. 54 – Ty Gibbs (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  6. No. 9 – Chase Elliott (Hendrick Motorsports)

  7. No. 23 – Bubba Wallace (23XI Racing)

  8. No. 12 – Ryan Blaney (Team Penske) +4 laps

  9. No. 17 – Chris Buescher (RFK Racing)

  10. No. 6 – Brad Keselowski (RFK Racing)

  11. No. 8 – Kyle Busch (Richard Childress Motorsports) 

  12. No. 45 – Tyler Reddick (23XI Racing) 

  13. No. 71 – Michael McDowell (Spire Motorsports)

  14. No. 22 – Joey Logano (Team Penske)

  15. No. 3 –  Austin Dillon (Richard Childress Racing)

  16. No. 2 – Austin Cindric (Team Penske) 

  17. No. 7 – Justin Haley (Spire Motorsport) [FL]

  18. No. 20 – Christopher Bell (Joe Gibbs Racing)

  19. No. 60 – Ryan Preece (RFK Racing)

  20. No. 10 – Ty Dillon (Kaulig Racing)

  21. No. 42 – John H. Nemechek (Legacy Motor Club) +1 lap

  22. No. 38 – Zane Smith (23XI Racing) +1 lap

  23. No. 47 – Ricky Stenhouse Jr. (Hyak Motorsports) +2 laps

  24. No. 35 – Riley Herbst (23XI Racing) +2 laps

  25. No. 34 – Todd Gilliland (Front Row Motorsports) +2 laps

  26. No. 99 – Daniel Suárez (Trackhouse Motorsports) +3 laps

  27. No. 43 – Erik Jones (Legacy Motor Club) +3 laps

  28. No. 21 – Josh Berry (Wood Brothers Racing) +4 laps

  29. No. 41 – Cole Custer (Haas Factory Team) +7 laps

  30. No. 88 – Shane van Gisbergen (Trackhouse Motorsports) +7 laps

  31. No. 24 – William Byron (Hendrick Motorsports) [DNF]

  32. No. 4 – Noah Gragson (Front Row Motorsports) [DNF]

  33. No. 1 – Ross Chastain (Trackhouse Racing) [DNF]

  34. No. 44 – JJ Yeley (NY Racing Team) [DNF]

  35. No. 77 – Carson Hocevar (Spire Motorsports) [DNF]

  36. No. 51 – Cody Ware (Rick Ware Racing) [DNF]

  37. No. 16 – AJ Allmendinger (Kaulig Racing) [DNF]

Next week is the final round of the in-season challenge; Ty Dillon vs. Ty Gibbs. Be there when NASCAR heads to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway on Sunday, July 27, at 14:00 EST (19:00 BST).



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