Advertisement

Regan Smith edges Brad Keselowski for Nationwide win

Regan Smith celebrates in victory lane after winning Saturday's NASCAR Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway.
(Stephen M. Dowell / Orlando Sentinel)
Share

DAYTONA BEACH — It was another photo finish at Daytona International Speedway.

Regan Smith slipped past Brad Keselowski on the high side after a green-white-checker finish to win the NASCAR Nationwide Series DRIVE4COPD 300 Saturday. Smith’s No. 7 Chevrolet crossed the finish line .013 seconds ahead of Keselowski’s No. 22 Ford, securing the second-closest victory in series history at Daytona.

It was another close finish this weekend at the legendary track. Kyle Busch captured the Camping World Truck Series race Friday night by the slimmest of margins — 0.16 seconds ahead of Timothy Peters.

It was Smith’s first Nationwide win at Daytona and his fourth victory in the series.

“It still doesn’t feel real,” Smith said following the victory. “It’s a very special moment.”

Advertisement

“Once we got even, I felt like we had an opportunity to get to the stripe, and I made one last dive to the wall,” Smith added. “It was either going to be enough or it wasn’t. Fortunately it was enough.”

For 2012 Sprint Cup champion Keselowski, it was his second runner-up showing in a Nationwide race at Daytona. The 30-year-old led the final 11 laps of the race and appeared headed for his first victory before Smith pushed past him for the win. Trevor Bayne finished third.

“It’s a pretty strong day,” Keselowski said after the race. “I thought we had a shot to really pull it off.

“We’ve come as close as you can to win all three races in the [Sprint Cup] Limited and the [Budweiser] Duels,” added Keselowski, who will start in Row 17 for Sunday’s Daytona 500.

Bayne was pleased with his third-place finish.

“Our car isn’t upside down and that’s a good day for us,” joked Bayne following the race. “We were hoping to come out of here with a top 10. We had a really strong day today and we’re pleased with a top-three finish.”

With the win, Smith grabs the early points lead in the Nationwide Series with 47. He’s six points ahead of Bayne and eight points ahead of Elliott Sadler, who finished fifth. Keselowski and fourth-place finisher Kyle Busch are ineligible because of their Sprint Cup associations.

Advertisement

sports@latimes.com

Advertisement