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Alex Bowman was the man on Sunday — for 12 laps.
Bowman took home the checkered flag in the 2021 Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond with a late charge, holding off Denny Hamlin after a restart with just a dozen laps to go.
Hamlin won the first two stages of Sunday’s race and was in control after a late caution, but Bowman stole the victory from him with great late pace. He opened up a half-second lead after the restart and took home his first win of the 2021 season — and the third win of his career.
Hamlin, meanwhile, secured his eighth top-five finish of the year, but he’s probably left wondering what he’s going to have to do to take home a checkered flag in 2021.
Sporting News tracked action, highlights and more from Sunday’s race at Richmond. Check it out below.
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(All times Eastern)
NASCAR at Richmond results
Official results
Position | Driver |
---|---|
1. | Alex Bowman |
2. | Denny Hamlin |
3. | Joey Logano |
4. | Christopher Bell |
5. | Martin Truex Jr. |
6. | Aric Almirola |
7. | William Byron |
8. | Kyle Busch |
9. | Matt DiBenedetto |
10. | Austin Dillon |
11. | Ryan Blaney |
12. | Chase Elliott |
13. | Kurt Busch |
14. | Brad Keselowski |
15. | Ross Chastain |
16. | Daniel Suarez |
17. | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
18. | Kyle Larson |
19. | Erik Jones |
20. | Tyler Reddick |
21. | Corey LaJoie |
22. | Chase Briscoe |
23. | Cole Custer |
24. | Kevin Harvick |
25. | Chris Buescher |
26. | Bubba Wallace |
27. | Michael McDowell |
28. | Austin Cindric |
29. | Ryan Preece |
30. | Ryan Newman |
31. | Anthony Alfredo |
32. | B.J. McLeod |
33. | James Davison |
34. | Quin Houff |
35. | Garrett Smithley |
36. | Cody Ware |
37. | Josh Bilicki |
38. | Justin Haley |
NASCAR at Richmond live updates, highlights
6:25 p.m. FINISH: Bowman, with a late charge, takes home his first Cup Series victory of the season after overtaking Hamlin on the restart.
6:20 p.m.: On the restart, Alex Bowman takes the lead from Denny Hamlin and opens up a half second lead over him.
6:14 p.m.: Hamlin and Logano both pit under a yellow flag. Hamlin comes out on front from pit lane.
6:11 p.m.: Caution flag out as Kevin Harvick slams into the wall. He’s OK. Right rear tire popped.
6:08 p.m.: Fun battle between Hamlin and Logano. Hamlin right on Logano’s rear bumper. 24 laps to go.
6:02 p.m.: First-place battle between Logano and Hamlin heating up. Hamlin right on Logano’s rear. Trying to push.
5:56 p.m.: Truex pits from the lead, Hamlin sits two seconds behind Logano. Kyle Busch incurs a penalty for pit road.
5:44 p.m.: 81 laps to go, and Hamlin still in the lead.
5:36 p.m.: Martin Truex slapped with a penalty for speeding down pit road. His first penalty for speeding this year.
5:34 p.m.: Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick pitting in lap 293. Hamlin follows them.
5:19 p.m.: Joey Logano really pushing Denny Hamlin now. Truex in third, followed by Kyle Busch, Kevin Harvick and Christopher Bell.
5:14 p.m.: No driver who’s swept the first two stages has ever won. Hamlin out front with 151 laps left in the race.
5:05 p.m. End Stage 2: Denny Hamlin takes Stage 2, by a second over Truex. Shaping up to be Hamlin’s day for a win — maybe.
4:54 p.m.: Denny Hamlin is in the lead with 25 laps left in Stage 2. Brad Keselowski charged into third place, behind Truex. Kevin Harvick also making a move, sitting in sixth.
4:43 p.m.: Pit stops coming from the leaders. 51 laps left in Stage 2.
4:32 p.m.: Restart away, and Truex and Hamlin are still locked in a battle for first. Truex says he’s having issues with his brakes. Uh oh.
