Nascar – Bowyer regains victory at Martinsville

Six ans et 190 départs. C’est le temps qu’aura dû attendre Clint Bowyer (Ford) pour retrouver le chemin de la Victory Lane. Le remplaçant du patron Tony Stewart a dominé la seconde partie de la STP 500 disputée sur le « short track » de Martinsville (Virgnie) pour s’imposer avec une seconde d’avance sur Kyle Busch (Toyota) après avoir mené pendant près de la moitié de la course reportée au lundi en raison de la neige qui est tombée la veille.

“I've wanted this old clock (the Martinsville reward) for years, confided the winner who offers the fourth success of the season to the Stewart-Haas Racing after Kevin Harvick's three-game winning streak. It was high time that I found victory again. I felt that we were now in a position to win and it finally happened. You wonder after a while if you are still capable of it and I proved it today, especially by winning against Kyle Busch who is a master here. »

Kyle Busch tried everything to get back on the leader in the final laps, but the Joe Gibbs Racing resident was unable to get close enough as he was slowed down by traffic.

“We can't achieve victory, but I know we have a team capable of fighting for the title. We weren't that good in practice, but we were able to improve. We are always fast, but there is always a driver who is even a little faster”, commented the one who has not left the Top 3 since Las Vegas (Nevada).

Denny Hamlin (Toyota) showed himself capable of fighting for victory in the opening laps. The Joe Gibbs Racing resident, winner of the first segment, saw his chances of success disappear following contact with Kevin Harvick (Ford) who completes the Top 5 behind the winner of the first segment Ryan Bleney (Ford) and Martin Truex Jr (Toyota).

“He bumped me and I wanted to return the favor, recognized the 2010 vice-champion. He braked in front of me, that's not very classy of him. We were performing well in the first part of the race but we lost a little speed afterwards. With the damage encountered, we must be satisfied with 12th place. »

If Jimmie Johnson (Chevrolet), Martinsville “short track” expert with nine successes on this historic oval of the Nascar, seemed able to finally sign a good result at the start of the event. The seven-time champion slipped in the rankings and ultimately fell to 15th place.