Nascar Race Today

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Flirting with disaster yet again as he did while winning the Daytona 500, Dale Earnhardt Jr. had the lead heading into the final lap but the gamble didn't pay off as Brad Keselowski won the Kobalt Tools 400 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.

Keselowski swept both the Nationwide and Sprint Cup races on consecutive days and secured his third top-five finish of the season through three races-the same as Earnhardt. The NASCAR on Fox account announced the results as the race went final:

.@keselowski wins #Kobalt400 as @DaleJr runs out of fuel on final lap" http://t.co/D8YHkyewIy #NASCAR http://ift.tt/NP8msF

- FOX SPORTS: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2014

The win not only secured his first of the season, but it also puts him in a prime position to make the chase after three dominant runs thus far on the year.

After winning the 2012 Sprint Cup Championship, Keselowki missed the Chase last season. But he feels he already has that pressure off him, according to Jeff Gluck of USA Today (via Fox's broadcast):

Brad Keselowski on FOX: "I don't have to hear that crap all year anymore of not being in the Chase."

- Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 9, 2014

Passing on the last lap of a race is certainly not something that's uncommon in NASCAR, nor is a driver in the lead running out of fuel.

As for Keselowski and Earnhardt, it was deja vu from the first ever win of Keselowski's career, per Matt Willis of ESPN:

This is the 2nd time @keselowski has won with a last-lap pass. Other was his 1st Cup win, 2009 at Talladega. Earnhardt Jr. 2nd in both.

- Matt Willis (@MattWillisESPN) March 9, 2014

While there was a feeling of elation for Keselowski, it was the exact opposite for Junior, who knew he just needed a little bit more fuel to pull off his second win of the season:

Dale Jr. tells PRN: "We tried to save as much as we could and make it work ... it's no shock to us to run out."

- Jeff Gluck (@jeff_gluck) March 9, 2014

Earnhardt actually provided a look at just how close he was at taking his second checkered flag of the year. The 39-year-old referenced sponsor Mountain Dew with crew chief Steve Letarte:

.@DaleJr "Probably would have had a better record with about a Mountain Dew can full of fuel." @SteveLetarte: "Our math is pretty good."

- FOX SPORTS: NASCAR (@NASCARONFOX) March 9, 2014

Here is a look at the top 10 finishers from the race. You can view the full leaderboard on NASCAR.com.

There were no wrecks throughout the race, but there was no shortage of cautions. Debris was the cause of four separate cautions during the first 220 laps.

As he revealed during a conversation with Letarte, per Richard Allen of RacingWithRich.com, Earnhardt was none too happy with the amount of cautions holding up the race:

"Why do they throw f***ing debris cautions right before the fuel window?" asks Junior. "They don't know when they are," says Letarte.

- Richard Allen (@RacingWithRich) March 9, 2014

The debris was also a source of controversy later on in the race, but this time it benefited Earnhardt as he was leading following the final caution and continued to surge.

Allen provides a look at a conversation between Clint Bowyer and his spotter, who believed there might have been a conspiracy at hand:

"We need a debris caution," says Bowyer. "Junior's leading and that ain't gonna happen," says 15 spotter. "Haha," laughs Bowyer. #NASCAR

- Richard Allen (@RacingWithRich) March 9, 2014

Earnhardt and Keselowski might have been the story of the race-and throughout the season, for that matter-but Paul Menard also put together a great run after finishing third, his best career finish at Las Vegas.

Menard came into the weekend not knowing if he would run and even had Matt Crafton standing by if he needed to be with his wife. Menard and his wife were expecting their first child over the weekend, but he was able to stay in the car and had a spectacular race.

Drivers will be right back at it again next Sunday in a short-track event during the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway with the green flag waving at 1 p.m. ET on Fox.

With 33 races remaining in the 2014 Sprint Cup season, there is still plenty of time for drivers to stake their claim at a chance to win it all. But with Keselowski and Earnhardt not relieving the reins, it's hard to imagine any driver overtaking either one for the top spot in the standings.

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