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Keselowski wins Dover Nationwide Series Race
by Kyle Ocker
(Archives/Bio)
Posted on 5/30/2009
Brad Keselowski has been searching for his first win of 2009 for 11 races. Well, the 12th time was a charm at Dover.
On the final restart, Kyle Busch led Joey Logano and Keselowski to the green. Busch appeared to have a tire issue as Logano and him went into Turn 1 side by side. Busch slid up the track, allowing Keselowski to pass Logano for the lead as they exited Turn 2 with two laps remaining.
Keselowski then opened up a small lead as he drove to the finish for his third career Nationwide Series victory.
“We had a great car,” said Keselowski. “We put ourself in position to win. Needed to catch a break and caught a break. Don't feel guilty about it at all because we've caught some bad ones. We just run well here.
“I saw the 18 [driven by Kyle Busch] slow down and the 20 [driven by Joey Logano] making an evasive maneuver and I saw a hole. I didn’t lift.”
Logano, who is celebrating his one-year anniversary of his first Nationwide Start, finished the race second for his sixth top-five finish of the 2009 Nationwide season..
“Had a great car for sure,” said Logano. “Our GameStop Toyota was good, led a lot of laps. Felt like I had a really good shot at winning this thing. At the end, I just screwed up. I got behind Kyle [Busch] on the restart. Finally got a good restart. He's been kicking my butt every restart. I was trying to stay right up on. I figured I wasn't going to make a move and dive down underneath him underneath the corner. As I figured he would just blow my doors. So I was going to stay with him on the first corner and try to make a move after that. I got right up to his bumper. He ran into [Turn] 1 and let up earlier then I thought he was going to and I got into the back of him. That was pretty much what happened, completely my fault.”
Clint Bowyer finished third in front of Brian Vickers and Carl Edwards who rounded out the top-five finishers.
Paul Menard scored his best finish of the year with his sixth place result. Scott Speed, Jason Leffler, Jason Keller and Justin Allgaier rounded out the top-ten finishers.
Busch ended up as the final car on the lead lap, finishing 17th after leading a field-most 108 laps. This is the fifth consecutive race that Kyle Busch has led the most laps in the Nationwide Series. However, he has only scored one victory over those races.
"He [Kyle Busch] said he could feel the right front go down right as he was coming to the green," said Jason Ratcliff, crew chief for Busch. "He wasn't sure if it was down, or not and then right as he drove off the wall he could feel it and it was too late by that time. If he had known it earlier we could have stopped and put right sides on."
The race began with an early caution when Peyton Sellers wrecked in Turn 1 on lap three. Sellers ended up finishing 31st, 72 laps down.
The second caution of the race occurred on lap 23 when Ken Butler III and John Wes Townley crashed on the backstretch. Butler III finished 37th and Townley finished 38th. Both were 174 laps down.
Kevin LePage crashed on the backstretch on lap 74 for the third caution of the day. LePage was 173 laps down at the finish.
The fourth caution of the event was brought out on lap 86 for a crash in Turn 3 between Marc Davis and Jason Leffler. Davis finished 34th, 117 laps down and Leffler finished on the lead lap in eighth.
Ryan Newman's problems began on lap 93 when he wrecked in Turn 1 to bring out the fifth caution of the event. Newman's problems continued when he blew a tire in Turn 3 on lap 130 for the sixth caution of the race. Newman, who started in his first of five scheduled races for JR Motorsports' No. 5 car, finished the race 32nd, 74 laps down.
David Ragan and Kevin Harvick were involved in the lap 146 accident in Turn 4 for the seventh caution of the event. Ragan finished 57 laps down in 30th while Harvick rebounded to a 13th place finish on the lead lap.
Scott Lagasse Jr. and Michael McDowell crashed on the frontstretch on lap 160 for the eighth caution of the race. Lagasse Jr. finished 27th, 42 laps down. McDowell finished on the lead lap in 11th position.
The ninth and final caution of the night was for debris on lap 194.
Busch continues to lead the Nationwide Series driver points over Edwards by 40 points. The top-six in points coming into the event maintained their position.
Notes: The unofficial margin of victory was 0.299 seconds. … Keselowski only led the final two laps of the race. … Sixteen of the 43 cars that started the race did not finish. … There was nine cautions for 50 laps. … The race included five leaders and seven lead changes.
Next up: The NASCAR Nationwide Series heads into Nashville Superpseedway for the Federated Auto Parts 300. Brad Keselowski is the defening winner of the race. The race is schedule to begin at 7:30 p.m. EST on June 6.
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