Brian Vickers didn’t see it coming. Brad Keselowski sure did.
With Vickers and Kyle Busch fighting it out on the final lap, Keselowski swooped in to grab the lead in the final turn and hold on to the Nationwide Series race Saturday at Michigan International Speedway.
“I knew they’d do what they did and that’s why I was sitting there lurking,” said Keselowski, a Michigan native. Houston Chronicle
“I saw ‘em bobble in [Turns] 3 and 4 there at the one-to-go, and I had ‘em,” said Keselowski, who grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich. “I knew it. I knew I could get to the outside and kill the 32 [Vickers]. I wasn’t sure about the 18 [Busch]—I don’t know what happened to him.
“Oh, my God, I won at home! I’m speechless. I can’t believe it. I’m terrible here, and to win here is a major accomplishment. ... It’s so cool to win in front of your home fans, and I thank all of them that came out [Saturday].”
Keselowski crossed the finish line 0.199 seconds ahead of Vickers, with Busch a close third. David Ragan and Kevin Harvick finished fourth and fifth, respectively. NASCAR
Busch and Vickers pitted with most of the lead-lap cars after a caution with 20 laps to go. They lined up in the second row for the restart behind Justin Allgaier, who stayed on the track, and Keselowski, who took only two tires, for a 12-lap dash to the finish.
Busch immediately took the lead when Vickers got hung up behind Allgaier, but came back to challenge and the two were side-by-side when another caution came out with 10 laps left.
NASCAR Nationwide Series: Carfax 250 at Michigan - Race Results
Vickers chose the outside lane on the final restart with seven laps remaining, and was poised to run away with the race. Busch caught back up and the two appeared ready to fight it out on the final lap when Keselowski came seemingly out of nowhere.
Busch apparently bumped Vickers’ car pulling onto pit road and the two exchanged words, but the confrontation didn’t escalate. The drivers did end up in a delightfully awkward news conference where they sat together and talked about one another while staring straight ahead.
“I knew the 88 was coming and man, I was stuck,” Busch said. “I didn’t have anywhere to go.”
Vickers admitted he didn’t know Keselowski was coming so quickly, but wasn’t willing to entertain Busch’s second-guessing.
“I race everybody the way they race me,” Vickers said. “We were racing for the win. Kyle, if you want to be upset with that, I’m sorry. That’s my job to try and win the race. If anyone else disagrees, if anyone else thinks I should have just rolled out of it and let Kyle win, please raise your hand. I’m fine. The only thing I’m upset with is how he handled it after the race. I’m sure we can get past that.” The Associated Press
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