JOLIET, Ill. (AP) - With the finish line coming fast on the final lap, Justin Allgaier saw Carl Edwards' car start to wobble as it ran out of fuel. And that's when Allgaier knew he would be able to get around him.
Allgaier made his move for the lead coming into the third turn and once he got by, his tank was empty, too. Somehow the momentum from having just a little bit more fuel allowed Allgaier to coast to the finish line Saturday night with Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne closing fast on both cars.
It was the only time Allgaier led all night at his hometown track, the Chicagoland Speedway. What a way to get his second career victory in the Nationwide Series, by winning the STP 300.
"I didn't know if we had enough time to get by him or not," said Allgaier, a native of Riverton. "He started wiggling pretty good and I knew he must have been out, so I got a big grin on my face ear-to-ear and turned left and as soon as I got even with him, mine ran out of fuel. I had just a little bit more momentum. I had probably an extra 100 feet of being on the throttle and not having the gas go."
Edwards, the points leader in the Sprint Cup series, thought he had enough fuel left to make it.
"With about five or six to go Justin really started coming so I just laid it down and started going," Edwards said.
Edwards said his initial reaction was to try to block Allgaier but then realized that might cause a wreck.
"As he went by me, he ran out of fuel, too, so if I could have gone just a little farther, literally 100 feet farther or 150 feet, I think we would have won the race," Edwards said. "They deserved it. They played the strategy better. But man that was tough to roll across that line with the engine shut off and just watch the car in front of you rolling, too. Another second of fuel it would have been a different story."
And what a story Bayne was in his first race since April 23 following a mysterious illness. He just couldn't quite catch Allgaier and Edwards, even after they ran out of gas.
"You know sitting there I was thinking as we were catching them at the line when they were out of gas, I'm like 'Man, I should have started going six laps earlier,"' Bayne said.
"It was an awesome day for us, good recovery here."
