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Monday, July 5, 2021 SECTION B Paul Farmer . Sports Editor . 427.6926

Chase Elliott adds second Cup Series win in 2021

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Chase Elliott’s car wasn’t quite where it needed to be ahead of NASCAR’s Cup race at Road America. Elliott said that the No. 9 team was “still searching” following Sunday’s qualifying session in which time ran out before Elliott could run his fastest lap.

But that didn’t matter by the end of the race when Elliott was sitting comfortably in the lead, nearly six seconds ahead of second place finisher Christopher Bell and driving to his second win this season. Kyle Busch finished third.

“We’ve had a rough few weeks, so it feels really good,” Elliott said on NBC after a smoke-raising burnout he completed for fans on the front stretch.

The defending Cup champion and NASCAR’s most popular driver then thrilled fans with another burnout near Turn 5 of the 14-turn course near Elkhart Lake, Wisconsin. He said he was surprised by the support since he’s only run a handful of lower-level races in the state.

“It’s exciting when we change the schedule up and go to new places,” Elliott said. “You bring energy and excitement that our series deserves to have.”

The Cup Series made a long-awaited return to the track on Sunday. The last race for NASCAR’s top drivers at Road America was in 1956, but the sanctioning body laid out its 2021 schedule with the goal of mixing it up and spreading the wealth to different venues. Elliott’s victory clearly struck a chord with fans, but it wasn’t one he expected early in the race.

He started in the bottom 10, but was up to 10th place by the end of the first stage – a promising sign for the defending road course winner. In the final 20 laps, he was leading and said he didn’t need any more adjustments, just tires and fuel. Elliott pitted when a laterace caution came out, and even though he didn’t line up in the front row for the restart, his Chevy quickly got up to first place passing Aric Almirola and Busch.

The No. 9 then remained in the lead for the final 17 laps despite contact between Hendrick Motorsports teammates with five laps to go. Alex Bowman’s car had a brake issue and he sent Kyle Larson for a spin, but fortunately for Elliott, Larson was able to get straightened out without NASCAR throwing a caution. Elliott took the checkered flag then catered to the Fourth of July crowd.

“If the fans want a burnout I’m gonna give them a burnout,” he said after wearing his tires down so badly that it required a NASCAR vehicle to push his car back.

David Dee Delgado/Getty Images/TNS

Competitive eating champion Joey “Jaws” Chestnut wins the 2021 Nathan’s Famous 4th of July International Hot Dog Eating Contest with 76 hot dogs, breaking his personal best record of 75 at Coney Island, Sunday, in New York City. The first Fourth of July Hot Dog Eating Contest dates back to 1916, the year Nathan’s Famous opened on Surf Avenue in Coney Island. Chestnut is a native of Vallejo.

Joey Chestnut wins Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest

Breaks own world record by devouring 76

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NEW YORK — Reigning hot dog eating champion Joey Chestnut held onto his title on Sunday amid the cheers of voracious fans hungry for the return of the annual competition on Coney Island.

The champ gobbled down 76 hot dogs in 10 minutes, topping by one wiener his own world record set last year, to win the annual Nathan’s Famous International Hot Dog Eating Contest. It was Chestnut’s 14th victory in 15 years.

“I feel like I could eat a little more,” the seemingly insatiable Chestnut, 37, said afterward, although he admitted feeling “a little bloated.”

“I’m just super happy,” he said. “In the second half, the crowd pushed me.”

He beat the second place finisher Geoffrey by a whopping 26 wieners.

Fans of the contest were celebrating its return to its Brooklyn home after pandemic restrictions forced a venue change for last year’s event.

One special onlooker seeing the contest for the first time in person was Princeton, New Jersey, resident Tabitha Bellamy, 45, who babysat Chestnut as a child.

“I’m absolutely amazed. I’m so proud,” said Bellamy, who said Chestnut was a “very, very rambunctious child.”

A hot-dog-hatted Mayor Bill de Blasio was also on hand to congratulate and share his insights: “It is a dog-eatdog world … we should relish this moment!”

“This was a great way to celebrate after being home,” she added. “I was just feeling the electricity and positivity from the crowd.”

