Assen MotoGP, plus IndyCar, DTM, WTCC and NASCAR
By: Matt Beer
Summary
Status: Stopped
But Stewart isn't done yet and launches a late-braking dive of his own into the final corner, shoves Hamlin aside and WINS!
Two laps left, Stewart gets slightly sideways but holds it just ahead of Hamlin still.
Onto the last lap - it's three years since Stewart won a race...
Onto the last lap - it's three years since Stewart won a race...
As Truex and Hamlin scuffle over second, Stewart suddenly has a lead of nearly two seconds with seven laps to go.
Oh hello, Hamlin's closed in again too - something he announces by biffing Truex up the rear into the final corner.
Nine laps to go, Stewart only has Truex on his tail right now as they've edged away from Hamlin a bit. Logano and Kyle Busch are doing fun wild side by side stuff for fourth.
More and more drivers taking the 'get in and get to the end' option, including Kyle Busch from second and sometime lead pack runners Stewart and Kurt Busch from the midfield.
Truex takes a big look at Allmendinger into the final hairpin. Allmendinger manages to fend him off by the first corner, but this battle is going to cost them both time to Hamlin, Busch and Larson ahead.
Johnson comes into the pits again - he'll tumble way down the field, but with 45 laps to go he can run to the finish now. Intriguing.
Allmendinger has got things pretty stable - he's still within 3s of the lead, he's closing on Larson in third and has kept the chasing Truex and Edwards at bay.
Not only not gaining ground on the leaders, Allmendinger is getting pushed hard for fourth by Truex now. And Edwards is up to sixth and not far behind.
Crew chief Pearn isn't fibbing to Truex - he's now fifth and inching up on Allmendinger as Allmendinger inches up on everyone ahead.
Hamlin is 1.2s clear of Kyles Busch and Larson up front with 42 laps to go, Allmendinger is creeping up behind them in fourth.
Allmendnger is only fifth right now, but significantly he's got ahead of race-long lead sparring partner Edwards in the traffic and is best of those on a standard pit plan. Leader Hamlin is only 3.4s up the road from him, and Edwards is now back in eighth behind Truex and Kenseth.
Back in the pack, Stewart tries a three abreast move with Blaney and Logano, finds himself sideways back across the kerbs and falls to 18th.
Truex slices inside Allmendinger for second place. Allmendinger had started losing notable ground to leader Edwards in the last few laps and they're now 2s behind.
Johnson is best of those who've already pitted twice in 12th, chasing Keselowski and within 20s of leader Edwards.
The Stewart resurgence is still holding up - 'Smoke' is sixth ahead of Larson, Kurt Busch, Kahne (he's stepped up in this stint) and Hamlin.
That lead trio have a 4s cushion back to Kyle Busch and Earnhardt - who are side by side swapping fourth and fifth right now.
So the order is settled after the first round of stops. We're about a third of the way into this race and it's Edwards leading by 1.4s over Allmendinger, then Truex chasing.
Harvick (not stopped at all) now leads by 9s over Michael McDowell (who pitted under the early yellow), then there's a few seconds back to Edwards and Allmendinger.
Edwards and Allmendinger both overtake Kyle Busch, so they're back to being the best-placed of the cars on a 'normal' strategy.
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