DT
M
Hamlin (11) came on strong
but could not knock
Harvick off his perchHarvick had already
scored six wins at the
same point last yearWORLD OF SPORT RACE CENTRE25 JULY 2019 AUTOSPORT.COM 41qualifying time due to a turbocharger issue
that put him last on the grid.
Dry conditions had raised the prospect
of a dull race in which overtaking would be
nigh-on impossible. But, as was the case at
Zolder, the doubters were proved wrong.
In a stunning recovery drive, Wittmann
climbed into the top 10 within four laps. He
made it up to sixth before coming in for his
mandatory pitstop earlier than the leaders
in a bid to make the undercut work.
Rast, who had started on pole, reacted
by pitting two laps later, but crucially
third-placed starter Mike Rockenfeller ran
another two tours before making his stop.
With Wittmann now running in a net
second behind Rast, Rockenfeller had the
tyre advantage to prevent Wittmann from
taking a sensational win. Rockenfeller
was able to get a better exit onto the back
straight to surge past Wittmann for second.
A dramatic late twist came when Rast
became one of many to fail to make a
one-stop strategy work on the abrasive
surface and was forced to pit. A stunning
fi nal lap helped lift Rast from the midfi eld
to fi fth, but it was too late to prevent
Rockenfeller’s fi rst win since 2017.
TOM ERRINGTONDTM
ASSEN (NLD)
Race 1 Marco Wittmann
Team RMG (BMW M4 DTM)
Race 2 Mike Rockenfeller
Team Phoenix (Audi RS5 DTM)NASCAR CUP
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (USA)
Kevin Harvick
Stewart-Haas Racing (Ford Mustang)NASCAR XFINITY SERIES
NEW HAMPSHIRE MOTOR SPEEDWAY (USA)
Christopher Bell
Joe Gibbs Racing (Toyota Supra)BRAZILIAN STOCK CARS
SANTA CRUZ (BRA)
Race 1 Julio Campos
Prati-Donaduzzi Racing
Race 2 Ricardo Mauricio
Eurofarma RCSUPER TC2000
SALTA (ARG)
Matias Rossi
Toyota Gazoo Racing Argentina (Toyota Corolla)EUROPEAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP
ROME (ITA)
Giandomenico Basso/Lorenzo Granai
(Skoda Fabia R5)WEEKEND WINNERSNASCAR CUP
NEW HAMPSHIRE
MOTOR SPEEDWAY (USA)
21 JULY
ROUND 20/36Kevin Harvick fi nally managed to
end his 2019 NASCAR Cup victory
drought by surviving a nail-biting
fi nal lap to edge Denny Hamlin at
New Hampshire.
Harvick had claimed his sixth win
of the 2018 season at the same event
last year, while his Stewart-Haas
Racing team was the dominant force.
Although his fi rst 2019 win was
overdue, he qualifi ed in 14th and
fi nishing an anonymous eighth in
stage one. It required a strategic
gamble to propel him into contention.
Opportunity arrived when a
caution in the closing stages allowed
fourth-placed Harvick to roll the
dice, staying out on track to lead
at the restart. Hamlin, who had
led comfortably before his caution
pitstop, cycled back to fourth.
Harvick’s crew chief Rodney
Childers justifi ed the decision,
saying “it’s too hard to pass today”.Har vick edges Hamlin for
first win of the season
For full results visit motorsportstats.comPOWERED BYHamlin tried to disprove that at the
restart, launching clear of Martin
Truex Jr and dispatching Erik Jones
to set up a showdown with Harvick.
Despite the diff erence in tyre age,
the gap between the two stabalised
at half a second until Harvick was
compromised by traffi c on the
penultimate lap.
Closing up to the bumper of the
leading Ford, Hamlin nudged Harvick
entering Turn 1. But Harvick stayed
ahead and took a defensive line into
the fi nal two turns to resist the
Toyota and scoop victory.
Hamlin had started at the back
of the fi eld in the backup Joe Gibbs
Racing Toyota Camry in which Truex
won at Richmond earlier this year.
His team-mate Jones was running
as low as 28th after a pitlane
speeding penalty and contact
with Hendrick Motorsports’
Alex Bowman in stage two.
Matching Harvick’s strategy at the
fi nal caution, Jones fi nished third and
is now a healthier 28 points clear of
the playoff cut line with six races
of the regular season remaining.
KYRAN GIBBONSBAKERMILLER