Martinsville NASCAR: Bowman wins after spinning Hamlin, Championship 4 set
After a controversial clash with Denny Hamlin, Alex Bowman held off Kyle Busch in a two-lap Martinsville restart to win the final NASCAR Cup Series race before the championship decider.
In the closing 25 of 501 laps, Bowman's Hendrick Motorsport Chevrolet and title contender Hamlin (Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota) battled side-by-side multiple times for the lead until Bowman got loose and knocked Hamlin into a spin on lap 494.
As Hamlin dropped to an eventual 24th position, Bowman - who had dropped out of playoff contention after the Charlotte roval - escaped after the final restart to score a fourth win of 2021.
Hamlin still progressed to the Championship 4 race at Phoenix next week on points, along with fourth-placed Martin Truex Jr (JGR), 16th placed defending champion Chase Elliott (Hendrick) and Kyle Larson (Hendrick) - who finished a lowly 14th having already booked his place with back-to-back wins at Texas and Kansas.
Busch - who had started Stage 3 from the rear after a speeding penalty - was wrecked by Brad Keselowski (Team Penske Ford) as the race ended, second and third not enough for either of them to progress as Busch lost out to Truex by three points. Fellow Penske drivers Joey Logano (10th) and Ryan Blaney (11th) also missed out.
After the race, Bowman began a victory burnout celebration on the front-stretch only to be confronted by Hamlin, the two cars facing off nose-to-nose. Hamlin afterwards labelled Bowman “an absolute hack”.
Explaining the incident, Bowman said: “I just got loose in. I got in too deep, knocked him out of the way and literally let him have the lead back.
“For anybody that wants to think I was trying to crash him, obviously wasn’t the case considering I literally gave up the lead at Martinsville to give it back to him.
“He’s been on the other side of that, he’s crashed guys here for wins.
“I hate doing it. Obviously, I don’t want to crash somebody. I just got in, got underneath him, spun him out.
“Regardless, we get a free grandfather clock, which is pretty special. I struggled here for a long time.”
Alex Bowman, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro Ally celebrates winning the Xfinity 500.
Photo by: Ben Earp / NKP / Motorsport Images
Elliott had started the day strongly, passing polesitter Larson on lap 56 and then retaking the lead following a competition caution that handed the initiative back to Larson on lap 85, holding off his team-mate to take the Stage 1 win ahead of Truex, William Byron and Keselowski.
Hamlin, whose car had twice failed pre-race inspection and been forced to start from the rear, was penalised for speeding in the pits during the first competition caution in Stage 1 and was demoted to the rear of the field once again.
The same fate befell Larson when Stage 2 got underway, easing the path for Elliott to clinch his Championship 4 spot by winning Stage 2.
He led until a caution for Austin Dillon's puncture allowed Truex to leap to the front in the pits, only for Elliott to repass on lap 205.
Bowman followed him to the flag in second, as Hamlin recovered to fifth behind Byron and Truex.
In the third Stage, Logano had gambled on staying out under a caution caused by contact between Ross Chastain and Ryan Newman, but the 2018 champion’s stint out front didn’t last long as Elliott soon powered past on lap 351.
Following the 10th caution of the race when Daniel Suarez spun on lap 379, when Larson was again sent to the rear of the pack for pitlane speeding, Hamlin took the lead for the first time by passing Truex - the latter concerned that his car was pushing water and in danger of overheating.
Hamlin continued to lead following a crash for Dillon on lap 436, with Bowman emerging as his closest challenger, and Elliott well-placed in third.
But the 2020 champion's race was heavily compromised when he was spun out by Keselowski shortly afterwards - resuming 21st after he had pitted under the resulting caution.
Chase Elliott, Hendrick Motorsports, Chevrolet Camaro NAPA Auto Parts, Martin Truex Jr., Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry Auto-Owners Insurance, Kyle Busch, Joe Gibbs Racing, Toyota Camry M&M's Halloween, Brad Keselowski, Team Penske, Ford Mustang Dent Wizard
Photo by: Matthew T. Thacker / NKP / Motorsport Images
Two more caution periods involving incidents for Ricky Stenhouse Jr gave Keselowski a shot at the win he needed to progress, as he moved into second behind Hamlin for a lap 478 restart.
