Keselowski scores first win of 2013

Reigning champion Brad Keselowski finally scored his first win of the 2013 NASCAR Sprint Cup season in a Charlotte Motor Speedway race transformed by a late caution.

Jimmie Johnson had been on course for a dominant win in what had turned into a processional event until a debris yellow with 27 of 334 laps remaining. The five-time champion's Hendrick teammates Kasey Kahne and Jeff Gordon, both of whom had led stints earlier in, only took two tires at the subsequent pit stops and jumped to the front.

Johnson restarted third, but a big slide as he attacked at the restart dropped him to seventh. That allowed Johnson's title rival Matt Kenseth and Keselowski to move into victory contention after making gradual progress up the order through the night following poor early stints.

"It was just a never-give-up night," Keselowski said. "We had a lot of struggles tonight. We didn't qualify well (23rd), but we kept working our way forward. I knew we had a good car. I'm not sure we were as good as the 48 (Johnson) or the 5 (Kahne).
 
"I never got to really race them until the end and (Kahne) had two tires, so I think we were probably pretty even. When (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) made the call to take four tires, and I saw we were that close to the front, I knew we could get them." 

As Gordon swiftly fell back, Keselowski passed Kenseth and began to attack Kahne. At first the Hendrick driver was able to sweep back in front using a wider line every time Keselowski's Penske Ford got alongside. The battle was finally resolved with eight laps to go, and Keselowski was able to pull clearly ahead and go on to win by a second.

"I was on two (tires) and he was on four, and he could just move around a little bit better," Kahne said. "I was trying to move around, but I was just a little bit on the tight side with the front end, then I would get loose if I got the front working.
 
"I was doing all I could and felt pretty good, but he made some nice moves and just really had some speed there late in the race and was able to get by me." 

Kahne held off Kenseth and Johnson for second, meaning Kenseth keeps a four-point championship lead.

Kyle Busch was fifth, followed by front-row starter Kevin Harvick and Gordon.