Brad Keselowski Takes Win in Sta-Green 200 at Loudon

By Isabelle Beecy on July 13, 2014

Brad Keselowski celebrates his win at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Photo from Zimbio.

The NASCAR Nationwide Series raced in Loudon on Saturday afternoon, and it was a thriller to watch with Brad Keselowski starting on pole. After the green flag dropped, Kyle Busch, who started second, quickly took the lead. The caution came out soon after the start of the race, however, when Trevor Bayne hit the wall due to tire troubles following contact with Dylan Kwasniewski.

During the caution, Jeffrey Earnhardt, who’s been nursing a shoulder injury, pitted for a driver change with Matt DiBenedetto jumping in the car for Earnhardt.  The race restarted on lap nine, but the green flag period didn’t last long as the yellow came out again on lap 12 when Josh Wise stopped on the back stretch.

After the restart, it was green flag conditions­ for seventy-nine laps. However, there was still plenty of action as Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch battled for the lead. Busch’s cause was not helped when he started hearing a chatter or rattle from his tires but was able to keep up with Keselowski.  However, the pride of Rochester Hills, MI seemed like a man on a mission as he got to two and then three seconds ahead of Busch at one point.  Keselowski also eventually had at least one lap on those who were running positions tenth on back.

His three-second lead disappeared when the caution came out on lap 91 for debris in turn two.  There were two more cautions in quick succession after the restart.  It started with a caution on lap 101 when there was debris in turn two after Paul Menard made contact with the wall.  Then, on the restart on lap 107, the race went back to caution immediately as Elliott Sadler, Brian Scott, and James Buescher got involved in a crash in the second corner.

Following that dust-up, it was green flag racing until 61 laps were remaining, when there was debris in turn three.  After the restart, Keselowski and Busch fought for the lead, with Busch catching up and then slowing down mostly due to lap traffic.  At one point, Busch made contact with James Buescher, who was a lap down, but both were able to continue.  Despite James Buescher and Austin Theriault slowing down in the waning laps, Chris Buescher utilized pit strategy to place fifth.

Busch had made up some ground on Keselowski, but inside the final 10 laps, lap traffic and a slip up in the waning laps essentially decided the race.  Keselowski took the checkers while Kyle Busch, Matt Kenseth, Kyle Larson, and Chris Buescher rounded out the top five.

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