4:23 p.m.: Caution flag is out in lap 143 as Ryan Newman spins out and into the wall. Not a lot of damage for Newman, and he drives off.
4:15 p.m.: Truex squeaks out in front of Hamlin, taking the lead entering lap 45.
4:03 p.m.: Stage 2 underway, 155 laps in this stage. Denny Hamlin clinging to the lead.
3:51 p.m. End Stage 1: Denny Hamlin takes home Stage 1, still in search of his first win of the 2021 season.
Hamlin wins opening stage … Hamlin Truex Logano Byron Blaney Bell Bowman Dillon Keselowski Harvick
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 18, 2021
3:40 p.m.: Under 30 laps to go in Stage 1 and it’s pretty tame so far. Chase Elliott down in eighth now, locked in a battle with Brad Keselowski. Elliott seems to be fighting his car right now.
3:31 p.m.: Competition caution out at Lap 33 and Denny Hamlin exits the pits with the lead.
3:26 p.m.: Already 25 laps through, and the top five remains the same. Austin Dillon sitting in 10th, fighting with William Byron for that spot.
3:17 p.m.: Denny Hamlin scuffles off the start, but recovers for third. Truex Jr., Chase Elliott, Denny Hamlin, Joey Logano, Ryan Blaney round out the early one-through-five.
3:10 p.m. : All systems go with no pre-race drama today. Few minutes to green flag.
Engines fired here at Richmond. Stages 80-155-165 (400 laps, 300 miles). Competition caution Lap 30. Fuel run 110-120 laps. 9 sets tires. No drivers dropping to the rear. On FOX @NASCARONFOX
— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) April 18, 2021
NASCAR start time today
The green flag for Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Richmond Raceway is scheduled to wave at 3:15 p.m. ET.
It’s unlikely that weather will delay the start. The National Weather Service’s midweek forecast for Richmond, Va., called for partly sunny skies and a high temperature near 70 degrees, the capper to a dry weekend.
NASCAR lineup at Richmond
Here is the complete starting lineup for the Toyota Owners 400 without qualifying:
Driver | Car No. | Team |
Martin Truex Jr. | 19 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Denny Hamlin | 11 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Chase Elliott | 9 | Hendrick Motorsports |
William Byron | 24 | Hendrick Motorsports |
Joey Logano | 22 | Team Penske |
Kyle Larson | 5 | Hendrick Motorsports |
Ryan Blaney | 12 | Team Penske |
Christopher Bell | 20 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Kevin Harvick | 4 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Kyle Busch | 18 | Joe Gibbs Racing |
Austin Dillon | 3 | Richard Childress Racing |
Chris Buescher | 17 | Roush Fenway Racing |
Tyler Reddick | 8 | Richard Childress Racing |
Ricky Stenhouse Jr. | 47 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
Bubba Wallace | 23 | 23XI Racing |
Matt DiBenedetto | 21 | Wood Brothers Racing |
Kurt Busch | 1 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
Ross Chastain | 42 | Chip Ganassi Racing |
Ryan Newman | 6 | Roush Fenway Racing |
Brad Keselowski | 2 | Team Penske |
Cole Custer | 41 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Aric Almirola | 10 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Michael McDowell | 34 | Front Row Motorsports |
Alex Bowman | 48 | Hendrick Motorsports |
Ryan Preece | 37 | JTG Daugherty Racing |
Chase Briscoe | 14 | Stewart-Haas Racing |
Daniel Suarez | 99 | TrackHouse Racing |
James Davison | 15 | Rick Ware Racing |
Anthony Alfredo | 38 | Front Row Motorsports |
Erik Jones | 43 | Richard Petty Motorsports |
Josh Bilicki | 52 | Rick Ware Racing |
Quin Houff | 00 | StarCom Racing |
Cody Ware | 51 | Petty Ware Racing |
Justin Haley | 77 | Spire Motorsports |
BJ McLeod | 78 | Live Fast Motorsports |
Corey LaJoie | 7 | Spire Motorsports |
Garrett Smithley | 53 | Rick Ware Racing |
Austin Cindric | 33 | Team Penske |
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