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DARLINGTON, S.C. (AP) — Brad Keselowski moved to the front when leaders Chris Buescher and Tyler Reddick hit battling for first with nine laps left and held on to win the Goodyear 400 at Darlington Raceway on Sunday for his first NASCAR win in three years.
It was Keselowski's 36th career victory, his second at Darlington and his first since reconnecting with magnate Jack Roush and becoming a co-owner at Roush Fenway Keselowski Racing.
“Hell of an effort by everyone,” Keselowski said after crossing the finish line.
It appeared Keselowski's employee at RFK, Buescher, would get the win after he passed his boss and Reddick with 29 laps to go. But Buescher and Reddick then hit and fell back, opening the door for Keselowski's satisfying victory.
“What a heck of a day,” he said. “That battle out there with my teammate and Tyler Reddick, we just laid it all on the line.”
Ty Gibbs was second, Josh Berry third and Denny Hamlin fourth. Chase Briscoe was fifth followed by William Byron, Bubba Wallace, Justin Haley and Michael McDowell.
It was another near miss for Buescher, who lost by 0.001 seconds to Kyle Larson at Kansas in the closest finish in NASCAR history.
Buescher slid to 30th and Reddick 32nd.
Buescher confronted Reddick when both got out of their cars. Reddick took full blame for the incident.
Larson was in the top 10 when he spun out with 40 laps left and could not return.
BAD DAY
One slip up ended the chances of two NASCAR champions. Ryan Blaney, Martin Truex Jr. and Byron were three-wide on lap 128 when Byron tagged Truex who pushed into Blaney and sent him against the wall in turn two.
The crew for Blaney, the defending Cup Series champion, could not repair the damage and his day was done. He rode up alongside Byron to signal his displeasure with Byron's move.
“He used a little bit more race track than I thought, so I have every right to be mad and he gets away scot-free," said Blaney, who wound up last in 36th place.
Truex, the 2017 series champion, dropped from the top 10 and finished 25th.
ODDS AND ENDS
Berry's third place was his best showing since replacing retired Kevin Harvick in the No. 4 car. ... Erik Jones, twice a winner at Darlington, finished 19th his first time back in the car since suffering a compression fracture in a lower vertebra during a crash at Talladega last month. Jones missed races at Dover and Kansas. ... Larson's No. 5 paint scheme homage to Hall of Famer Terry Labonte's title-winning car from 1996 was voted the best throwback by the fans. ... The series takes a week off of points racing for the All-Star Race at North Wilkesboro in North Carolina.
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AP NASCAR: https://apnews.com/hub/nascar-racing