Stewart’s Busch Series Win Is a Bang-Up Job

Tony Stewart survived a record number of caution flags and led a crash-marred charge to the finish to win the opening NASCAR Busch series race Saturday for the second straight year.

Just as Stewart took the checkered flag, several cars behind him collided in the tri-oval portion of Daytona International Speedway, the crumpled cars coming to rest in front of the grandstand. No injuries were reported.

Moments before, the first three rows had been racing three wide around the 2.5-mile oval until Stewart, driving a Chevrolet owned by fellow Nextel Cup driver Kevin Harvick and his wife, pulled ahead to win.

“I don’t know how you can make the race any more exciting than that,” Stewart said.

There were 11 caution flags in the 300-mile event, breaking the record of seven for a Daytona Busch race set in 2002.

Rookie Burney Lamar, 24, a native of West Sacramento, finished second behind Stewart, and Clint Bowyer was third, both also in Chevrolets.

Stewart, the reigning Nextel Cup champion, was among 18 Cup drivers who also drove in the Busch race in advance of today’s Daytona 500.

Before the race, the speedway observed a moment of silence for Dale Earnhardt on the fifth anniversary of his death. The seven-time Cup champion was killed in a last-lap crash in the Daytona 500.