The final lap of a NASCAR race is usually a blur of speed. Saturday night's STP 300 was something else. Justin Allgaier coasted across the finish line to win despite running out of fuel after passing Carl Edwards on the final lap at Chicagoland Speedway as Edwards also ran out of fuel. Both were traveling about 50 mph when they rolled across the finish line, even as Daytona 500 winner Trevor Bayne was barreling toward them from behind. Bayne finished third.

The outcome was almost surreal, given the ferocity of the first 199 laps. Edwards and Elliott Sadler dueled for most of the last 50 laps. First Edwards was in control, then Sadler. Then Edwards, the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series points leader, forced the issue and retook the lead with 25 laps remaining. Did that scrap use too much fuel?

"I thought I'd saved about a lap of fuel," Edwards said. "With five or six laps to go, Justin really started coming, so I laid it down."

And ran out just before the entrance to Turn 3 on the 200th and final lap. Allgaier was wide-eyed at the sight.

"Coming off Turn 2, I didn't know if I'd have the time to catch him," Allgaier said. "Then he started wiggling, and I got a big grin."

Allgaier drew even, and as he did, his engine went silent. It was a coast to the finish, and Allgaier would win it. He led only the final lap, and only about seven-tenths of a mile of it.

"We were on power another 100 feet, and that was the difference," Allgaier said.

The difference by 1.719 seconds brought Allgaier his first win since last year at Bristol, and the second  win in the last three races by a NASCAR Nationwide Series driver championship contender.

Bayne's third-place finish came in his return after a six-week absence for an illness that baffled even doctors from the Mayo Clinic. He told ESPN during the race he "felt like an astronaut" with all of the air hoses blowing on him, fitting given the way he rocketed through the field. Bayne started 31st and ran as high as sixth after 57 laps. Then he held steady until the final laps, when drivers, including Sadler, had to pit for a splash of fuel.

"Man, I should have started going six laps earlier," Bayne said. "You can always say 'Shoulda.' "

Reed Sorenson finished sixth, the 38 points he earned enough to move him into the standings lead. Sadler is two points behind after finishing 11th, while Ricky Stenhouse Jr. dropped from second to third in the standings after running 14th.

Danica Patrick, in a one-week visit to NASCAR between IZOD IndyCar Series races, finished 10th, the first car a lap down. She also finished 10th in last week's Indianapolis 500.

An afternoon thunderstorm in the middle of qualifying forced the gridding of the field based on owner points, but the skies were clear throughout the race.


Pos Driver Car/Engine Laps Time/Delay 1 Justin Allgaier Chevrolet 200 2h 06:56. 2 Carl Edwards Ford 200 1.719 3 Trevor Bayne Ford 200 22:53:04. 4 Aric Almirola Chevrolet 200 22:53:04. 5 Jason Leffler Chevrolet 200 22:53:04. 6 Reed Sorenson Chevrolet 200 22:53:04. 7 Kenny Wallace Toyota 200 22:53:04. 8 Kelly Bires Toyota 200 22:53:04. 9 Michael Annett Toyota 200 22:53:04. 10 Danica Patrick Chevrolet 199 1 Lap 11 Elliott Sadler Chevrolet 199 1 Lap 12 Steve Wallace Toyota 199 1 Lap 13 Kevin Harvick Chevrolet 199 1 Lap 14 Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Ford 199 1 Lap 15 Timmy Hill Ford 199 1 Lap 16 Mike Wallace Chevrolet 199 1 Lap 17 Brian Scott Toyota 199 1 Lap 18 Eric McClure Chevrolet 199 1 Lap 19 Scott Wimmer Chevrolet 198 2 Laps 20 Ryan Truex Toyota 198 2 Laps 21 Joe Nemechek Toyota 198 2 Laps 22 Mike Bliss Chevrolet 196 4 Laps 23 Derrike Cope Chevrolet 196 4 Laps 24 Charles Lewandoski Chevrolet 196 4 Laps 25 Morgan Shepherd Chevrolet 196 4 Laps 26 Josh Wise Ford 195 5 Laps 27 Blake Koch Dodge 194 6 Laps 28 Kevin Lepage Chevrolet 193 7 Laps 29 Jeremy Clements Chevrolet 186 14 Laps 30 Brad Keselowski Dodge 139 Engine 31 Carl Long Ford 79 Steering 32 Robert Richardson Jr. Dodge 64 Electrical 33 Mikey Kile Chevrolet 62 Engine 34 Tim Andrews Ford 29 Ignition 35 Dennis Setzer Chevrolet 24 Vibrations 36 Rick Crawford Ford 22 Vibrations 37 Matt Carter Chevrolet 18 Rear end 38 Johnny Chapman Ford 15 Overheating 39 Mike Harmon Chevrolet 6 Clutch 40 Jeff Green Chevrolet 3 Transmission 41 Chase Miller Chevrolet 3 Handling 42 Brett Rowe Chevrolet 3 Brakes