Bowman zips past Larson after late flat and wins at Pocono

LONG POND, Pa. — Alex Bowman made it six straight wins for Hendrick Motorsports, when teammate Kyle Larson’s Chevrolet blew a tire on the final lap, and he took the checkered flag Saturday at Pocono Raceway for his third Cup win of the season.

Larson had won three straight Cup races and was in prime position to take this one at Pocono when he passed Bowman with three laps left in the race. Larson was maybe a mile away from becoming the first driver since former Hendrick driver Jimmie Johnson in 2007 to win four consecutive Cup races. Instead, a blown left front tire on the last corner of the last lap knocked Larson out of contention and Bowman stunningly made the most of his second chance.

“I don’t even know what to say,” Bowman said. “Hell yeah, I’ll take it.”

Bowman, who recently signed a two-year contract extension at Hendrick, took his turn to keep the team’s hot streak alive.

Larson said he might have run over debris to cause the tire issue. Bowman was in the right spot to take advantage and win for the third time in his last 10 races.

“I’m kind of in shock,” Bowman said. “I don’t know what to say.”

For team owner Rick Hendrick, the wins keep coming.

Bowman started the streak in May at Dover and Chase Elliott followed the next week at Texas. Larson then ripped off three straight points victories — and the $1 million All-Star race for four wins, total — all while Hendrick Motorsports became the winningest organization in NASCAR history. All eyes were on Larson as he tried to match Johnson for the longest winning streak this century.

Bowman won the first of two Cup races this weekend at Pocono.

Larson faded to ninth.

“Disbelief, still,” Larson said. “It would have been to win five in a row. I felt something in the middle of the tunnel. I wasn’t sure what it was yet. It kind of shredded the tire.”

John Hunter Nemechek won the Trucks race earlier Saturday to kick off a packed Pocono schedule. The Xfinity Series races Sunday followed by the second Cup race. Pocono the site of the only NASCAR doubleheader this season (325 miles Saturday; 350 Sunday).

NASCAR will invert the order of the top-20 finishers for the start of Sunday’s race. Chris Buescher starts on the pole. The bottom 18 finishers will start in the same spot.

Bowman is in his sixth full season of Cup racing and his fourth with Hendrick. He has a career-high three wins this season. He wasted little time in the No. 48 Chevrolet validating Hendrick’s decision to extend his deal for another two seasons.

Kyle Busch was second, followed by William Byron, Denny Hamlin and Ryan Blaney.

AIR UP THERE

Michael Jordan was at the race. Jordan and Hamlin launched the 23XI Racing team this season with Bubba Wallace as the driver. Jordan, who attended with long-time friend Ahmad Rashad, met briefly with NASCAR President Steve Phelps on the grid. ___

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