Allmendinger wins Watkins Glen NASCAR

AJ Allmendinger beat Marcos Ambrose on a two-lap dash to the finish to win the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Watkins Glen International on a sombre Sunday.

Three-time Cup champion Tony Stewart pulled out of the race 12 hours after he struck and killed sprint car driver Kevin Ward Jr., who had climbed from his car during a dirt-track race in nearby Canandaigua, New York.

In Allmendinger’s first TV interview after winning, he offered his condolences to the Ward family, saying “we’re a community here, we’re thinking about you.”

The victory made his one-car team for JTG Daugherty Racing eligible for the Chase for the Sprint Cup title. Allmendinger held off Ambrose through the first two turns and opened a lead after both cars bumped and won going away.

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