Stewart’s Oreo/Ritz Cracker Chevrolet ran strong all day, keeping ahead of the pack and ahead of the two multi-car accidents that sidelined half the field.
Stewart took the lead for the last time on lap 96 and held off charges by Justin Allgaier, Kevin Harvick, and Carl Edwards three-tenths of second ahead of his pursuers.
Stewart said he was not surprised to win again, because he always had great machinery.
“This Oreo/Ritz Cracker Chevy was awesome,” he said after the race. “This is really because of Kevin and Delana Harvick [owners of KHI Racing, who built the car] always give us great race cars, every time, so no I’m not surprised, just glad we’re here again.”
When asked how hard it was to hold off the repeated attacks in the final laps, Stewart responded, “You know they’re not going to just sit there and ride, and stay where they’re at. Everybody’s going t o try to win it, so you just got to have an idea how much longer you’ve got to do what you’re doing.”
Stewart started in 32nd place, but by lap 29 was in seventh, leading a six-car mini-pack in pursuit of the leading group of six cars, led by Kevin Harvick. Ten laps later he was in fourth, and charging. By lap 65 he was in the lead, and he was never far out of it for the rest of the race.
Wreckin’ Is Racin’
On lap 82, Dale Earnhardt Jr. moved into the lead, which he held until Tony Stewart and Kevin Harvick teamed up to take it away on lap 90. Right behind him, Carl Edwards decided to go high at the same time Brad Keselowski moved down the track. Edwards hooked Keselowski into Earnhardt’s right rear, spinning the Hellman’s Chevrolet which flipped onto its roof and rolled.
“I got turned in the right rear quarter panel. I guess a couple guys just got together and hooked somebody into me when my car rolled to the right it just dug in and rolled right over,” Earnhardt explained. 
“I was really disappointed for the Hellman’s folks, we were having a good run and I felt pretty good about our chances of winning the race.”
“In the very first accident that happened, I just kind of let off the throttle and slowed down and they slid down the track. And this one, there’s smoke, and I can’t see anything again, and I try and just slow down and roll it through the corner and that time we all hit," Patrick said afterwards.
“The disappointing part, more than anything, is I missed out on getting 40 or whatever laps left of experience I could have got, and the car was finally where I liked it. I felt confident to be able to run in a pack. I was kind of getting the hang of it. I can tell you, I will be a lot more confident and prepared for next year."
Earnhardt, seeing his entire Nationwide team wadded up in a single incident, quipped, “That was expensive right there. I’m going to go back and balance our books after this one. It’s been a rough day for JR Motorsports.”
Last Lap Shootout
The race was red-flagged to clean up the wreckage, and when it resumed, Tony Stewart wasted no time in getting to the front.
With 10 laps to go, the drivers started getting aggressive, blasting through the corners three wide, slipping and sliding and barely keeping it together. Last season’s Rookie of the Year, Justin Allgaier chased Stewart all the way to the finish line, but on the final lap, he got no help.
Edwards and Harvick teamed up to make a charge, then split, Edwards passing high while Harvick dropped low. Harvick nudged his way past Allgaier to take third while Edwards swept by cleanly into second right at the finish line.
“Second place is not a win but it’s a really great start to our season,” Edwards said after the race. “I had a lot of fun out there today and I’m excited about the 500 tomorrow.”
Right behind that group Kyle Bush and Brad Keselowski tangled in Turn Four, spinning across the track, but the checkered flag had waved, and Stewart was once again victorious at Daytona.
The next Nationwide race will be the Stater Bros. 300 at Fontana Auto Club Speedway in Fontana California, on February 20. Tickets are available online at the Autoclub Speedway Web site.
