Stewart squeaks past Bowyer for Nationwide win

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. | Tony Stewart gave a primer on how today’s Daytona 500 will be run and won. Get ready for drivers racing in two-car drafts, and the best push will produce a trip to victory lane.

Stewart, getting a shove from youngster Landon Cassill, roared past pole-sitter Clint Bowyer on the final lap and won Saturday’s Nationwide Series race at Daytona International Speedway by .007 of a second.

Mastering the tandem-style of driving that has been created by the new surface at Daytona and the redesigned noses on the 2011 race cars, Stewart won the third-closest finish in Nationwide Series history and closest at Daytona since the introduction of electronic scoring.

And it was Stewart’s fourth straight victory and his sixth in the last seven February Nationwide races at Daytona.

“Landon did a good job of making some moves to get through traffic,” said Stewart, who had been pushing Cassill for eight laps until there were three to go. “When the two cars ahead of us (Kyle Busch and Joey Logano) swapped positions, I made the decision for us … it was kind of like calling an audible …

“Landon pushed and pushed and did a really good job,” added Stewart, who was driving a Chevrolet for Kevin Harvick, Inc.

Cassill, 21, and without a permanent ride, finished a career-best third. Dale Earnhardt Jr. was fourth.

Bowyer, of Emporia, Kan., , led the most laps with 40. He drafted with his teammate Stewart for most of the day until Stewart had a flat tire just before a red flag stopped the race for 5 1/2 minutes because of an accident with 11 laps to go.

At that point, Bowyer hooked up with Earnhardt and was leading when the race resumed with six laps to go.

“I looked in the mirror, I saw Junior, the only Chevrolet up there,” Bowyer said. “I knew he was going to work with me. He shoved me all the way to the last lap. I tried to block (Stewart’s) momentum. About that time, Junior ducked under me, I had to block him. All hell broke loose.”

Stewart’s victory by milliseconds came two days after Bowyer lost a Gatorade Duel race to teammate Jeff Burton by .005.

“These thousandths … not much fun losing by that much,” said Bowyer. “But when you’re in the money, that’s what it’s all about … an opportunity to come off of turn four. You work the whole race to put yourself in a situation to be there at the end. I’ve been able to do it twice.

“I’ve just got to get it all together for (today) and win the big one. If I could give these two up to win that one, make the third one a charm, it would be a hell of a charm.”

Stewart, too, is hoping to replicate Saturday’s performance in today’s Daytona 500. He won his 16th career race at Daytona, tying him with Bobby Allison for second all-time, trailing only the late Dale Earnhardt, who won 34 times at the track.