| A week after Formula 1 grabbed all the motorsport headlines in America, NASCAR’s Cup Series needed a dramatic race at Martinsville – and, boy, did it deliver. The tension of who made it in, and who didn’t, to the Championship Four in Phoenix next weekend played out in a breathless final stage. Martin Truex looked finished when he was shoved into the wall, but somehow his rivals opened the door for him to get back in contention and he just made it at Kyle Busch’s expense. Then leader Denny Hamlin got spun out by Alex Bowman, who went on to win. Usually, the crowd would boo the aggressor, but such is Hamlin’s unpopularity – even in his home state – the fans cheered Bowman to the rafters, especially after Denny squared his car up to Bowman’s to prevent him doing celebratory burnouts. Sunday’s race in Phoenix will crown a champion, and probably hand out some more black hats too ...
By: Charles Bradley, Global Editor in Chief
Motorsport.com | 
