Stewart Wins -- Again -- in Nationwide Race at Daytona

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- At some point, the folks at Daytona International Speedway might have to start etching Tony Stewart's name in the February Nationwide Series race trophy before they drop the green flag.

Stewart won Saturday's Drive4COPD 300 at the famous 2.5-mile track, holding off last lap charges by Justin Allgaier and Carl Edwards, to take his fifth win in his last six tries in the Nationwide season-opener.

Edwards finished second, Kevin Harvick third, Allgaier fourth and Brian Vickers fifth.

What, exactly is Stewart's secret of success?

"I wish I knew because I'd sell it to somebody," Stewart said in Daytona's victory lane, the 15th time he's been there in his career. "We've just been so fortunate so many times. As much as I'd love to say that I'm really that good, there's a lot of luck that goes into winning these things."

Stewart's luck showed on lap 92.

He slid his Kevin Harvick Inc., No. 4 Chevrolet into the lead a lap before the entire complexion of the race behind him turned upside down -- literally.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was on the inside line racing down the backstretch just behind Stewart, was hit in the right rear by Brad Keselowski after Keselowski was touched by Edwards. Earnhardt Jr.'s car jerked to the right and flipped violently on to his roof and into the outside wall.

As the No. 88 slid upside down on the backstretch, other cars plowed into his Chevy before it flipped back on its wheels in the infield grass.

Earnhardt Jr. emerged unscathed physically, but damaged monetarily.

"That was expensive right there," said Earnhardt Jr., who co-owns the JR Motorsports team that fielded his car as well as the one that Danica Patrick wrecked when she was caught up in a 12-car accident. "We're going to have to go back and balance our books after this one."

The 10-car wreck collected several contenders, but many continued on after some quick repairs on pit road. Harvick, Edwards, Keselowski, Busch and many more got a piece of the action.

Busch, the 2009 Nationwide Series champion, moved back into the top 10 before spinning after contact with Keselowski on the final lap. He was credited with an 18th-place finish.

Patrick, the IndyCar star making her first attempt in NASCAR, had somewhat of a muted debut after her strong sixth-place finish in the ARCA series race at Daytona a week ago. Patrick fell to the back early before being collected in a 12-car crash on Lap 69.

Right-front and nose damage forced her green and black No. 7 car to the garage and eventually out the race. Patrick was credited with a 35th-place finish.

Jason Leffler, one of the drivers involved in the Lap 69 incident, was the most vocal afterward, calling driver Josh Wise an "idiot" for causing the wreck. Ricky Stenhouse scrambled from his damaged Ford in turn 2 after the car erupted in flames while he limped it back to pit road.

All drivers involved in both major crashes were okay.

Busch, after starting first, was the first car back to the start/finish line to lead lap one, but by the time he got there the caution flag was already waving. Chrissy Wallace -- the daughter of Nationwide Series driver Mike Wallace in her first race at Daytona -- got loose off turn four, corrected and slammed the outside wall.

Trouble stuck again quick on lap seven when Trevor Bayne spun thanks to contact with Mike Bliss. Bayne hit the turn 2 wall head on, ending his day for Michael Waltrip Racing. Patrick narrowly avoided the wreck as it started just in front of her.

The green flag waved over the speedway again on lap 12, and by lap 20, Harvick was leading a five-car breakaway at the front of the field with Earnhardt Jr. second, Edwards third, Joey Logano fourth and Kyle Busch fifth.

Busch started to show some more muscle on lap 33 as he passed Earnhardt Jr. for second with the help of teammate Logano. Stewart, though, was the biggest mover at the start of the race. After starting 32nd, he was third when green flag pit stops began on lap 44.

The leaders came to pit road under the yellow flag on lap 75. Edwards emerged as the leader and Busch second when the green flag waved on lap 79.

The frontstretch grandstand came to life on lap 83, though, as Earnhardt Jr. jumped to the lead for the first time. A lap later, the race's fifth caution waved for debris on the backstretch.

When the green flag came out, it didn't take long for the lead to change hands. Stewart jumped up front around Earnhardt Jr. on lap 90 with a pass to the inside in turn three, just before the major wreck that saw Earnhardt Jr. flip on the backstretch.

Tony Stewart led as the field took the restart after a debris caution on lap 101 and continued to hold the field at bay with a strong race car on the inside line as the field flashed under the flagman while he flashed two open hands to the field, signaling 10 laps to go.

Allgaier stayed tucked in behind Stewart's No. 4 until Joey Logano tried to shove him out the way with nine laps to go out of turn four. Allgaier, though, made a nice save and clawed his way back to Stewart's bumper, but couldn't do anymore.