| | Associated Press
Results
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. -- Jeff Green won the Myrtle Beach 250 on Saturday night, completing a dominating day at one of his favorite tracks with a 1.029-second victory over Kevin Harvick.
It was Green's second straight win at the tricky half-mile oval
and his second consecutive Busch Grand National victory this year.
He extended his series points lead to 299 over Todd Bodine.
"We're always trying to get top fives. As good as this car was
tonight, top five wasn't going to be nearly good enough," said
Green, who started from the pole for the second time at the track.
Green, from Owensboro, Ky., learned to drive on the smallish
track at Nashville, so he quickly came to love Myrtle Beach's tight
corners. He and wife Michelle took their honeymoon here in 1991 and
get to the area a few days early each year for "a mini-vacation."
Harvick, a rookie on the Busch series, tried to ruin Green's
getaway, battling him tight through the first 50 laps -- including
nearly spinning him out on lap 40 -- then sticking with the veteran
on two restarts the final 44 laps.
Green blocked Harvick every time and gradually pulled away for
his third victory this season and seventh of his career.
"I guess he was mad," Green said of Harvick. "He kind of made
me mad with what he did. But he's a rookie, we all make mistakes.
He raced us clean at the end."
Green led 198 laps, including the final 103.
Elton Sawyer was third, followed by Green's teammate, Jason
Keller,
No one was stopping Green, who came from 29th to win last year.
This time, he made sure he wouldn't have the same struggles.
Keller, who lost this race to Green a year ago when his tire
went flat while leading three laps from the end, was Green's
stiffest challenge the second half of the event on the .538-mile
course.
But after Green gave way to Keller on lap 147 so his teammate
could gain lap-leader points, Green took the lead for good on the
next lap and was never pushed.
He led Keller by more than a quarter of the track with 60 laps
to go.
About the only things that slowed Green were the final two of
seven cautions, which gave Harvick his last chances for his first
victory.
He nosed his car underneath Green and looked like he had a
passing lane. But Green blocked him.
Harvick tried the same move on the final restart on lap 215 and
again Green stopped him.
"This car took off and it was pretty awesome," said Harvick,
who had his career best finish. "Maybe soon, we'll figure it
out."
Green won with an average speed of 69.399 mph.
"This just seems to suit my style," said Green, who won last
week in South Boston, Va. "It favors me in a race. I'm very laid
back and try to conserve my equipment. I think that pays off for me
here."
It was a relatively clean race with drivers handling the
expanded pit area and tighter race surface -- the retaining wall is
several feet out from where it was a year ago -- well.
The craziest moment was after Jeff Purvis slammed the wall in
turn 2, then waited by his wreck as cars passed. When Randy LaJoie
drove low to get around clean-up crews, Purvis chased him and
shouted.
Purvis was taken by NASCAR officials for a cooling off period.
"He tried to do it last week. He got me this week," Purvis
said of LaJoie. "I really don't understand. I just wanted to ask
him about it."
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