SPARTA, Ky. - Rookie Ryan Blaney earned his first NASCAR Nationwide Series victory and another victory for Penske Racing’s No. 22 Ford, holding off Austin Dillon and surviving several late cautions to win Saturday night’s 300-mile race at Kentucky Speedway.
Blaney, who drives for Sprint Cup champion Brad Keselowski in the Camping World Truck Series, used his second start in the Mustang to claim the car’s 10th victory of 2013 and a season sweep at Kentucky. Keselowski drove the car to victory in June.
Blaney’s victory included tense moments over the final 40 laps, from beating Dillon off pit road with a two-tire stop on lap 166 to reclaiming the lead from Dillon after losing it on the restart. More tests followed, including a near-brush with teammate Sam Hornish Jr.’s loose Ford and one final restart.
Matt Crafton was third, Hornish fourth and rookie Alex Bowman fifth in a Toyota.
Dillon shaved two points off Hornish’s series lead and trails by just 15 with six races remaining.
Getting closer to Blaney was out of the question for Dillon and just about anyone in contention. Hornish gave it a shot late in the race before that late wiggle left him settling for his 21st top-five finish of the season.
Dillon had hope on several restarts, only to let the son of NASCAR veteran Dave Blaney quickly snatch it away on several late restarts. The final one typified the futility: Blaney blasted out on lap 191 to open up a three car-length lead and didn’t look back.
Hornish led 65 laps after starting on the pole, while Dillon led 32.
Sports, Pages 25 on 09/22/2013