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SPORTS Monday 30 SepteMber 2019

Elliott wins playoff race at Charlotte in scorching heat

By JENNA FRYER ter the race as medical at-
AP Auto Racing Writer tendants tried to help him
CONCORD, N.C. (AP) — recover from heat-related
Chase Elliott overcame a issues.
costly mistake that nearly As Bowman was sitting
wrecked his car to win a there, Bubba Wallace ap-
sloppy race in scorching proached him for Bowman
temperatures on The Roval deliberately spinning him
at Charlotte Motor Speed- in the race. Bowman had
way. said when he spun Wallace
The Sunday showcase was that Wallace had been flip-
the first elimination race in ping him the middle finger
NASCAR's playoffs and at- for several laps and the
tention was focused on contact was his retaliation.
which four drivers would be They exchanged brief
cut from 16-driver champi- words and Bowman ap-
onship field. Elliott recov- peared to laugh at Wal-
ered from an earlier gaffe lace right before Wallace
when he was leading on angrily splashed his bottle
a restart, locked his tires of water in Bowman's face.
headed into the first turn Bowman was later taken to
and drove directly into a the infield care center for
tire barrier. further treatment.
"I couldn't believe I did that. It was that kind of messy
That was just so stupid," El- day on the hybrid road
liott said. "I don't know that course/oval at Charlotte, Chase Elliott poses with the trophy after winning the NASCAR Cup Series auto race at Charlotte
you could have done any- where the championship Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019.
thing more stupid lead- chances ended for New- Associated Press
ing this race than what I man, Almirola, Kurt Busch
did right there. Luckily our and Erik Jones. Brad Keselowski was fifth one of many drivers to miss said Jones. "It's unfortunate.
car wasn't too bad ... fast A late caution led NAS- and followed by pole-sitter it and suffer a costly set- We just had three really
enough to drive up through CAR to stop the race for William Byron, Martin Truex back. bad weeks and it's some of
there, got the cautions a cleanup and the driv- Jr. and Ryan Blaney as JONES FIRST OUT our own doing and some
at the right time, and just ers had to sit inside their playoff drivers claimed the Erik Jones was the first driver not our own doing. I'd love
didn't quit. cockpits, where tempera- top eight spots. eliminated from the play- to be moving forward here
"If there's ever a lesson to tures hovered around 120 The track, typically a stan- offs after a horrible opening and challenging for the
not quit, today was the ex- degrees. NASCAR officials dard NASCAR oval, was round. championship. I thought
ample." went car-to-car hand- modified for this playoff He had a mechanical issue we could have went pretty
Behind him, the race was ing out water bottles, and race for the second con- at Las Vegas, but rallied last deep this year, but it's just
for the final spot in the sec- Newman was among the secutive year into a 17- week at Richmond to finish the nature of the playoffs."
ond round of the playoffs many who radioed their turn, 2.28-mile circuit that fourth in a 1-2-3-4 sweep BUSCH BAKES
with Elliott's teammate, Alex crew asking for bags of ice uses both the road course for Joe Gibbs Racing. Then Kyle Busch decided not to
Bowman, desperately try- to be waiting for him when through the infield and NASCAR said Jones' car finish the race when NAS-
ing to hang on to the 12th the race ended. the oval. The twists and had failed post-race in- CAR stopped it with seven
slot. He finished second in Kyle Busch decided he turns around the circuit are spection, and the 42-point laps remaining to clean up
the race — in a backup car wasn't going to sit in the marked with chicanes on penalty dropped him to debris on the track. Busch
because he crashed in final heat and drove his car the backstretch and front- last in the playoff field. was three laps down at
practice — but his fate was to the garage, calling it stretch to slow the cars, Jones was in a must-win the time and temperatures
out of his control because a race with seven laps re- and, potentially increase situation at Charlotte to in the cars were hovering
he trailed Ryan Newman in maining. He was three laps passing on the oval por- advance into the second around 120 degrees during
the playoff standings. down at the time and al- tion of the track. An added round of the playoffs, but the stoppage.
But Newman, racing Aric ready locked into the sec- wrinkle from last year is an he went to the garage with With nothing to gain when
Almirola over the final few ond round of the playoffs. overhauled backstretch damage to his Toyota at the race resumed, Busch
laps for a shot at advanc- Kevin Harvick finished third chicane revamped to the end of the first stage threw in the towel and
ing, missed a chicane with and was followed by Stew- make it a braking and pass- and finished last. It official- pulled off the track.
two laps remaining and art-Haas Racing teammate ing zone. ly knocked him out of the UP NEXT
the error cost him his shot Clint Bowyer, who was in NASCAR made it very clear playoffs while the race was The opening race of the
at advancing. The point danger of being eliminat- in every communication still going on. second round of the play-
difference swung to Bow- ed from the playoffs but with teams that skipping a "It's frustrating not to even offs, Sunday at Dover Inter-
man, who slumped to the advanced with his fourth- chicane would be penal- have a chance throughout national Speedway. Chase
ground next to his car af- place finish. ized, and Newman was the whole race, you know?" Elliott won last year.q