Hamlin holds off Gordon at Advocare

Associated Press

Hampton, ga.

Denny Hamlin won his second straight Sprint Cup race, holding off Jeff Gordon in a green-white-checkered finish at Atlanta Motor Speedway on Sunday night.

Martin Truex Jr. appeared to be positioned for his first win since 2007 until Jamie McMurray smashed the wall on the front straightaway, bringing out a caution with three laps to go.

The leaders went to pit road, and Hamlin’s crew got him back on the track first, just ahead of Truex.

While Truex struggled to get up to speed on the restart, Hamlin pulled away with Gordon right on his bumper. The four-time Cup champion desperately needed a win to improve his chances of getting into the Chase, but couldn’t get by Hamlin on the final lap.

Hamlin took the series victory lead with four, putting him in position to top the standings when the 12-drive Chase starts.

Stewart loses sponsor

Tony Stewart will be looking for another co-primary sponsor after it was announced Office Depot won’t be returning in 2013.

The news came from team spokesman Mike Arning on Sunday, shortly before the defending Sprint Cup champion started from the pole in the NASCAR race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

Mobil 1 is set to return as a primary backer for about half the races next year, but Stewart will have to find someone to pick up the rest of the tab for his No. 14 car.

The three-time Cup champion also is searching for sponsorship on Stewart-Haas Racing’s second car, the No. 39 machine driven by Ryan Newman. The U.S. Army is dropping out.

Office Depot praised Stewart but says it’s leaving NASCAR because of “the changing business landscape.”

IndyCar

BALTIMORE

After a race that had a little bit of everything, Ryan Hunter-Reay celebrated his perfect timing and a much-needed victory.

Will Power cursed the weather and his awful luck.

Hunter-Reay won the Grand Prix of Baltimore on Sunday, charging to the front on a controversial restart to keep alive his hopes of capturing the IndyCar Series championship.

Power could have clinched the overall title with a second straight win in Baltimore on the 2.04-mile street course that winds through the heart of the city. But the pole-sitter finished sixth in a race that drew nine caution flags, was marred by rain and had eight drivers drop out before the finish.

“I’m still trying to catch my breath,” Hunter-Reay said. “Those restarts were crazy, crazy, crazy.”