HAMPTON, Ga, (AP) — William Byron took the checkered flag for his third NASCAR Cup victory while one last crash unfolded behind him in an appropriate finish to a thrilling, chaotic race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
The reconfigured track led to 46 lead changes among an Atlanta-record 20 drivers, a traffic jam of tightly bunched cars at the front of the field, wrecks taking out several top contenders, and a bunch of smashed-up race cars to lug home.
Byron was leading off the final restart with 13 laps to go. Bubba Wallace briefly grabbed the top spot, only to have Byron pass him right back.
Newgarden beats teammate McLaughlin to finish line
FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Josef Newgarden used the nonexistent high line to pass Scott McLaughlin in the final turn at Texas Motor Speedway and steal the IndyCar race his teammate had dominated.
The win gave Team Penske back-to-back victories to open the season and 600 overall wins across all its platforms. McLaughlin was the winner of last month’s season-opening race in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Leclerc wins Bahrain GP as Verstappen retires near the end
SAKHIR, Bahrain (AP) — Formula One champion Max Verstappen’s title defense turned into a nightmare when the Red Bull star retired near the end of the Bahrain Grand Prix. Ferrari clinched a 1-2 with Charles Leclerc winning ahead of teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton took an unexpected third place after Sergio Perez’s Red Bull also retired with the finish line in sight as the race finished under a yellow flag.
