Capping a dominating performance, Brad Keselowski won the Coke Zero 400 Saturday night at Daytona International Speedway,
Brad Keselowski wins the 2016 Coke Zero 400 at Daytona International Speedway
Keselowski wins his second straight restrictor-plate race and third overall victory of the season.
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
Keselowski led 115 of 161 laps to win his first Daytona race and second consecutive restrictor-plate event, having won in May at Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski used defensive driving to withstand a charge from defending Sprint Cup champion Kyle Busch and Kurt Busch, Kyle’s older brother.
Kyle Busch finished second and Trevor Bayne was third. Joey Logano and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. completed the top five.
Kurt Busch spun after contact with Logano and finished 23rd.
Tony Stewart had a promising night, running in the top five but got loose and overcorrected causing him to spin into Casey Mears on Lap 148. Carl Edwards and rookie Ryan Blaney also sustained damage in the accident.
Coming off a victory a week ago at the Sonoma (Calif.) road course, Stewart was seeking an uneventful, though productive, night that would vault him into the top 30 points, the threshold he must meet to earn a spot in NASCAR’s playoffs. And while Stewart’s accident caused him to finish 26th, it was enough to move to 30th, three points ahead of 31st-ranked Brian Scott.
A 22-car crash knocked out or damaged several expected contenders, including Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson and Matt Kenseth. Jamie McMurray triggered the “Big One” when he got loose while running in a pack of cars and body-slammed teammate Kyle Larson, seemingly cutting McMurray’s left rear tire and causing him to spin.
Five cautions slowed the race for 28 laps.
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