DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- From his perch atop Regan Smith's pit box, team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. had a clear view of the Daytona International Speedway finish line.
He thought he was about to watch Smith win as his driver pulled away from the pack on the final lap Friday night in the Nationwide Series race. Then Kasey Kahne came charging through the outside lane, pulled alongside Smith and nipped him at the finish line.
No worries for Earnhardt. Kahne also was in one of JR Motorsports' Chevrolets.
"I was just glad that it was one of our cars when I saw somebody flying by on the top," Earnhardt said. "When I got a glimpse of it, I was happy to see it was (Kahne.)"
It was Kahne's first Nationwide victory since a 2007 victory at Bristol while driving for Ray Evernham.
He hoped to translate it into another victory tonight in the Sprint Cup Series as Kahne looks for his first victory of the season. Kahne is the only driver of the four Hendrick Motorsports drivers yet to win this season.
"This will carry," Kahne said. "I haven't won in a while. To win in anything is good."
Kahne was 12th on a restart with three laps to go when Chase Elliott, another JR Motorsports driver, sputtered at the front of the field when the race went to green. Traffic stacked up behind Elliott and triggered a four-car crash that halted the restart.
Kahne maneuvered his way through the accident and found himself eighth when the race resumed for a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish. He weaved his way through traffic, but didn't appear to be in the mix for a shot at the victory as Smith pulled away from the pack.
But as the field hurtled through the final turn, Kyle Larson jumped out of line and made it three-wide behind Smith.
Kahne moved into the top lane and, using a push from Ryan Sieg, charged alongside Smith and beat him to the line by .021 seconds.
It was the sixth victory this season for JR Motorsports, and second consecutive following Kevin Harvick's victory last week at Kentucky.
"It feels good to win," Kahne said. "These guys have won five times already this year, so it's nice to get one. It was a fun race."
Smith, one of JR Motorsports' two full-time drivers, wound up second in his return to Daytona following his victory in February's season-opener. Despite the defeat, Smith reclaimed the series points lead from Elliott Sadler.
"It's kind of bittersweet," Smith said. "I'm disappointed for the team, I'm disappointed for my guys, and selfishly I'm disappointed. But, for JR Motorsports, I'm happy. A 1-2 finish is great. It's kind of a weird mix of emotions right now."
Sports on 07/05/2014