DOVER, Del. -- Busch series champion Jeff Green took the lead with a quick pit stop late in the MBNA.com 200, then won after polesitter Ryan Newman started a three-car crash Saturday.

Newman had dominated the race until a decision by his crew to take four tires on the 176th of 200 laps at Dover Downs International Speedway. Green was among those who took two tires, and got out of the pits second to Mike McLaughlin, whom he passed on lap 180.

"Track position is everything when you come down to 10-15 laps to go; more important than four tires," Green said of the pit strategy of he and crew chief Harold Holly used. "If we got four, we were going to be fifth or sixth. And if we got two, we were going to be first or second.

"We just took a gamble and it worked."

After exiting the pits fourth on his stop, Newman found himself trapped behind a wall of cars. He tried to force his way through on the bottom of the track, but was unable to hold his line exiting the first turn and tapped Matt Kenseth into McLaughlin, who hit the wall.

Kenseth, who finished 10th, a lap down, gave Newman a tap on the cooldown lap.

With three of his top pursuers gone, Green was not challenged to the end. His Ford wound up 0.786 seconds ahead of Kenny Wallace's Chevrolet.

It was the third victory this season and 13th in Busch competition for Green, who next season will move into a Winston Cup car owned by Richard Childress.

"Dover is a special place, and I've been hoping to win here for a long time," Green said. "The guys made great pit calls all day and that last one put us out in front."

After that, Green said all he needed to do was take care of his tires.

"The car ran better because were we out in clean air," he said.

Wallace, among those who will race Sunday in the MBNA Cal Ripken 400, was impressed with Green's strategy.

"I can't believe we got beat by right-side tires," said Wallace, who changed four on his final stop.

Winston Cup driver Jimmy Spencer, the winner of the Dover Busch race three months ago, was third in a Chevy. It was another impressive outing for Spencer, who has three victories in 14 Busch races this season.

He said Newman should have learned a lesson about trying to go three wide on the high-banked concrete oval.

"It really got wild there at the end," he said. "I never knew you could race down on the apron, and he proved you can't." Newman called it a learning experience.

"I saw a hole and stuck the car in there," he said. "It was just an issue of the wrong place at the wrong time."

Chad Little finished fourth in a Chevy, followed by the Ford of rookie Greg Biffle.

Green averaged 107.598 mph in a $798,158 race slowed six times by 28 laps of caution. There were four lead changes among four drivers.

Series points leader Kevin Harvick, who also is cruising to the rookie title in Winston Cup, fought an ill-handling car and finished 14th, a lap down. He leads Jason Keller by 307 points with Green 318 back.

Green led only the last 21 laps. Newman showed the way for 141.