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SPORTS Tuesday 18 July 2023

Martin Truex Jr. wins at New Hampshire Motor Speedway for 1st

time in 30 races

By DAN GELSTON seventh in 2008. He had six
AP Sports Writer straight top 10s from 2016
LOUDON, N.H. (AP) — Mar- to 2020 and led 172 laps
tin Truex Jr. mastered an- from the pole last season
other Monday matinee to before he faded to fourth.
win at New Hampshire Mo- Truex said his JGR team
tor Speedway for the first “panicked” with a late call
time in 30 career Cup tries for two tires that backfired
at the same track where and cost them the check-
as a kid he watched from ered flag.
the grandstands while his “It’s one that I wanted re-
father raced. ally bad for a long time,”
Thanks to rain postpone- Truex said. “Maybe too
ments, Truex won his sec- much, I don’t know.”
ond Monday race of the Much like last year, Truex
season he also won at won the first two stages of
Dover and fourth of his ca- the 301-lap race.
reer. OTHER FINISHES
Truex dominated in the No. Joey Logano finished sec-
19 Toyota en route to his ond. Kyle Larson, Kevin Har-
third win of the season. The Martin Truex Jr., steers his car into Turn 1 during the Crayon 301 NASCAR Cup Series race, Monday, vick and Brad Keselowski
July 17, 2023, at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, in Loudon, N.H.
Joe Gibbs Racing driver se- Associated Press rounded out the top five.
cured one of the few wins BUSCH BUMMER
he desperately wanted New Hampshire winner, helping his dad on his fam- race at New Hampshire, he Kyle Busch was forced to
in a career that could be smacked the wall to bring ily’s clam boat. won. Truex had just turned drive his backup car af-
winding down. The 43-year- out the eighth caution. This win was special. Truex 20 years old when he won ter the No. 8 Chevrolet
old Truex, the 2017 NASCAR “We should have a com- tagged along as a kid to a regional stock car series suffered damage in both
Cup Series champion, said pany policy that says when New Hampshire when his race at the track. Pretty practice and qualifying.
over the weekend he was one of your teammates dad raced here in the 1990s cool. Even better? His fa- Busch hit the wall early in
close to a decision on his is leading, don’t crash by and got his first taste of the ther finished fifth in the the race and was forced
future: either retire or return yourself,” Truex said over sights, smells and sounds of same race. out after 71 laps. The two-
for another season at JGR. the radio. a NASCAR garage. “This place is a big reason time Cup champion fin-
At the Magic Mile, it was It really didn’t matter for One memory stood out why I got to where I am,” ished last. Busch had one
simply time for an overdue Truex. He pulled away off among the others: Watch- the younger Truex said. win and finished in the top
celebration. the restart with nine laps ing Dale Earnhardt tinker Truex found early success 10 in each of his last seven
“This one’s been eluding left and could taste vic- with his carburetor under in Loudon once he transi- races. “I’ve been lacking
me for a long, long time,” tory and soon enough, the the hood of his car. tioned to Cup in 2006, rat- right-rear grip the whole
Truex said. 20-pound lobster that tradi- “I just kind of stood there in tling off a third-place finish time we’ve been here,” he
Truex led with 15 laps left tionally goes to the winner. awe and watched,” Truex and a fifth in 2007 when the said. “Just couldn’t get the
when JGR teammate It’s a perfect reward for said over the weekend. series still raced here twice right-rear feel in the race
Christopher Bell, last year’s Truex, who also grew up And as soon as Truex could a season and a fourth and track.”q

Carlos Alcaraz’s Wimbledon trophy keeps him at No. 1

By HOWARD FENDRICH grass-court major. on Sunday marked the the men’s title match de- best player in the world, no
AP Tennis Writer Alcaraz’s 1-6, 7-6 (6), 6-4, third time in the past four termined who would be at doubt,” said Djokovic, who
WIMBLEDON, England (AP) 3-6, 6-4 defeat of Djokovic major tournaments that No. 1. had won four consecutive
— Carlos Alcaraz held onto At last September’s U.S. titles at Wimbledon and
No. 1 in the ATP rankings Open, Alcaraz became was seeking a 24th Grand
on Monday by virtue of his the first teenager to lead Slam trophy overall.
victory over No. 2 Novak the ATP by beating Casper Iga Swiatek could have
Djokovic in the Wimbledon Ruud in the final. At Janu- relinquished her 15-month
final, and Marketa Von- ary’s Australian Open, it hold on the WTA’s No. 1
drousova’s first Grand Slam was Djokovic who has ranking to No. 2 Aryna Sa-
title pushed her all the way spent more weeks atop the balenka at Wimbledon but
up to a career-high No. 10 rankings than anyone in remained there Monday.
on the WTA list. tennis history who assured Swiatek lost in the quarter-
Vondrousova jumped 32 himself of being at No. 1 finals; Sabalenka lost in the
places from No. 42 thanks by defeating Stefanos Tsit- semifinals. The top seven
to her 6-4, 6-4 win against sipas. Alcaraz, a Spaniard slots in the women’s rank-
Ons Jabeur in Saturday’s who turned 20 in May, and ings stayed the same Mon-
final at the All England Djokovic, a 36-year-old day, with 2022 Wimbledon
Club. Vondrousova, a from Serbia, have been winner Elena Rybakina re-
24-year-old from the Czech Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz, left, celebrates with the trophy after trading the highest spot this maining at No. 3, followed
beating Serbia’s Novak Djokovic, right, to win the final of
Republic, was the lowest- the men’s singles on day fourteen of the Wimbledon tennis season. Alcaraz now enters by Jessica Pegula, Caroline
ranked and first unseeded championships in London, Sunday, July 16, 2023. his 29th week there. Garcia, Jabeur and Coco
women’s champion at the Associated Press “He’s proven that he’s the Gauff.q