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Kenseth wins wreck-filled Sprint Unlimited

Matt Kenseth wins as drivers go at on pit road in a wild night of racing action at Daytona.

Race winner Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota celebrates

Race winner Matt Kenseth, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota celebrates

Rainier Ehrhardt

Danica Patrick, Joey Logano and Jamie McMurray
Jimmie Johnson, Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet
Tony Stewart, Stewart-Haas Chevrolet and Carl Edwards, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
Martin Truex Jr., Furniture Row Racing Chevrolet
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Joey Logano, Team Penske Ford
Kevin Harvick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet
Jamie McMurray, Ganassi Racing Chevrolet
Brad Keselowski, Team Penske Ford
Denny Hamlin, Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota
Greg Biffle, Roush Fenway Racing Ford
Danica Patrick, Stewart-Haas Racing Chevrolet

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. - After the fourth caution and the second yellow flag of the 75-lap NASCAR Sprint Unlimited at Daytona International Speedway on Saturday night, Matt Kenseth was able to stay up front for the win. Martin Truex Jr. finished second, and Carl Edwards finished third.

Kenseth on top

"It's a great feeling," Kenseth said. "Always fun to win at Daytona."

Kenseth led a total of 21 laps, taking the lead for good just before lap 57. By the time the yellow flag waved for the third time with 14 laps to go, Kenseth was joined up front by his new Joe Gibbs Racing teammate, Edwards. But Edwards drafted back on the final restart, being displaced by Truex in the runner-up spot.

Truex P2

Truex, after leading a race-high 30 laps, ran second to Kenseth the rest of the way, while Edwards worked his way back up to second.

"The race was over when Kenseth got by me for the lead," Truex said. He believes that Edwards was dragging the brake to make sure his teammate wouldn't get beat.

Casey Mears finished fourth, and Kyle Larson rounded out the top-five. Finishing sixth through 10th were Joey Logano, Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Danica Patrick.

Tempers flare

Logano and 11th-place finisher Kevin Harvick rubbed sheet metal and then exchanged words on pit road, as Harvick was angered by contact from Logano late in the race.

(Screw) him, I was trying to help him that mother (expletive)," an irritated Logano said over the radio.

"Kevin just being Kevin," Logano said of the post-race contact from Harvick. "He's an instigator, right? That's the same thing he is every time he talks to somebody."

Harvick responded with "Everyone is racing aggressively but you can't take your head off and put it in the floorboard" ... "He thinks he was helping but you just can’t drive someone into the fence, I told him the karma train was coming.”

CLICK HERE to read more of this post-race incident and Danica Patrick's involvement.

Carnage

More than half of the 25 cars in the race sustained damage in at least one of the four on-track incidents. Cautions came on lap 22, lap 45, lap 61 and lap 67, with the red flag being displaced following the lap 45 and lap 67 caution.

The biggest incident came on lap 45 when contact from Greg Biffle sent McMurray spinning while running second.

"He was helping (pushing) me, and it (getting the rear of the car lifted off the ground) two or three times before," McMurray said.

"It was some of the most intense speedway racing I've seen from beginning to end in a while," commented Hamlin, who was caught up in it. Read more on this incident HERE

During the cautions, several drivers were penalized through NASCAR's new pit road officiating system. McMurray was penalized for his pit crew going over the wall too soon, Ryan Newman was nabbed for driving through too many pit stalls and Harvick, Aric Almirola, Kurt Busch, Kyle Busch and Gordon were penalized for having too many crewmen over the wall.

The final caution came when Greg Biffle, Tony Stewart and Kurt Busch all crashed heavily. The race was stopped and put under red flag conditions twice.

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