The winner of the women’s division, Michelle Lesco of Tucson,

See Chestnut, Page B8

Brandon Crawford, Kevin Gausman add to Giants’ All-Star tally

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PHOENIX — Brandon Crawford was named to the National League All-Star team for the third time in his career Sunday, while Giants starter Kevin Gausman – who is from Denver, where the July 13 game will be played — was selected for the first time.

“I don’t really have anything to compare it to, but I think it definitely will be a little bit more special because I grew up only 30 minutes down the road from Coors Field,” Gausman said, “It’s going to be pretty cool.”

Crawford made the team at the age of 34 and after a couple of down seasons, and, he said, “I think every All-Star Game is specialy but yeah, after a few kind of tough years to kind of turn it around last year and then being more comfortable with some of the changes that I made last year, bringing them into this year and having a good first half definitely makes it more special.”

Crawford is leading the Giants with 17 homers and 52 RBIs while continuing to play his regular Gold Glove-caliber defense. His totals going into Sunday’s game at Arizona were second only to Fernando Tatis’ 25 homers and 53 RBIs among NL shortstops, and he was an MLB selection to the roster.

“I think he’s playing with a pretty big chip on his shoulder this year,” third baseman Evan Longoria said. “He probably won’t tell you that, but it’s been really good for him to be going into an offseason where it’s probably the biggest crop of free-agent shortstops in recent memory, and I think he’s really wanted put himself into that category.

“He’s been one of the most competitive dudes I’ve ever seen, and it’s obviously showing this year and showing his whole career. It’s a testament to all the hard work that he does and just his desire to be a good baseball player.”

Gausman, 30, is 8-2 with a 1.68 ERA going into his Monday start against the Cardinals at Oracle Park.

“From a pedigree standpoint, from a staff standpoint, the industry has always viewed him as a top of the rotation starter, always,” Giants manager Gabe Kapler said. “I think it’s really just a function of him having marginally better command of his fastball and really understanding how good his split is that’s made the big differ-

Expos split pair of games as road trip nears end

Daily Republic staff

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FAIRFIELD — As if a five-run fourth innings wasn’t enough, Northwest Star Academy tacked on a six-run fifth as the Fairfield Expos American Legion baseball team concluded tournament play at Swede Johnson Field in Eugene, Oregon, with an 11-1 loss, Sunday.

After falling behind 5-0, the Expos, 36-13 overall and 7-8 on their 16-day, five-state road trip, scored their lone run in the bottom of the fourth when Grant Kerr drew his second walk of the game and was doubled home by Aaron Strong.

Strong finished the game 2-for-2 with with Alex Carver’s two-out single in the fifth the team’s only other hit of the game.

The Fairfield squad’s best early chance to score came in the second when they loaded the bases on walks to Kerr and Gabe Ponce and a Strong single only to have NSA pitcher Nathan Marshall get out of the jam with three straight strikeouts.

Aidan Robles took the loss with two of three relievers also giving up three earned runs.

Fairfield Expos 5, Boys of Summer 2: At Eugene on Saturday, Reilly Ramirez was 3-for-4 while Robles went 2-for-4 with a two-run single to highlight the Expos’ three-run bottom of the second. Ramirez singled in a run earlier in the inning while Eli Blurton had a sacrifice fly and another run scored on an error on a ball hit by Cy Dempsay in the two-run fifth.

The Boys of Summer

See Expos, Page B8

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images/TNS James Kaprielian of the Oakland Athletics pitches against the Boston Red Sox in the top of the sixth inning at RingCentral Coliseum, Sunday, in Oakland.

James Kaprielian pitches gem, but fried A’s shut out by Red Sox

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OAKLAND — The Boston Red Sox’s lone earned run against James Kaprielian crossed home on a double-play ball. That’s an indication of how brilliantly Kaprielian navigated a tough Boston lineup for a second time this season. Kaprielian’s strong start was overshadowed by a slumping offense that couldn’t roll any of the momentum from the 12th-inning win on Saturday night into Sunday’s game. The Oakland Athletics lost, 1-0, in the rubber match against the Red Sox.

Kaprielian shouldered a loss he didn’t deserve and the A’s a loss they can’t afford with the hot Houston Astros gaining separation atop the American League West. Kaprielian faced a Red Sox ream with a .762 OPS ranking second-best in the American League this season.

He went seven innings with a careerhigh 10 strikeouts on Sunday, holding Boston to one run scored on Rafael Devers’ 6-4-3 double play,