Hendrick Motorsports rookie Corey Day, 20, won the Focused Health 302 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway for his third career NASCAR O'Reilly Auto Parts Series victory. He beat JR Motorsports' Carson Kvapil by 0.287 seconds after the two traded the lead four times over the final 12 laps.
Day started from the pole in the No. 17 Chevrolet, won the opening stage, and led a career-high 136 of 201 laps. He made the winning pass with two laps remaining, even after brushing the wall several times. He admitted he was nervous about sliding up the track and giving the position away. Day had won at Talladega in April and nearly at Dover, but called his summer a "dry" stretch. The victory moves him to fifth in the 12-driver Chase standings with five races left, and he says he expected to contend for the title all along.
Kvapil, also a first-time winner this season, climbed to second in points, 19 behind Sheldon Creed. Jesse Love finished third, followed by William Sawalich and Taylor Gray. Sam Mayer rallied to sixth despite a pit-road penalty.
Justin Allgaier, the Chase's top seed, was caught in a Lap 55 crash with Brandon Jones, finished 34th, and fell to fourth, 31 points behind Creed.
