NASCAR: Clint Bowyer snaps 190-race winless streak for victory at Martinsville

Clint Bowyer had already waited almost 2,000 days for this NASCAR victory – what difference would one more day make?

The last time Bowyer stepped into Victory Lane was six years ago, back in October of 2012 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Since then ... nothing. No victories, anyway. The definition of a drought.

Until Monday. Sunday’s STP 500 race at Martinsville Speedway was postponed until Monday because of snow, but the delay had no effect on Bowyer’s driving.

After hanging around the top 10 through the first two stages Monday, Bowyer jumped out to a sizeable lead at the start of the third stage and didn’t relinquish it the rest of the day. And then when he finally crossed the finish line for the victory?

Well, then he let out over five years worth of hooting and hollering – and deservedly so.

Race breakdown

Stage 1: Inclement weather kept drivers from traditional qualifying this weekend, so they instead started in the order of the owner standings. Martin Truex Jr. took the pole, but Denny Hamlin quickly overtook him and led for practically the entire first stage, capturing his first stage win of 2018.

Stage 2: Ryan Blaney jumped out in front of Hamlin to begin Stage 2, and while Clint Bowyer made a late push and got to his bumper, Blaney hung on for his second stage win of the year and sixth of his career.

Stage 3: Bowyer overtook Blaney early in the third stage, and then Kyle Busch also passed Blaney for second. Bowyer almost ran out of fuel in the middle of the stage, but a caution saved him and allowed him to cruise the rest of the way for his first victory this season.

Three who mattered

Clint Bowyer: Considering he hadn’t won a race since 2012 in Charlotte, this one will clearly be special.

Kyle Busch: He hasn’t managed a win yet this season, but another runner-up finish proves he’s bound to break through soon.

Jimmie Johnson: The all-time active leader in victories at Martinsville needed a strong performance Monday to get his season back on track, and a 15th-place finish is just that.

Observations

▪  About 5 inches of snow locally forced NASCAR to delay the Cup Series race until Monday afternoon, and there were still piles of snow surrounding the track and even lining the walkways inside it.

▪  Scary moment during Stage 1 when as a crew member for Chris Buescher was hit by another car during a pit stop. He walked off on his own, but after the completion of Stage 1, there was a temporary break in the action to allow an ambulance onto the track to transport the crew member to a local hospital.

▪  Bowyer led more laps Monday than he had the past four years combined.

This story was originally published March 26, 2018 at 5:45 PM with the headline "NASCAR: Clint Bowyer snaps 190-race winless streak for victory at Martinsville."