Sunday, 17th February 2008

Tony Stewart heads home Joe Gibbs Racing 1-2 at Daytona.

From pole position Tony Stewart claimed the opening NASCAR Nationwide Series event of the year on Saturday at the Daytona International Speedway, his third such victory in what was formerly known as the Busch Series.

Having qualified his #20 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota on pole position Stewart and new teammate Kyle Busch were the class of the field throughout the 120-lap Camping World 300, crossing the finish line in a resounding 1-2 to give the Japanese manufacturer its most significant NNS win yet.

As expected the race provided rich pickings for the visiting Sprint Cup drivers with ten of the first eleven finishers also set to take the start of Sunday's Daytona 500.

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Stewart led a dutiful Busch across the line having used his teammates support to draft by Brian Vickers for the lead with five laps remaining. Busch then held off a charging Dale Earnhardt Jr over the closing two laps to allow Stewart an untroubled run to the chequered flag as Earnhardt Jr suffered his first defeat of Speedweeks 2008.

Vickers held on to take fourth place, making it three Toyota's in the top four, with Matt Kenseth leading the Ford runners home in fifth place.

Nationwide Series rookie Bryan Clauson was the best placed non-Cup driver home, taking fifth place for Chip Ganassi Racing, although he was the lone rose between the Cup Series thorns.

Greg Biffle, Denny Hamlin, David Ragan, Carl Edwards and Martin Truex Jr rounded out the top eleven with Kelly Bires, Johnny Sauter, David Reutimann and Bobby Labonte completing the top 15.

The race was run with only a couple of minor incidents and no ‘big one' that took out half the field. David Gilliland and Mark Green crashed out in the early stages but then the race ran cleanly until the final ten laps when Brad Keselowski collided with Steven Wallace coming off turn four in a crash that also swept up the defending series champion Kevin Harvick. Harvick remained on the lead lap and finished 21st, one place behind Scotland's Dario Franchitti.

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