DAYTONA BEACH Fl. — Regan Smith was able to find redemption at Daytona International Speedway Saturday. A year after he was involved in a horrific crash on the final turn of the final lap, Smith was able to win a drag race out of the final corner of the final lap of the NASCAR Nationwide Series Drive4COPD 300 and beat Brad Keselowski by less than a fender length.
Kyle Busch took the lead for the first 15 laps until the first caution for a blown engine from Harrison Rhodes. Dale Earnhardt Jr. stayed out while the lead pack pitted. Earnhardt would lead until he had problems during a later pit stop that left him deep in the field. Busch would lead again until lap 76 when Keselowski bumped Smith to the lead on the outside. From there Smith took command.
A fourth caution of the day came out on lap 101 when Ryan Seig spun. It set up a 17 lap run to the finish with Smith in the lead, Busch second. The duo quickly led the top four on the bottom of the track, while Keselowski tried to put together a line to make a run on the high side. Further back in the field cars spread out three wide. MORE>>>
Greg is the author of "The Nuts and Bolts of NASCAR: The Definitive Viewers' Guide to Big-Time Stock Car Auto Racing" and has been published in major publications across the country including the Los Angeles Times, the Cleveland Plain Dealer and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. He was also a contributor to Chicken Soup for the NASCAR Soul, published in 2010, and the Christmas edition in 2016. He wrote as the NASCAR, Formula 1, Auto Reviews and National Veterans Affairs Examiner for Examiner.com and has appeared on Fox News. He holds a BS degree in communications, a Masters degree in psychology and is currently a PhD candidate majoring in psychology. He is currently the weekend Motorsports Editor for Autoweek.
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