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SPORTS Monday 2 March 2020

Alex Bowman celebrates after winning a NASCAR Cup Series auto race Sunday, March 1, 2020,
in Fontana, Calif.
Ethiopia's Birhanu Legese crosses the finish line to win the Tokyo Associated Press
Marathon in Tokyo Sunday, March 1, 2020.
Associated Press Bowman holds off Busch bros

Tokyo Marathon at Fontana for 2nd NASCAR win

limited to elite runners By GREG BEACHAM ered flag in a smooth, fairly champion Kyle Busch was

over virus fears AP Sports Writer uneventful race featuring 8.9 seconds behind in sec-
only one caution outside of ond place in his Joe Gibbs
FONTANA, Calif. (AP) — Be-
fore Alex Bowman started the stage breaks. Racing Toyota. His older
looking for tattoo shops "There's never a situation brother Kurt was third, and
TOKYO (AP) — Birhanu Le- in Japan have cancelled somewhere between Los that I feel completely com- Bowman teammate Chase
gese of Ethiopia won Sun- or postponed various other Angeles and Phoenix, he fortable in," Bowman said. Elliott came in fourth.
day's Tokyo Marathon, a sporting events over con- celebrated a win that sug- "I feel like if somebody JIMMIE'S FAREWELL
race that was scaled back cerns of spreading the vi- gested even more perma- doesn't want you driving Six-time Fontana champion
as part of Japan's efforts to rus. nent success ahead for the their race car, you're not Jimmie Johnson finished
combat the spread of the Some spectators lined the hard-working driver and his going to be driving it. Hen- seventh after running near
coronavirus. streets of the Japanese resurgent team. drick Motorsports is where the front for most of his final
Legese crossed the finish capital but there were far Bowman raced to his sec- I want to be. It's where I race as a full-time driver
line with a time of 2 hours, fewer people watching ond career NASCAR Cup want to stay for the rest of at the NASCAR track clos-
4 minutes and 15 seconds, than in past years. The gov- Series victory Sunday, hold- my career. It's where I've est to his native El Cajon,
34 seconds ahead of Bel- ernment has asked peo- ing off Kyle and Kurt Busch always wanted to be. It is California, about 100 miles
gium's Bashir Abdi. ple not to gather in large at Fontana. The win was the a contract year, but ev- away. His winless streak is
Sunday's race was expect- crowds. culmination of a tremen- ery year of my career has at a career-worst 98 races,
ed to have 38,000 partici- Japan's domestic soc- dously encouraging week- been a contract year." but he showed impressive
pants but was limited to cer league has cancelled end for Bowman, who has The 26-year-old Arizonan pace before his Hendrick
elite runners due to con- games through the first half run 156 Cup races without grew up racing almost teammate took charge of
cerns over the outbreak of of March while Japanese extraordinary success. He is weekly in nearby Pomona. the race. "Our team is going
the virus in Japan. baseball teams are playing in the final year of his con- He collected the track's in the right direction," John-
The race, which doubles exhibition games ahead of tract with Hendrick Motors- oversized surfboard trophy son said. "We just faded too
up as an Olympic trial for the regular season at emp- ports. But his No. 88 Chev- and partied with his team much at the end. I thought
Japanese marathon run- ty stadiums. rolet felt like the fastest car — but he also thought I was going to blow a tire,
ners, was limited to just over With Tokyo set to host the on this weathered, wide ahead with trepidation to but we salvaged a top 10
200 participants. 2020 Olympics, Japan has asphalt from the moment the "88" tattoo he'll have out of it. It's a huge thing
The Tokyo marathon is one taken extensive steps in a they unloaded — and Bow- to get soon because of a for us out here in California.
of the biggest sporting bid to halt the spread of man decisively proved he pact with Aaron Gillespie, There's been great vibes
events to be affected by the outbreak. knew what to do with it. a friend who is the drum- the whole weekend."
the coronavirus. Authorities Tokyo organizers and the "We've been so good to mer for metalcore band Johnson started on the
IOC have repeatedly said start this season," Bowman Underoath. "We made a front row at the track where
the Tokyo Games will go said. "We've got to go win bet at Daytona," Bowman he has won more than any
ahead as scheduled and a bunch more, but man, said with a grimace. "We've other driver, starting with his
that they are following the it feels good to have one been talking about it for the first career Cup win in 2002.
advice of the World Health this early." Bowman's future last two weeks. Apparently The weekend featured sev-
Organization. might be uncertain, but he's I have to get a neck tat- eral tributes to the seven-
The Olympics, which start fine with it after this domi- too, which I'm not real sure time series champion, in-
on July 24, are set to gather nant performance at Fon- if that's going to happen cluding a five-wide salute
11,000 athletes in Tokyo, tana. He led 110 laps and or not. But yeah, next time during the warmup laps.
followed by the Paralym- managed to stay out front we're all together, I guess Johnson's wife and daugh-
pics beginning Aug. 25 with after the final pit stops be- we're all going to get tat- ters waved the green flag
4,000 athletes.q fore cruising to the check- toos." Defending Fontana to start the race.q