Newman gives Penske First Plate win

With a last lap push from his teammate Kurt Busch, Ryan Newman was able to pass Tony Stewart on the final lap to give his owner Roger Penske his first ever restrictor plate race track win at the 50 Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway.

Penske Racing also experianced another first. With Kurt Busch finishing second in the Daytona 500, it's the first time that the Penske cars finished 1 and 2 at a Cup race.

Penske, the most successful owner in open-wheel history with 14 wins in the prestigious Indianapolis 500, now has a victory in NASCAR's showcase event. It only took him 23 years to get it.  It came in the historic 50th running of The Great American Race, and it came in thrilling fashion.

The Penske cars were quiet for 199 of the 200 laps, letting Joe Gibbs Racing stars Tony Stewart and Kyle Busch race each other in a battle of Toyotas. With one lap to go, it appeared Stewart finally would get a Daytona 500 win in his 10th try.

Running out front in the high line, he held off the two Penske cars as they circled the famed speedway. But as the Penske teammates closed in on him, Stewart didn't feel safe running out alone with no allies.

At the last second, he dropped low on the track to line up in front of Kyle Busch. The JGR teams had talked all week about the importance of teamwork, and Stewart thought he'd need Busch to make it to the checkered flag.

But the decision backfired.

Stewart couldn't hook up with Kyle Busch fast enough, and the two Penske cars steamrolled past him on the top.  Newman pulled away for his first win since New Hampshire in September 2005, while Stewart had to settle for third.

By:Eddie

Daytona 500 Results

Unofficial  Daytona 500 Standings

*Race results and standings  provided by NASCAR.com