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LAS VEGAS -- Brad Keselowski once blew a tire while leading the final lap of this same Nationwide Series race, so he knew he couldnt get excited about a victory in Vegas until he actually crossed the line. Wade Boggs Jersey . He finally got there Saturday after overcoming electrical problems, traffic and Kyle Busch for an uncommonly satisfying victory. Keselowski held off Busch in the final laps to win the Nationwide race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for the first time. Keselowski earned his 28th career Nationwide win on his 20th track, doing it in his eighth try in Vegas -- where he infamously blew a tire on the final lap in 2011, handing a win to Mark Martin. The 2012 Sprint Cup champion finally cracked this track despite a remarkable series of setbacks and challenges that left Keselowski more relieved than excited. "We found every way we could to make it hard," Keselowski said. "This Ford was flying today. These races arent getting any easier to win. I drove as hard as I could, every lap." Keselowski has been in contention in the Nationwide race in Las Vegas several times over his previous seven starts, but managed just two top-10 finishes after repeated trouble. He found enormous trouble in this one, but still led 144 of the 200 laps. He had led 106 of the first 139 laps before a sluggish green-flag pit stop allowed Busch to move in front. Keselowski also lost three spots early after sliding through his pit box, and he later lost power because of a faulty alternator, forcing him to turn off equipment. "It was systematic alternator failure," crew chief Jeremy Bullins said. "At that point, you go into safe mode, shut off everything you can, and hope the battery makes it to the end. We were losing power at the end, but we had enough to make it." Keselowski then navigated through a thicket of traffic on the final laps in an exciting finish. "I knew it was just a matter of time before (Busch) caught me," Keselowski said. "I was just trying to get through as much traffic as possible." Busch came up from a 37th-place start to finish second on his hometown track, but couldnt catch Keselowskis Penske Ford. Busch, who got sent to the back for making adjustments after qualifying, was decidedly unimpressed with his cars engine, which is from Joe Gibbs Racing, not Toyota. "Our car was super-fast on the long run," Busch said. "Best motor won today, thats for sure. Probably the best car. He was really good. Thats all we had." Kyle Larson was third despite early damage to his car, and Dale Earnhardt Jr. finished fourth in front of 18-year-old rookie Chase Elliott, who posted his first top-five finish. Larson managed a standout finish despite hitting the wall early in the race, while Elliott also gave an impressive performance. The races most eye-catching move was made by Matt Kenseth, who was racing three wide with Busch and Keselowski when he spun on the final turn on the 159th lap, turning sideways into the straightaway. Kenseth incredibly managed to save it without crashing, while Elliott also narrowly avoided running straight into Kenseths perpendicular car. Regan Smith leads Trevor Bayne atop the Nationwide points standings through three races, with Elliott Sadler in third and Ty Dillon fourth. Hanley Ramirez Authentic Jersey .Eric Tangradi had an empty-net goal with 52 second left in regulation and added two assists to lead the Hamilton (22-17-6) offence. Drayson Bowman, Jacob de la Rose and Sahir Gill also scored.Tyler Graovac scored shorthanded for the Wild (15-29-2), who have dropped six straight games. Carl Yastrzemski Jersey . Moulson left late in the third period of Thursdays 3-2 win in Phoenix with an undisclosed injury, which the club revealed on Friday was an upper-body issue.ARLINGTON, Texas -- Texas Rangers President and Hall of Fame pitcher Nolan Ryan was impressed by his first meeting with Japanese sensation Yu Darvish and is confident a contract will be completed by next weeks deadline. "My expectations are that well get something done," Ryan said Thursday night, then added the term "optimistic." The Rangers last month bid a record US$51.7 million under the posting system to win the right to negotiate with the 25-year-old Darvish, considered Japans best pitcher. The 30-day negotiating window for the two-time defending American League champions ends Wednesday at 4 p.m. CT. Ryan declined to elaborate on negotiations, but didnt express any concern about the possibility of them going down to the wire. "Thats the nature of these things," Ryan said before a team awards show that kicked off the Rangers annual winter FanFest weekend. The six-foot-five Darvish last week visited Texas for the first time with his representatives and family members. He visited Rangers Ballpark and met with team officials, including Ryan, before returning home to Japan. "Obviously, he was bigger than I thought," Ryan said. "I thought hes built like a pitcher. He looks good. I think he understands a lot of English and I just like his attitude about wanting to compete. To me, he represented all I had been led to believe, so I felt really good about it." Thats quite a compliiment coming from Ryan, the hard-throwing Texan who played a record 27 major league seasons and is baseballs career strikeout king. Carl Yastrzemski Red Sox Jersey. The Rangers, who have been scouting Darvishs games in Japan for at least two years, only pay the $51.7 million posting fee if he signs with them. Darvish, the son of an Iranian father and a Japanese mother, went 18-6 with a 1.44 ERA last season for the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters. He had 276 strikeouts to lead the Pacific League. Darvish, who turned pro at 18, pitched in the 2008 Beijing Olympics and was a member of the Japanese team that won the 2009 World Baseball Classic. The right-hander has superb control and throws seven effective pitches. "Ive never seen any film on him, but heard that hes very good," Michael Young, the Rangers longest-tenured player, said with a smile. "Very good players are always welcome." Texas has lost its No. 1 pitcher in free agency after each of the last two World Series. Cliff Lee left after the 2010 season to return to Philadelphia, and left-hander C.J. Wilson agreed to a $77.5 million, five-year contract with the AL West rival Los Angeles Angels last month. "I think everybodys pretty optimistic that well sign Yu Darvish and hopefully he can bring a lot to this team," outfielder David Murphy said. "All I know is what Ive seen on TV. ... He looks like hes got electric stuff." cheap nfl jerseys cheap jerseys ' ' ' |
