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Nationwide
NNS: Martin Wins As Keselowski Falters On Last Lap
Danica Patrick finishes fourth to make NASCAR history as highest finishing female ever…
Mark Martin, driver of the #32 Dollar General Chevrolet, celebrates in Victory Lane after winning the NASCAR Nationwide Series Sam's Town 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. (Photo: Getty Images)
Ageless Mark Martin scored another win in the Nationwide Series Saturday, inheriting first place on the last lap when leader Brad Keselowski blew a tire and slapped the wall.
It was a historic day beyond the fact that Martin gave the Turner Motorsports team its first Nationwide win and extended his series-record victory total to 49. “It’s so cool to see these guys get their first win,” Martin said. “That’s a storybook ending for me.”
Danica Patrick rallied from two laps down to finish fourth, scoring the highest finish by a woman in the history of NASCAR’s three national series. In 1949, the first year of what is now the Sprint Cup series, Sara Christian finished fifth in a race.
Keselowski had a comfortable lead over Martin entering the final lap, but his car veered suddenly toward the wall and slowed. Martin drove past underneath and easily outran Justin Allgaier for the victory.
“I can’t believe it,” Martin, 52, said. “I don’t care how hard you try, you can’t win these things. Then when it’s time, it just happens.”
Keselowski, obviously disappointed, said he apparently ran over something on the track to cause the tire problem.
“I felt like we had it, but obviously we didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t push the car too hard. It must have run over something because it went down pretty quick. It was just one of those days where you do everything right and don’t win. That’s the way it goes sometime.”
Patrick showed the sort of driving Saturday which might put her in a Nationwide or Sprint Cup car full time next season.
“I don’t think about trying to achieve the highest finishing position for a female,” she said. “I think about trying to win the race. If I make history, then so be it.”
One of the race highlights came on lap 130 when Kyle Busch, who had one of the day’s strongest cars, crashed out after a wild ride along the inner portion of the frontstretch.
Busch, trying to make gains from ninth place, shot across traffic from the top side of the race track in an attempt to pass Keselowski as they left turn four. Keselowski moved down, however, and Busch ran out of room. He slipped down onto the grass, then slid across asphalt and onto the main grassy portion of the area separating the track from pit road.
He almost regained control of the car but slid into the inside wall with the right front, causing enough damage to put him out of the race.
“I had a really big run off the turn, and I wanted to get to the bottom,” Busch said. “I got to the bottom of the 22 (Keselowski), and he came down to block a little bit. I went to the grass, and that typically doesn’t work, so I looked kind of stupid doing that. I screwed up.”
Earlier in the race, Josh Wise took a wild ride down the frontstretch as his car slid and hit the grass and launched into the air for a few seconds. Wise stayed in the race, saying he always wanted to fly “but not like that.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
It was a historic day beyond the fact that Martin gave the Turner Motorsports team its first Nationwide win and extended his series-record victory total to 49. “It’s so cool to see these guys get their first win,” Martin said. “That’s a storybook ending for me.”
Danica Patrick rallied from two laps down to finish fourth, scoring the highest finish by a woman in the history of NASCAR’s three national series. In 1949, the first year of what is now the Sprint Cup series, Sara Christian finished fifth in a race.
Keselowski had a comfortable lead over Martin entering the final lap, but his car veered suddenly toward the wall and slowed. Martin drove past underneath and easily outran Justin Allgaier for the victory.
“I can’t believe it,” Martin, 52, said. “I don’t care how hard you try, you can’t win these things. Then when it’s time, it just happens.”
Keselowski, obviously disappointed, said he apparently ran over something on the track to cause the tire problem.
“I felt like we had it, but obviously we didn’t,” he said. “I didn’t push the car too hard. It must have run over something because it went down pretty quick. It was just one of those days where you do everything right and don’t win. That’s the way it goes sometime.”
Patrick showed the sort of driving Saturday which might put her in a Nationwide or Sprint Cup car full time next season.
“I don’t think about trying to achieve the highest finishing position for a female,” she said. “I think about trying to win the race. If I make history, then so be it.”
One of the race highlights came on lap 130 when Kyle Busch, who had one of the day’s strongest cars, crashed out after a wild ride along the inner portion of the frontstretch.
Busch, trying to make gains from ninth place, shot across traffic from the top side of the race track in an attempt to pass Keselowski as they left turn four. Keselowski moved down, however, and Busch ran out of room. He slipped down onto the grass, then slid across asphalt and onto the main grassy portion of the area separating the track from pit road.
He almost regained control of the car but slid into the inside wall with the right front, causing enough damage to put him out of the race.
“I had a really big run off the turn, and I wanted to get to the bottom,” Busch said. “I got to the bottom of the 22 (Keselowski), and he came down to block a little bit. I went to the grass, and that typically doesn’t work, so I looked kind of stupid doing that. I screwed up.”
Earlier in the race, Josh Wise took a wild ride down the frontstretch as his car slid and hit the grass and launched into the air for a few seconds. Wise stayed in the race, saying he always wanted to fly “but not like that.”
Mike Hembree is NASCAR Editor for SPEED.com and has been covering motorsports for 28 years. He has written several books on NASCAR, including "NASCAR: The Definitive History of America's Sport" and "Then Tony Said To Junior: The Best NASCAR Stories Ever Told". He is a six-time winner of the National Motorsports Press Association Writer of the Year Award.
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