| | Associated Press
Results
DOVER, Del. -- Jason Keller avoided a rash of accidents as he moved through the field, then held off Mark Martin over the last 43 laps to win the MBNA Platinum 200 on Saturday at Dover Downs International Speedway.
The 30-year-old driver from Greenville, S.C., beat Winston Cup star Martin by three car-lengths for his first NASCAR Busch series victory of the year and fourth of his career.
Keller started 22nd in a crash-filled race that featured six cautions for 38 of 200 laps at The Monster Mile. He led only once, using lapped traffic to move his Chevrolet past the Ford of Martin, a moonlighting Winston Cup star hoping in his last season on the Busch circuit to add to his series-best 44 career victories.
Keller, challenged hard by Martin over the final laps, wasn't certain he would win.
"I thought he was saving his tires," Keller said. "And I
thought we were too loose, but it worked out there at the end."
But Martin, who starts fourth Sunday in the MBNA Platinum 400,
didn't have tires as fresh as those of Keller because he stayed out
to pick up track position when the leaders pitted on lap 102.
Martin started ninth, but fell as far back as 25th because of an early-race problem with his carburetor. Like Keller, he was just another number in the field as polesitter Kevin Harvick dominated the first half of the race, leading twice for 97 laps. But Harvick faded, and by lap 114 Martin was in front until
Keller moved around him on lap 158.
"We just had to play the hand that was dealt to us," Martin
said. "I tried to pressure him, but I just couldn't run with him
at the end."
Keller, who last won in 1999 at Indianapolis Raceway Park, said
his car took on various identities during the race. It ran fast and
straight whole alone but didn't handle as well in a pack.
In the waning laps, however, he deftly avoided lapped cars as
Martin tried to outmaneuver him in traffic. Keller was particularly
thrilled to have beaten Martin, who got the first of his 44 Busch
victories 13 years ago at Dover.
"Mark Martin's the best," Keller said. "This is the best race
I ever drove.
"I kept checking my mirror to see if this was going to be a
dream or a nightmare."
Matt Kenseth, a former Dover Busch winner who leads the Winston
Cup rookie points race after a victory last Sunday night in
Concord, N.C., finished third. Busch points leader Jeff Green, who
led for five laps, wound up fourth.
"We didn't have enough to win." Green said. "If you don't
win, a top-five finish is what you want, and that's what we got."
Joe Nemechek was fifth, followed by Harvick and Michael Waltrip
as Chevys took six of the top seven positions.
Keller collected $45,350 from a purse of $757,395. He averaged
99.709 mph. There were six lead changes among six drivers.
Kyle Petty, driving the car of his late son, Adam, who was
killed May 12 in Loudon, N.H., finished 26th.
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