Rookie Hamlin Wins Race

Rookie Denny Hamlin never turned a lap at Pocono Raceway before this weekend.

Well, not in reality, anyway.

So for his first Nextel Cup win, the 25-year-old owes some credit to the makers of video games.

“They got every tree on the site, everything’s mapped out perfect,” Hamlin said Sunday after winning the Pocono 500 at Long Pond, Pa. “Visually, I know where my letoff points are.”

There was nothing virtual about the realities of this win, though: First, a blown tire sent Hamlin spinning; then NASCAR’s elite drivers pushed him hard down the stretch.

Hamlin overcame the early blown tire, surged late and held on to solidify his spot as NASCAR’s top rookie.

Hamlin held off the challengers -- including teammate Tony Stewart -- on the final five laps after the caution came out late after Jeff Gordon’s accident.

Nothing slowed down Hamlin in his No. 11 Joe Gibbs Chevrolet -- not even his tire problems -- winning a race in his 21st career start and jumping from 11th to ninth in the points standings. He’s the third driver to win from the pole this season and he led 83 of the 200 laps.

Kurt Busch, who won here last July, was second.

Stewart, driving all 500 miles two weeks after breaking his right shoulder blade, gutted his way to a third-place finish.

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Formula One defending champion Fernando Alonso won the British Grand Prix at Silverstone, England, his third straight victory and fifth overall this season.

The Spaniard led all the way after starting on pole position to record the 13th win of his career for Renault.

Michael Schumacher of Ferrari was second and McLaren’s Kimi Raikkonen took third, his fourth straight podium finish without a victory.

Alonso -- who also won races in Monaco and Spain last month -- leads the standings with 74 points.

Schumacher is second with 51, and Raikkonen is third with 33 points after eight rounds.

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John Force won his record 120th funny car race at the Carquest Auto Parts NHRA Nationals at Joliet, Ill., closing within 48 points of the championship lead.

Doug Kalitta, Kurt Johnson, and Ryan Schnitz joined Force in the winner’s circle.

Kalitta chipped away at Melanie Troxel’s overall lead in top fuel by beating her in the final round. Johnson defeated Greg Anderson in pro stock, and Schnitz took the pro stock motorcycle title with a victory over first-time finalist Matt Guidera.