Meijer 300 - Kentucky Speedway

Leicht Shining in Victory Lane at Kentucky
Steve Wallace made sure Carl Edwards wouldn’t win another NASCAR Busch Series race. Instead, 20-year-old Stephen Leicht became a first-time winner in the series, passing his best friend Brad Coleman with 12 laps to go and pulling away to win the Meijer 300 at Kentucky Speedway. The 19-year-old Coleman, who took the lead on Lap 157, finished second. Scott Wimmer was third, with David Stremme fourth and Shane Huffman fifth. Aric Almirola was sixth, followed by Kelly Bires, David Ragan, Mike Bliss and Marcos Ambrose. Leicht’s victory came a year after another upset win, when David Gilliland stunned the field with a victory here. Working in his pit that day was Cully Barraclough, who interestingly now serves as Leicht’s crew chief. Edwards dominated the race, leading 96 of the first 156 laps. Edwards held a 11.6-second lead when NASCAR threw a caution for debris on Lap 151. On the restart, Steve Wallace tried to dart around Edwards, but when Edwards moved to block, Wallace dumped him, sending the No. 60 Ford spinning as the field drove toward Turn 1. Edwards came down the track and hit Wallace, causing heavy front-end damage. Wallace was able to continue, though he fell to the end of the lead lap. Coleman was running third when Edwards and Wallace wrecked, leading Wimmer and Leicht. Two more cautions slowed the action, but Wimmer wasn’t able to mount a challenge on Coleman. Regan Smith also had a strong car, leading 45 laps early in the race after winning his first Busch Pole. But after a long green-flag run, Smith ran out of gas coming into the pits, and his Ginn Racing team could not get the No. 4 Chevrolet restarted. Smith lost two laps and didn’t get back on the lead lap until 44 laps remained.

Meijer 300 Notes

· Race Results · Ford Post-Race Quotes · Toyota Post-Race Quotes · Rookie Post-Race Quotes · WIX Filters Lap Leader Notes · Point Standings · Owner Point Standings · Starting Lineup · Qualifying Results · Ford Saturday Quotes · Final Practice · Rookie Final Practice Quotes · Practice 2: Rookie Practice · Practice 1 · Ford Friday Quotes · Qualifying Order · Entry List · Weekend Schedule · Raybestos Rookie Notes · Kelly Bires Notes

· Carl Edwards Notes · Dave Blaney Notes · David Ragan Notes · Greg Biffle Notes · Marcos Ambrose Notes · Jason Leffler Notes · Shane Huffman Notes · Scott Wimmer Notes · David Stremme Notes · Mike Bliss Notes · Todd Kluever Notes · Eric McClure Notes · Aric Almirola Notes · Brad Coleman Notes · Timothy Peters Notes · Cale Gale Notes · Kertus Davis Notes · Kevin Hamlin Notes · Danny O’Quinn Jr. Notes · Chase Miller Notes

Regan Smith on Pole in Kentucky
Regan Smith won the Busch Pole for the Meijer 300 Present by Oreo, his first pole in 101 NASCAR Busch Series races. Smith turned a lap of 30.504 seconds (177.026 mph). Smith is the fourth first-time Busch Pole winner this season (Steve Wallace at Bristol, David Ragan at Texas, Brad Coleman at Talladega). This is Smith’s fifth top-10 start this season. His previous best start was fifth (Phoenix and Dover). Smith’s average start this season is now 15.4. This is Smith’s second top-10 start at Kentucky Speedway. His previous best start was sixth (2006). Chase Miller will start second in his second career NASCAR Busch Series start. He started 22nd in Nashville last week. J.J. Yeley will start third, his best starting position this season. His previous best was seventh at Darlington. It is his second top-10 start of the season.