NASCAR: Keselowski nurses fuel tank to win Nationwide race in Kentucky:

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LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC
Brad Keselowski had enough fuel left to smoke the tires and celebrate his Nationwide win Friday.

By AL PEARCE on 7/08/2011

Brad Keselowski nursed his fuel-sipping Dodge down the stretch to win Friday night’s Feed The Children Nationwide Series 300 at Kentucky Speedway. It was the first win this year and 13th all-time for the 2010 series champion who last won back-to-back races at Charlotte, N.C., and Madison, Ill., last October.

Fellow full-time Sprint Cup drivers Kevin Harvick, Kyle Busch and Kasey Kahne finished 2-3-4, with new points leader Elliott Sadler fifth. Kenny Wallace, Michael Annett, former champion Carl Edwards, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. and three-time Kentucky winner Joey Logano rounded out the top 10.

Although Keselowski was the class of the field, he needed to slow to conserve fuel while a handful of challengers had to stop within the final 10 laps.

Keselowski (132 laps) and Harvick (56) led 188 of the 200 laps. Pole-winner Sadler (8 early laps), Joe Nemechek (2), Edwards and Mike Wallace (1 each) led the other dozen laps. The race was slowed five times for 24 laps, and Keselowski’s margin of victory was a comfortable 1.180 seconds.

The race’s key moment may have come at lap 194, when Harvick thought his crew wanted him to pit for fuel. He was closing on Keselowski when he slowed abruptly before crew chief David Hyde told him to stay out and keep going. Harvick’s crew mistakenly anticipated a caution that didn’t come. That brief slowdown allowed Keselowski to slow down the stretch and ensure that he had enough fuel to finish.

“We need to get some things straight,” Harvick fumed afterward. “We can’t fumble all over each other at crunch time. We need to learn to race better than that. Would I have caught him and won if I hadn’t slowed down? I don’t know.”

Keselowski pointed out that the No. 22 Dodge team is almost brand-new from his ’10 title-winning team.

“We’re still a work in progress,” he said. “We’re just out here having fun because we can’t win the championship again (due to NASCAR’s ‘one series for points’ rule). “It’s awesome to win here with a brand-new car and a brand-new package. This feels great.”

TOP 10 FINISHERS

1. Brad Keselowski, Dodge

2. Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet

3. Kyle Busch, Toyota

4. Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet

5. Elliott Sadler, Chevrolet

6. Kenny Wallace, Toyota

7. Michael Annett, Toyota

8. Carl Edwards, Ford

9. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Ford

10. Joey Logano, Toyota

TOP 10 IN POINTS AFTER 18 OF 34 RACES

1. Elliott Sadler, 641

2. Reed Sorenson, -4

3. Ricky Stenhouse Jr., -27

4. Justin Allgaier, -43

5. Jason Leffler, -73

6. Aric Almirola, -88

7. Kenny Wallace, -109

8. Steve Wallace, -151

9. (tie) Brian Scott and Michael Annett, -158

Next event: July 16, Loudon, N.H.

 

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