It was Bowman though who powered to the lead, only to see Hamlin reclaim it on lap 479. The fateful incident which determined the race occurred on lap 494, which led to overtime in which Bowman clinched the win.
Behind Truex, who rallied impressively to secure his Championship 4 place late on, Byron beat Aric Almirola to fifth spot, as Kurt Busch, Erik Jones, Chris Buescher and Logano completed the top 10.
Martinsville NASCAR results (501 laps):
| Cla | Driver | Manufacturer | Time | Gap | Laps Led |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Alex Bowman |
Chevrolet | 3:42'47.487 | 9 | |
| 2 | Kyle Busch |
Toyota | 3:42'47.959 | 0.472 | |
| 3 | Brad Keselowski |
Ford | 3:42'48.098 | 0.611 | |
| 4 | Martin Truex Jr. |
Toyota | 3:42'48.292 | 0.805 | 9 |
| 5 | William Byron |
Chevrolet | 3:42'48.507 | 1.020 | |
| 6 | Aric Almirola |
Ford | 3:42'48.682 | 1.195 | |
| 7 | Kurt Busch |
Chevrolet | 3:42'48.812 | 1.325 | |
| 8 | Erik Jones |
Chevrolet | 3:42'48.963 | 1.476 | |
| 9 | Chris Buescher |
Ford | 3:42'49.174 | 1.687 | |
| 10 | Joey Logano |
Ford | 3:42'49.344 | 1.857 | 9 |
| 11 | Ryan Blaney |
Ford | 3:42'49.463 | 1.976 | |
| 12 | Kevin Harvick |
Ford | 3:42'49.551 | 2.064 | |
| 13 | Austin Dillon |
Chevrolet | 3:42'49.615 | 2.128 | 5 |
| 14 | Kyle Larson |
Chevrolet | 3:42'49.791 | 2.304 | 77 |
| 15 | Matt DiBenedetto |
Ford | 3:42'49.820 | 2.333 | |
| 16 | Chase Elliott |
Chevrolet | 3:42'50.078 | 2.591 | 289 |
| 17 | Christopher Bell |
Toyota | 3:42'50.173 | 2.686 | |
| 18 | Tyler Reddick |
Chevrolet | 3:42'50.262 | 2.775 | |
| 19 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. |
Chevrolet | 3:42'50.290 | 2.803 | |
| 20 | Anthony Alfredo | Ford | 3:42'51.150 | 3.663 | |
| 21 | Corey Lajoie |
Chevrolet | 3:42'51.180 | 3.693 | |
| 22 | Chase Briscoe |
Ford | 3:42'51.395 | 3.908 | |
| 23 | Cole Custer |
Ford | 3:42'51.496 | 4.009 | |
| 24 | Denny Hamlin |
Toyota | 3:42'51.689 | 4.202 | 103 |
| 25 | Bubba Wallace |
Toyota | 3:42'53.725 | 6.238 | |
| 26 | Michael McDowell |
Ford | 3:42'53.120 | 2 Laps | |
| 27 | Ross Chastain |
Chevrolet | 3:42'51.596 | 3 Laps | |
| 28 |  Daniel Suarez |
Chevrolet | 3:42'51.968 | 3 Laps | |
| 29 | B.J. McLeod |
Ford | 3:42'53.755 | 5 Laps | |
| 30 | Cody Ware |
Chevrolet | 3:42'54.737 | 6 Laps | |
| 31 | Justin Haley |
Chevrolet | 3:42'54.369 | 9 Laps | |
| 32 | Ryan Newman |
Ford | 3:42'51.873 | 10 Laps | |
| 33 | Garrett Smithley |
Chevrolet | 3:42'57.157 | 11 Laps | |
| 34 | Quin Houff |
Chevrolet | 3:42'54.354 | 18 Laps | |
| 35 | Josh Bilicki |
Ford | 3:42'58.422 | 18 Laps | |
| 36 | Ryan Preece |
Chevrolet | 3:27'14.032 | 87 Laps | |
| 37 | Timmy Hill |
Toyota | 1:26'44.658 | 295 Laps | |
| 38 | Joey Gase |
Chevrolet | 43'36.812 | 491 Laps | |
| View full results | |||||
Related video
Hamlin tears into "hack" Bowman after on-track NASCAR clash
Truex has "no idea how we finished fourth" in Martinsville NASCAR Cup round
McLaren to share F1 reserve driver Schumacher with Mercedes
Mercedes Formula 1 reserve driver Mick Schumacher will be also made available as a stand-in to McLaren, the Woking team has announced.
