Brad Keselowski blitzes Kentucky for third Cup win in 2012

SPARTA, Ky. -- Building a big lead during the final green-flag run and saving enough fuel to get to the end of the race, Brad Keselowski won Saturday night's Quaker State 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup race in a backup car.

Keselowski, who wrecked his primary car after tangling with Juan Pablo Montoya in Friday's first practice session for the race, picked up his series-best third victory of the season and the seventh of his career, all but assuring himself of a position in the Chase for the Sprint Cup.

Kasey Kahne rallied from an unscheduled pit stop on Lap 52 to finish second, followed by Denny Hamlin and Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jeff Gordon came home fifth, one spot in front of pole-sitter Jimmie Johnson, as Hendrick Motorsports drivers claimed four of the top six positions.

Ignition troubles ruined defending series champion Tony Stewart's night almost before it started. Stewart's No. 14 Chevrolet fell off the pace on Lap 26. By the time his team diagnosed and fixed the problem in the garage, Stewart was 35 laps down.

A bad night got worse for Stewart-Haas Racing on Lap 210, when Ryan Newman, Stewart's teammate, blew his engine, spun in his own oil and slammed into the outside wall in Turn 2, with Regan Smith hitting the wall behind him.

Clint Bowyer, last week's winner at Sonoma, was the innocent victim of contact that jeopardized his seventh-place position in the standings. Shortly after a restart on Lap 155, Bowyer was racing in close quarters with Newman, on new tires, and Joey Logano, who took fuel only during a pit stop under caution on Lap 150.

With a huge run off Turn 4, Newman clipped the back of Logano's Toyota in the tri-oval, turning him into Bowyer's Camry. On Lap 166, Bowyer brought his car to pit road, fearing he had a tire losing air. Bowyer lost two laps in the process and fell to 32nd in the running order.

But a cycle of green-flag stops and a free pass as the highest-scored lapped car returned Bowyer to the lead lap under the caution for Newman's wreck, and the driver of the No. 15 Toyota salvaged a 16th-place finish.

Sprint Cup—Quaker State 400 Results

Saturday

At Kentucky Speedway

Sparta, Ky.

Lap length: 1.5 miles

(Start position in parentheses)

1. (8) Brad Keselowski, Dodge

2. (19) Kasey Kahne, Chevrolet

3. (3) Denny Hamlin, Toyota

4. (7) Dale Earnhardt Jr., Chevrolet

5. (9) Jeff Gordon, Chevrolet

6. (1) Jimmie Johnson, Chevrolet

7. (20) Matt Kenseth, Ford

8. (10) Martin Truex Jr., Toyota

9. (16) A J Allmendinger, Dodge

10. (2) Kyle Busch, Toyota

11. (4) Kevin Harvick, Chevrolet

12. (15) Paul Menard, Chevrolet

13. (12) Marcos Ambrose, Ford

14. (31) Juan Pablo Montoya, Chevrolet

15. (17) Jamie McMurray, Chevrolet

16. (6) Clint Bowyer, Toyota

17. (34) Travis Kvapil, Toyota

18. (21) Casey Mears, Ford

19. (14) Kurt Busch, Chevrolet

20. (25) Carl Edwards, Ford

21. (11) Greg Biffle, Ford

22. (18) Joey Logano, Toyota

23. (38) David Reutimann, Chevrolet

24. (29) Jeff Burton, Chevrolet

25. (23) Landon Cassill, Toyota

26. (13) Aric Almirola, Ford

27. (28) Bobby Labonte, Toyota

28. (40) David Gilliland, Ford

29. (33) David Ragan, Ford

30. (39) Michael Waltrip, Toyota

31. (41) Ken Schrader, Ford

32. (22) Tony Stewart, Chevrolet

33. (26) Regan Smith, Chevrolet

34. (5) Ryan Newman, Chevrolet

35. (42) Dave Blaney, Chevrolet

36. (32) David Stremme, Toyota

37. (30) Josh Wise, Ford

38. (35) Michael McDowell, Ford

39. (24) Scott Speed, Ford

40. (27) Joe Nemechek, Toyota

41. (43) Stephen Leicht, Chevrolet

42. (37) Mike Bliss, Toyota

43. (36) Scott Riggs, Chevrolet

Race statistics

Average speed of race

winner: 145.607 mph.

Time of race: 2 hours, 45

minutes, 2 seconds.

Margin of victory: 4.399

seconds.

Caution flags: 4 for 24 laps.

Lead changes: 17 among 6 drivers.

Lap leaders: Ky.Busch 1-33; B.Keselowski 34-43; Ky.Busch 44; T.Kvapil 45; Ky.Busch 46-96; J.Johnson 97-98; Ky.Busch 99-129; D.Hamlin 130-149; J.Johnson 150; C.Mears 151; D.Hamlin 152-187; J.Johnson 188-203; D.Hamlin 204-205; B.Keselowski 206-207; Ky.Busch 208-209; J.Johnson 210-211; B.Keselowski 212-267.

Leaders summary (driver, times led, laps led): Ky.Busch, 5 times for 118 laps; B.Keselowski, 3 times for 68 laps; D.Hamlin, 3 times for 58 laps; J.Johnson, 4 times for 21 laps; T.Kvapil, 1 time for 1 lap; C.Mears, 1 time for 1 lap.

Top 12 in points: 1. M.Kenseth, 633; 2. D.Earnhardt Jr., 622; 3. J.Johnson, 610; 4. G.Biffle, 608; 5. D.Hamlin, 565; 6. K.Harvick, 565; 7. C.Bowyer, 557; 8. M.Truex Jr., 556; 9. T.Stewart, 545; 10. B.Keselowski, 537; 11. C.Edwards, 503; 12. Ky.Busch, 495.

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