Keselowski emerges late to win at Dover
BY DAN GELSTON Associated Press
Monday, October 01, 2012
10/01/12 at 5:24 AM
DOVER, Del. - Brad Keselowski had fuel to spare for a couple of victory burnouts.
Those few splashes of gas left down the stretch were just enough for a checkered flag - and a sign Keselowski is a championship favorite.
With other contenders battling fuel woes and limping toward pit road, Keselowski had enough gas in the No. 2 Dodge to win Sunday at Dover International Speedway for his second victory in three weeks.
Keselowski's stout start to the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship allowed him to swipe the points lead from Jimmie Johnson.
Keselowski holds a five-point lead over Johnson as the Chase shifts to Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski, who won the Chase opener at Chicagoland, has deftly avoided the famed Big Ones that strike the Alabama track to win twice there in seven career starts.
He held off a late push from runner-up Jeff Gordon to match Denny Hamlin for the season victory lead with five.
"I can't state loudly enough how much longer this battle is," Keselowski said.
Keselowski, Johnson and Hamlin have staked their claim through the first three of 10 races as the drivers to beat.
Johnson and Hamlin each led a chunk of laps, but failed to stretch their fuel to the end. Johnson, who has seven career wins at Dover, was ordered to back off the gas and salvaged a fourth-place finish. Hamlin pitted with 10 laps left, opening the door for Keselowski.
"They're not going to beat us on the track, that's just plain and simple," Hamlin said. "We're just too fast right now and I feel like everything is going well. These strategy games, and the way these cautions are falling, it's ill-timed."
There was a caution at the end of a cycle of green-flag pit stops only 69 laps into the race that quickly dropped drivers a lap back. Amazingly, most of the field couldn't ever get that lap back, and only six drivers finished on the lead lap.
There are seven races left in the Chase.
"By no means, do I feel like we're the favorite," Keselowski said. "Certainly, we're not the underdog."
While crew chief Paul Wolfe didn't want to reveal too much of his fuel-saving strategy, he conceded the car was "within a lap or two" or running on fumes. Keselowski raced the last 89 laps without a stop.
Chase standings
| Driver | Points | Back |
| 1. B. Keselowski | 2,142 | - |
| 2. J. Johnson | 2,137 | -5 |
| 3. D. Hamlin | 2,126 | -16 |
| 4. C. Bowyer | 2,117 | -25 |
| T5. T. Stewart | 2,110 | -32 |
| T5. K. Kahne | 2,110 | -32 |
| 7. D. Earnhardt Jr. | 2,103 | -39 |
| 8. M. Truex Jr. | 2,100 | -42 |
| 9. K. Harvick | 2,096 | -46 |
| 10. J. Gordon | 2,094 | -48 |
| 11. G. Biffle | 2,091 | -51 |
| 12. M. Kenseth | 2,070 | -72 |
NASCAR Sprint Cup: AAA 400
Sunday at Dover, Del.
Lap Length: 1 miles
(Start position in parentheses)
Car maker abbreviations: C=Chevrolet, D=Dodge, F=Ford, T=Toyota
1. (10) Brad Keselowski, D, 400 laps, 47 points, $221,070.
2. (7) J. Gordon, C, 400, 43, $207,796.
3. (26) M. Martin, T, 400, 41, $140,760.
4. (11) J. Johnson, C, 400, 41, $164,321.
5. (15) C. Edwards, F, 400, 39, $158,126.
6. (3) M. Truex Jr., T, 400, 38, $132,674.
7. (5) Ky. Busch, T, 399, 39, $148,068.
8. (1) D. Hamlin, T, 399, 37, $136,901.
9. (2) C. Bowyer, T, 399, 36, $115,474.
10. (14) J. Logano, T, 399, 34, $95,535.
11. (25) D. Earnhardt Jr., C, 398, 33, $92,510.
12. (17) R. Stenhouse Jr., F, 397, 0, $78,935.
13. (13) K. Harvick, C, 397, 31, $126,596.
14. (16) B. Labonte, T, 397, 30, $106,468.
15. (9) K. Kahne, C, 397, 29, $87,260.
16. (6) G. Biffle, F, 397, , 28, $87,485.
17. (18) R. Smith, C, 397, 27, $102,118.
18. (27) M. Ambrose, F, 397, 26, $105,543.
19. (21) A. Almirola, F, 397, 25, $114,296.
20. (24) T. Stewart, C, 397, 24, $127,835.
21. (8) R. Newman, C, 397, 23, $117,593.
22. (19) P. Menard, C, 396, 22, $84,735.
23. (28) Ku. Busch, C, 395, 21, $98,643.
24. (20) J. McMurray, C, 394, 20, $107,268.
25. (4) S. Hornish Jr., D, 393, 0, $117,335.
26. (35) J. Pablo Montoya, C, 393, 18, $106,326.
27. (39) J. Burton, C, 393, 17, $114,535.
28. (38) D. Patrick, C, 393, 0, $75,135.
29. (33) T. Kvapil, T, 392, 15, $94,818.
30. (31) D. Ragan, F, 392, 14, $85,782.
31. (30) C. Mears, F, 391, 13, $74,060.
32. (42) D. Gilliland, F, 391, 12, $71,360.
33. (41) T. Bell, F, 390, 0, $79,485.
34. (40) J. Yeley, C, 388, 10, $71,035.
35. (12) M. Kenseth, F, 371, 9, $119,621.
36. (22) L. Cassill, T, 354, 8, $97,280.
37. (23) J. Wise, F, vibration, 92, 7, $72,030.
38. (32) M. McDowell, F, suspension, 51, 6, $70,353.
39. (37) J. Nemechek, T, electrical, 48, 0, $67,500.
40. (34) S. Speed, F, suspension, 32, 4, $67,325.
41. (43) D. Blaney, C, overheating, 29, 3, $67,125.
42. (36) S. Riggs, C, brakes, 26, 2, $66,995.
43. (29) R. Sorenson, T, brakes, 18, 0, $67,329.
Race Statistics
Average Speed of Race Winner: 125.076 mph.
Time of Race: 3 hours, 11 minutes, 53 seconds.
Margin of Victory: 1.078 seconds.
Good Sam Roadside Assistance 500
Noon Sunday
At Talladega, Ala.
TV: ESPN-25
Radio: KAKC am1300
Associated Images:
Brad Keselowski takes the checkered flag to win Sunday's Sprint Cup race at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. NICK WASS / AP
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