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SPORTS Tuesday 7 May 2019
Truex wins 2nd career Monday NASCAR race at Dover

By DAN GELSTON all the little things right."
AP Sports Writer Truex and crew chief Cole
DOVER, Del. (AP) — Martin Pearn didn't let rain, an
Truex Jr. stood next to the inspection failure that
60-pound metallic gold dumped the car to the rear
Monster trophy on the vic- or even a maligned race
tory lane stage and was package affect their push
uncertain about how many toward the finish. Truex,
fingers he should flash for who is from Mayetta, New
his celebratory photo. Jersey has long considered
"Two for the season or three Dover his home track, led
for Dover?" Truex asked. 132 laps and dominated
How about one of each? runner-up Alex Bowman by
Truex solved his snapshot a breezy 9.5 seconds to win
situation about as efficient- at Dover for the first time
ly as he weaved through since 2016.
traffic from the back of He had no complains
the field to win a Monday about the new high drag,
race at Dover International high downforce, 750 horse-
Speedway for the second power package that led to
time in his Cup career. Truex track-record speeds post-
won his first career NASCAR ed in qualifying.
Cup race on June 4, 2007, Kyle Busch, the 2015 NAS-
at Dover and 12 years later CAR champion, peppered Driver Martin Truex Jr. (19) celebrates with his team after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto
used another Sunday rain- his comments on the pack- race, Monday, May 6, 2019, at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del.
out to take the checkered age with profanity and said Associated Press
flag. his complaints to NASCAR
"I'm going to lobby for all would fall on deaf ears. liott made it another solid with Pearn in his first sea- record with 11 straight top-
Dover races to be on Mon- Kevin Harvick said cars are race for a manufacturer son with Gibbs as he was 10 finishes in the first 11 rac-
days," Truex said with a "hard to race " under the that was in dire need of a for years at the since-shut- es of the season. Busch was
laugh. package. Team owner boost. tered Furniture Row Racing. 10th for the second straight
He knows how to win on Bob Leavine tweeted he "We at least had a shot at Truex, who has 21 career race. Shepherd reached
Sundays, too. Truex is warm- agreed with Busch and it. It's really all you can ask wins, made it to victory lane the mark in 1990 driving
ing up in his first season with wrote "this package sucks." for," Bowman said. "We for the first time in 2007 but for Hall of Fame car owner
Joe Gibbs Racing and won Truex brushed off the com- had a miserable start to didn't win again until 2013. Bud Moore. Busch started
in the No. 19 Toyota for the plaints. the reason. We really did a He hasn't sniffed much of a the streak when he finished
second time in three races. "We all had to deal with good job resetting in the off victory drought since 2015, second behind teammate
Truex, the 2017 Cup cham- the same thing," Truex said. week." winning 19 races and a Denny Hamlin in the Day-
pion, won at Richmond "Obviously, we dealt with But all the teams are chas- series championship over tona 500. He also has three
three weeks ago and is hit- it better than everybody ing Gibbs. that span. wins, two thirds, a sixth, an
ting his stride as the summer else." JGR has seven wins in 11 "This track is a big part of eighth and two other 10th-
stretch approaches. Bowman finished second races this season and has the reason I got to where place finishes to go with his
"We've had some really for the second straight established itself as the I'm at," Truex said. "Without victories during the streak.
strong race cars at a lot of week in the No. 88 Chev- team to beat. tracks like this and Loudon, ILL HAMLIN
racetracks," Truex said. "For rolet. Kyle Larson, Harvick "It's a big deal for us," Gibbs Watkins Glen, I would never Hamlin felt ill after the race
a lot of reasons, we haven't and Chase Elliott rounded said. "As everybody knows, have been noticed." and was attended to by
been able to show it, been out the top five. Elliott gave in pro sports these things Here are other items of medical staff on pit road af-
having issues that set us Hendrick Motorsports and can go and come very note from Dover: ter he finished 21st. Hamlin
back. It's been tough. The Chevrolet their first wins of quick. The hardest thing to TOP 10 was treated and released
last couple weeks I just feel the season at Talladega do is to stay up there." Kyle Busch matched Mor- from the NASCAR medical
it's execution. We're doing last week. Bowman and El- Truex has been as reliable gan Shepherd's NASCAR care center.q

Defending champion Kvitova through to 3rd round in Madrid

By TALES AZZONI all it was pretty tight," said at the "Magic Box" center Jelena Ostapenko 6-4, 6-3 jandro Davidovich Fokina
AP Sports Writer Kvitova, who is seeking her court en route to her eighth to stay on track to make it to set up a second-round
MADRID (AP) — Defending fourth Madrid Open title. "I straight win in Madrid. to her second straight final matchup against Roger
champion Petra Kvitova fought hard in the end." She is the most successful in Madrid, while eighth- Federer, who is making his
defeated Kristina Mlade- She was in control until women's player in the tour- seeded Sloane Stephens return to clay-court tourna-
novic 6-3, 7-6 (5) to reach losing her serve midway nament with 28 wins and got past Victoria Azarenka ments after two seasons.
the third round of the Ma- through the second set, six losses. Her other titles in 6-4, 2-6, 6-2. Ashleigh Barty Three Americans ad-
drid Open on Monday. letting the French qualifier the Spanish capital came needed three sets to beat vanced to the second
The second-seeded Kvito- back into the match. in 2011 and 2015. Danielle Collins. round: Frances Tiafoe beat
va outlasted Mladenovic "Those two games when I Mladenovic was the run- On the men's side, Marin Nikoloz Basilashvili in three
by winning the last three was down 5-4 and 6-5 was ner-up in Madrid in 2017. Cilic beat Martin Klizan 6-4, sets, Taylor Fritz got past
points in the tiebreaker very intense on my serve Kvitova will next face wild 2-6, 7-6 (0), while Karen Grigor Dimitrov in two tie-
to close out the match in and I'm glad I didn't give card Sorana Cirstea or for- Khachanov edged Jaume breakers, and Reilly Opelka
nearly two hours. her the chance, which was mer No. 4 Caroline Garcia. Munar 6-4, 6-7 (5), 6-3. Gael defeated Pablo Carreno
"I'm glad I won the tie- my strength, I think," Kvito- In other second round Monfils defeated Andreas Busta 7-6 (5), 6-4. Fritz will
break. That is my kind of va said. matches, seventh-seed- Seppi 6-3, 6-1, and Rich- face top-seeded Novak
issue sometimes, but over- Kvitova had seven aces ed Kiki Bertens defeated ard Gasquet ousted Ale- Djokovic on Tuesday.q