NASCAR Next Gen car gets safety upgrades for 2023 season
NASCAR unveiled some changes to the Next Gen car for the 2023 season, with most enhancing its safety aspects.
O’Ward optimistic about Rossi and that McLaren IndyCar DNFs can be reduced
Arrow McLaren ace Pato O’Ward says he’s confident that Alexander Rossi will be a strong addition to the line-up and that the team has gotten on top of its mechanical woes.
Alonso "wouldn't accept" continuing in F1 at less than 100%
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso says he wouldn't continue in Formula 1 if he didn't think he was driving at his best or if his new Aston Martin team didn't have any chance to win.
The ex-F1 driver taking on NASCAR with a new team
Saddled with uncompetitive Minardi machinery, Tarso Marques didn't manage to score points in his three partial seasons of Formula 1. But now the Brazilian has the chance to show what he can do in NASCAR, and explains the story of his comeback with new Cup Series entrant Team Stange
The early benefits and challenges of NASCAR's Next Gen car
NASCAR’s new stock car generation is encouraging an influx of fresh blood into its top tier. But there are concerns that parts are in short supply as the entire paddock tries to build up stocks at the same time
How Penske's rookie sensation opened NASCAR's new era in style
After holding his nerve and hip-checking his team-mate on the run to the line, Austin Cindric made a perfect start to life as a full-timer in the NASCAR Cup Series by winning the Daytona 500. Here's how the Penske Ford man emerged first across the line in the first points-scoring race for the much-anticipated Next Generation cars
Six key themes to follow in the 2022 NASCAR Cup season
There are plenty of uncertainties ahead of the 2022 NASCAR Cup season as an all-new fleet of cars take to the track for the first time. Ahead of this weekend's Daytona 500, our experts explain what you need to know
How NASCAR had to learn a harsh lesson ahead of its Next Gen arrival
The NASCAR Cup kicks off with the Daytona 500 this weekend, but a major overhaul and a subsequent mountain of work has been required to be ready for the arrival of the Next Gen cars
How Larson took the long way round to NASCAR Cup glory
From villain to hero, Kyle Larson’s journey to the 2021 NASCAR Cup title comes straight from the Hollywood blockbuster scripts. While Larson had to reach his lifelong goal the hard way and go through a very public shaming after a ban for using a racial slur, his talents shone long before his name grabbed the headlines for both the right and the wrong reasons
How NASCAR is gearing up for its "biggest change" in 2022
It’s not just Formula 1 that’s set for upheaval in 2022, as the NASCAR Cup Series adopts its Next Gen cars that will cast any in-built advantages aside and require teams to adopt a totally new way of operating. Far more than just a change of machinery, the new cars amount to a shift in NASCAR's core philosophy
Why Bubba Wallace’s Talladega win is such a big moment for NASCAR
Bubba Wallace claimed his maiden NASCAR Cup Series at Talladega on Monday to become the first Black victor in the category since Wendell Scott in 1963. Both Wallace and Scott had faced obstacles and racism in their paths to their breakthrough wins, and NASCAR is trying to put it right with its range of diversity programmes
Subscribe and access Autosport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.