Bowyer Wins In Wild Finish At Richmond

RICHMOND, Va. | Clint Bowyer raced to his first victory of the season Saturday night, sneaking into the lead after a wild chain of events denied Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Kyle Busch the win at Richmond International Raceway.

Hamlin led 381 of the 400 laps, but lost the lead when a leaking right tire allowed Earnhardt and Busch to scoot past him with 18 laps to go. Caution came out with eight to go when Hamlin's tire finally failed, setting up what looked to be a showdown between Earnhardt and Busch over the final laps.

But Busch spun Earnhardt with three to go as the two raced for the lead, and Bowyer slid past both to drive away to the win.

Martin Against Burnouts

Mark Martin has never been one to mince words, and he seems even less inclined to worry about ruffling feathers now that he's only racing part time.

Take the topic of burnouts for example, that moment after a victory when many drivers smoke their tires so much that the car is enveloped in a cloud to the delight of fans.

"I think they're real juvenile," Martin said. "It's disrespectful to the equipment, but it makes good TV. ... If I did a burnout, I would wreck, so I'm not going to do it."

Martin said the closest he's come was when his car slid onto the grass at Lowe's Motor Speedway after he won the Coca-Cola 600. The car slid across the Coke logo in the grass.

"That was a stretch for me," he said. "I'll just collect the hardware. I'd rather take the checkered flag and hurry on to Victory Lane and get there so I can start enjoying it."

Giving Back

Three years ago, Denny Hamlin was a regular driver at local tracks with designs on becoming the next Virginia resident to make an impact in NASCAR's top series.

Now, he's an emerging star in the Sprint Cup Series.

In a weekend he described as "perfect" even before he started from the pole in Saturday night's Crown Royal 400 at Richmond International Raceway, Hamlin kicked off the Denny Hamlin Foundation at Southside Speedway on Thursday night, raising $50,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, won the Sprint Cup pole and won Friday's night's Nationwide Series event.

His growing celebrity, Hamlin said, has opened his eyes to opportunities to use that notoriety to help others. Hospital visits have shown him how much it helps sick children.

"When you get to go there and see first-hand either the struggles or the success stories of these kids, it definitely gives you a need to give back and now that I have the chance to do that, it's no better time to start it than now," he said a few hours before the race.

"Ultimately it gives you a great feeling, and it's the right thing to do."