Kevin Harvick, right, used a thrilling last-lap pass to steal a Daytona 500 victory.
He's apparently got the move mastered.
Harvick powered past Jamie McMurray on the outside of the last lap Saturday night to complete a come-from-nowhere victory in the exhibition Budweiser Shootout.
“That was some wild racing,” he said from Victory Lane. “What a race. That was wild as heck there at the end.”
Wild indeed.
It was Harvick's first victory in 71 races, dating to the All-Star race in May 2007. The only other event he won that year was the season-opening 500, when he nipped Mark Martin in a photo finish. Harvick was winless in 2008.
Now he's got the momentum heading into next weekend's Daytona 500.
He started 23rd in the Shootout, spent most of the race in the back dodging wrecks, then slowly worked his way up toward the front. McMurray seemed headed for the win until a late wreck between Greg Biffle and David Stremme set up a two-lap overtime sprint to the finish.
Harvick was in fourth on the restart, and didn't seem to have anything for McMurray.
But as they closed in on the finish line, he used a huge push from Denny Hamlin to slide past McMurray on the outside.
“It will be a long night,” McMurray said. “I'll think about what maybe I should have done different.”
Harvick coasted to the win as Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch all crashed behind him.
McMurray finished second and Tony Stewart was third. Complete results can be found here.
-- The Associated Press
Photo: Getty Images
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