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Kage and Kaden getting ready for the Fishing Derby at Nottely Marina

Commerce vs Towns County box score - Wednesday, April 10 NASCAR 2019 By Gerald Hodges/the Racing Reporter Truex Gets First Win Of Season RICHMOND, VA - Mar- tin Truex Jr. had just enough to win Saturday night’s 400-lap Cup Series race. He led four times for 186 laps, but had the race been a single lap longer, it might have been a different story. Joey Lo- gano closed a nearly three-second gap between the two drivers in the final 15 laps as Truex battled heavy traffic while lapping drivers on the 0.75-mile track. His margin of victory was 0.178-seconds. “Well, it feels awesome,” said Truex. “Honestly, to finally get that first win not only on a short track but here at Richmond, at a track where we’ve been so strong the last couple seasons and led so many laps and had some real, real heartbreakers, some that were really tough, some really tough losses. Sometimes those things are-- they’re hard to get through, but they make you stron- ger and make you appreciate the Martin Truex Jr. good days. for 122 laps to take the win in tations.” “Being so close to winning Saturday’s 250 lap Xfinity Series That Hamlin has accom- a couple times this year already, race. It was his second win of the plished this start not just with a any time you can win, it’s spe- season, and fourth of his career. new rules package, but also a new cial. These things are so difficult. was second, crew chief, is that much more im- I can’t even -- I know everybody followed by , Tyler pressive. replaced knows it’s hard, but I just don’t Reddick, Ryan Sieg, Zane Smith, Hamlin’s longtime crew chief know if people understand the John Nemechek, , Mike Wheeler this offseason, but level of difficulty in this series and , and Justin Haley. the early returns on this new ar- what it takes to win. Top-10 leaders after 8 of rangement are undeniable. “Today we didn’t have the 33; 1. Reddick-362, 2. Bell-338, “When you go into the best car, and it worked out the way 3. Custer-333, 4. Cindric-299, 5. year, you have certain expecta- we needed it to thanks to a great Allgaier-275, 6. Nemechek-263, tions,” Hamlin continued. “Play- team and a pit crew.” 7. Annett-22, 8. Briscoe-255, 9. off points you hope to acquire, Runner-up Sieg-253, 10. Gragson-246. laps you want to lead, races that led 52 laps and won Stage Two of HAMLIN you want to win... and then when the race. RUNNING STRONG you win early, I think you can shift “Tonight we didn’t have This might be Danny Ham- those expectations a little bit to a the best car, but we’ve lost here lin’s year to shine. higher bar. with the best car a bunch of times, After 9 races into the 36 “That’s kind of where so we just fought, we battled,” race Cup Series season, Hamlin is we’re at. We feel like we have said Logano. “Yeah, I mean, I was third in points. the speed, and any given week we struggling the last 40 laps. I had While he has always been a could win.” no front turn, I just was real, real contender, in past year’s he didn’t Racing Joke: Brad went to tight that last run. Just had to hold have quite as strong of a team as a doctor to talk about his wife. him off. Being out front was im- he needed in order to be a real “Doctor, I think my wife is portant tonight.” championship contender. deaf because she never hears me It looked like But this year, that has the first time and always asks me might have something for Truex changed. In 2010, he won a to repeat things,” said Brad near the end, but he faded in the career-high eight races. He won “Well,” the doctor replied, last 10 laps and had to settle for five in 2012, but hasn’t won more “Go home and tonight stand about third. than three races in any season 15 feet from her and say some- “At the end of the day we since 2012, eventually bottoming thing to her. If she doesn’t reply drove up to him and you get ter- out with his first winless year in move about 5 feet closer and say rible tight behind people,” said 2018. But after winning the sea- it again. Keep doing this so that Bowyer. “We were already fight- son opener at Daytona and again we’ll get an idea about the sever- ing a front end -- I don’t know, at Texas, Hamlin is racing as well ity of her deafness.” we’ve had trouble with this thing as he ever has. Sure enough, Brad goes all weekend long and made some Safe to say, 2019 has been a home and does exactly as instruct- good adjustments, kind of woke it welcome change for him, because ed. He starts off about 15 feet up with the rear end, but the front of the new NASCAR rules pack- from his wife in the kitchen as she end still wasn’t turning.” age introduced during the off sea- is chopping some vegetables. Polesitter son, which was designed to slow “Honey, what’s for dinner,” was fourth, while , the cars down and stimulate closer he asks, but gets no response. He , , pack racing. Some drivers have moves about 5 feet closer and asks , Ryan Newman, and grown acquainted with the new again. No reply. He moves 5 feet were the remaining rules quicker than others, but per- closer. Still no reply. He gets fed top-10 finishers. haps none are already using them up and moves right behind her, NASCAR’s new pre-race to their advantage like Hamlin is. about an inch away, and asks inspection process is causing “Your gap to the leader is again, “Honey, what’s for din- problems for some teams. Two shorter than it would be normally,” ner?” week’s ago, Kevin Harvick’s car Hamlin said of the new package. She replies, “For the fourth failed inspection three times. This “That doesn’t mean that passing is time, vegetable stew.” past week at Richmond, four cars easier — just means the distance There is no racing this did not pass. to the front is less. weekend. NASCAR has a long , , “With how far apart cars standing policy of not racing on Daniel Suarez and Jimmie John- near the front of the pack could Easter Sunday weekend. son, who all initially qualified in get, it was nearly impossible to Racing Trivia Question: the top 10, had to start from the track them down after retreating Which Cup team did Kevin Har- rear after their respective cars to the rear.” vick drive for before switching to failed pre-race inspection Satur- Instead, Hamlin did just Stewart-Haas Racing? day. that at Texas, validating his sea- Last Week’s Question: Top-10 series leaders after son-opening win How many Cup teams is Richard 9 of 36: 1. Kyle Busch-400, 2. and solidifying himself as this Childress running this season. An- Logano-380, 3. Hamlin-366, 4. season’s early surprise. And yes, swer. Two. Austin Dillon (No. 3) Harvick-349, 5. Keselowski-313, that includes surprising himself. and (No. 8). 6. Truex-311, 7. -287, “Did I think (we’d be this Gerald Hodges is a syndi- 8. Bowyer-280, 9. Blaney-277, good)? I hoped,” Hamlin said. cated NASCAR writer and author. 10. Elliott-267. “Really in the first 14 years of my His books may be viewed and RICHMOND XFINITY career, we’ve never had a start this ordered online at Amazon.com. RACE GOES TO CUSTER good. It certainly is exceeding ex- You may contact him by e-mail at: led three times pectations. Not hopes, but expec- [email protected].