Brad Keselowski wins at Daytona for 3rd win of the season

Brad Keselowski got his third win of the season on Saturday (AP).

Brad Keselowski has a win at Daytona.

The 2012 Sprint Cup champion held off Kurt and Kyle Busch on a two-lap sprint to the finish during Saturday night’s Cup race at Daytona for his first win at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Keselowski, along with his teammate Joey Logano, had one of the best cars throughout the entire race. He was out front when the restart happened and played the draft to perfection while watching the Busch brothers duel for second behind him.

Neither Kurt nor Kyle could gain an advantage as they raced side-by-side behind Keselowski. That meant Keselowski could simply play defense, going from high line to low line to defend against each brother if one would gain momentum.

The momentum never happened. And Kurt ended up sliding towards the infield wall off turn 4 on the final lap after contact from Logano’s bumper. Kyle Busch finished second.

The win is Keselowski’s second-straight restrictor plate win after he won in May at Talladega — where Kyle Busch also finished second. With a win at Talladega in the fall of 2014, the argument can certainly be made that Keselowski has become the most proficient driver at restrictor plate tracks as the racing has become dominated by the side draft.

The side draft is when a car pulls up to another car’s rear quarterpanel and deflects the air off the side of the car and onto the rear spoiler. The added air on the rear spoiler slows the car ahead down, allowing the car that closed in to keep its momentum and make a pass.

NASCAR’s current rules for restrictor plate racing has made the side draft exceptionally important. And while Keselowski has had fantastic cars at plate tracks, he’s also shown a great ability to time the side draft perfectly and slow a car down ahead to make the pass.

Keselowski’s win was the 20th of his career and the 100th in the Cup Series for Team Penske. He’s now tied with Kyle Busch for the series lead with three wins in the first 17 races of the season.

Many big names lost their chance for a win just past halfway when a 22-car crash happened in turn 1 when Jamie McMurray got loose and collected Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and others.