LaJoie wins Daytona event for third time in five years

February 17, 2001
8:20 PM EST (0120 GMT)

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. -- Randy LaJoie won his third NASCAR Busch Series NAPA Auto Parts 300 Saturday at Daytona International Speedway after his teammate and car owner crashed on the backstretch with less than two laps to go.

Randy LaJoie has won the Busch event at Daytona in 1997, 1999 and 2001.

LaJoie, who won the event in 1997 and 1999, took the checkered flag under caution in his No. 7 Evans Motorsports Pontiac after his car owner, Joe Nemechek, crashed his No. 87 NEMCO Motorsports Pontiac on the backstretch coming to get the white flag after he was hit from behind by Matt Kenseth.

2000 Busch Series Rookie of the Year Kevin Harvick, driving the No. 2 Chevrolet, finished second. Nemechek spun back into the pack and slammed former leader Jeff Purvis into the backstretch wall. He finished 29th. Kenseth finished third in the No. 17 Reiser Enterprises Chevrolet, followed by defending Busch Series champion Jeff Green in a Ford and Jimmie Johnson in a Chevrolet.

Mike McLaughlin, Jason Keller, Kenny Wallace, Chad Little and rookie of the year candidate Tim Sauter rounded out the top-10.

LaJoie, who won Busch Series championships in 1996 and 1997, averaged 135.152 mph for two hours, 13 minutes and 11 seconds. The race was delayed by a red flag period due to rain for one hour, 28 minutes and 20 seconds. There were six caution flags for 23 laps and seven drivers swapped the lead eight times.

"I knew these guys gave me an awesome Pontiac today," said LaJoie, who went to the back of the field at least twice due to problems on pit stops. "We had a Carl Wegner motor today that was good enough to bring us back to the front."

"We were trying to get this thing to finish one-two," said Nemechek, who joined his driver in Victory Lane for a celebration. "Matt had a heckuva run on me and I couldn't out-run him. He just turned me around and I just couldn't save it."