From nascar.com
Nearly three years after a NASCAR ruling denied him his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory, Regan Smith finally got the elusive win.
After staying out on old tires, Smith held off Carl Edwards to win Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in a dramatic green-white-checkered flag finish.
Smith crossed the finish line .196 seconds ahead of runner-up Edwards.
“This is the Southern 500 - we’re not supposed to win this thing,” an incredulous Smith radioed to his crew after the race.
Brad Keselowski, also on old tires, finished third, with polesitter Kasey Kahne running fourth and Ryan Newman fifth.
The victory was redemption for Smith, who was deprived of an apparent victory at Talladega in 2008 when he was penalized for passing “Smoke” Tony Stewart below the yellow, out-of-bounds line that separates the racing surface from the apron.
Point standings:
1.Carl Edwards, 378 points
2.Jimmie Johnson, 355
3.Kyle Busch, 339
4.Dale Earnhardt Jr, 331
5.Kevin Harvick, 328
6.Ryan Newman, 317
7.Tony Stewart, 313
8.Kurt Busch, 306
9.Clint Bowyer, 297
10.Matt Kenseth, 295
Nearly three years after a NASCAR ruling denied him his first NASCAR Sprint Cup victory, Regan Smith finally got the elusive win.
After staying out on old tires, Smith held off Carl Edwards to win Saturday night’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in a dramatic green-white-checkered flag finish.
Smith crossed the finish line .196 seconds ahead of runner-up Edwards.
 |
| Photo: Getty Images for NASCAR |
“This is the Southern 500 - we’re not supposed to win this thing,” an incredulous Smith radioed to his crew after the race.
Brad Keselowski, also on old tires, finished third, with polesitter Kasey Kahne running fourth and Ryan Newman fifth.
The victory was redemption for Smith, who was deprived of an apparent victory at Talladega in 2008 when he was penalized for passing “Smoke” Tony Stewart below the yellow, out-of-bounds line that separates the racing surface from the apron.
Point standings:
1.Carl Edwards, 378 points
2.Jimmie Johnson, 355
3.Kyle Busch, 339
4.Dale Earnhardt Jr, 331
5.Kevin Harvick, 328
6.Ryan Newman, 317
7.Tony Stewart, 313
8.Kurt Busch, 306
9.Clint Bowyer, 297
10.Matt Kenseth, 295
Article Gallery