NASCAR Nationwide Series at Charlotte 2014 Results: Winner, Standings, Reaction

Brad Keselowski took home the Nationwide Drive for the Cure 300 in impressive fashion Friday night with a late charge.

It marked his fourth win in nine starts this season, while Kyle Busch checked in at second and Matt Kenseth finished in third. It wasn't exactly a surprising finish considering this was a Nationwide race, but it was still a solid performance from all three racers, regardless.

Here is a look at the top 10 finishers from Friday’s race:

Place	Driver	Time Behind Leader	Laps Led
1	Brad Keselowski	--	22
2	Kyle Busch	.377	34
3	Matt Kenseth	.399	52
4	Ryan Blaney	2.722	14
5	Kyle Larson	2.967	0
6	Chris Buescher	3.477	0
7	Trevor Bayne	3.924	0
8	Chase Elliott	5.119	66
9	Elliott Sadler	6.198	0
10	Brian Scott	6.750	0

It didn’t take long for the action to unfold, even if it wasn’t exactly the type of action that the drivers were looking for on the track. In fact, it took all of a single lap for a notable wreck.

NASCAR on ESPN described the action, while Fox Sports: NASCAR and Jim Utter of The Charlotte Observer pointed out all the drivers who were involved:

"

Hard crash for J.J. Yeley at the drop of the green flag. Jeffrey Earnhardt, Will Kimmel, Tanner Berryhill & Corey LaJoie also involved.

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 10, 2014"

JR Motorsports passed along a rather amusing comment, and Richard Allen of RacingWithRich.com had an interesting take on the development:

The race got back to something resembling normal again for the rest of the early laps. However, Regan Smith was still having some issues, via Utter:

Chase Elliott, on the other hand, was moving right on up the standings, as Fox Sports NASCAR and and Bob Pockrass of Sporting News noted:

However, it was Kyle Larson who made a significant move early on, via Fox Sports NASCAR:

Larson finished in second place back at Fontana, Calif. earlier in the year and discussed the similarities between that track and Charlotte, which he hoped would play to his advantage, via Utter of The Charlotte Observer:

“I think it’s a little bit of experience, second time at the track, and a lot of these tracks in the Chase are some of my best tracks. So I think that's why we've been running really well.

Charlotte is another mile-and-a-half (track), so we should hopefully be pretty good there.”

Elliott and Kenseth battled for the lead in the middle laps, as Smith stayed right in contention. JR Motorsports noted that Elliott and Smith got some good news at lap 68:

Things took a turn for the worst again on Lap 75 after a large wreck. NASCAR on ESPN, Fox Sports NASCAR and NASCAR Nationwide described the action:

"

Among those involved: Dillon, Contreras, Clements, Conley, McClure, J. Buescher.

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 11, 2014"

Pockrass of Sporting News gave fans an inside look at the damage to Ty Dillon's car and what it meant moving forward:

Back on the actual track, Elliott made a charge, as Fox Sports NASCAR and NASCAR on ESPN pointed out:

"

Halfway as Chase Elliott leads teammate Regan Smith Kyle Busch, Kyle Larson and Brad Keselowski.

— NASCAR on ESPN (@ESPNNASCAR) October 11, 2014"

Busch made a charge as the drivers entered the stretch run. Fox Sports provided a leaderboard update with 75 laps remaining:

After a critical reset, the drivers began to make a number of moves near the top of the leaderboard. NASCAR pointed one out in particular between a youngster and a veteran:

Things certainly got interesting with only 30 laps remaining. All of the leaders went into pit road under caution, which set the stage for a dramatic finish. That is when Larson made an incredible move, as Dustin Long of Motor Racing Network and Fox Sports NASCAR pointed out:

NASCAR set the stage for the final stretch after another caution:

"

15 to go. Stop what you're doing and get to ESPN2. @RyanBlaney22 is trying to hold off the big guns. pic.twitter.com/RbdqRsHKDP

— #MyChaseNation (@NASCAR) October 11, 2014"

It didn't take long for Ryan Blaney to lose that lead over the big names. Keselowski took the lead right away from his teammate with 13 laps remaining. Keselowski held everyone else off with an impressive closing kick to take home the title Friday night.

NASCAR and Fox Sports NASCAR captured the moment: 

There is now something of an extended break for the NASCAR Nationwide Series after Keselowski's victory. In fact, they don't hit the track again until Nov. 1 at the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at the Texas Motor Speedway.

The question now is whether Keselowski can carry his momentum from his impressive performance into the next Nationwide race or the next time he hits the NASCAR track. What' more, it will be interesting to see if that long of a break will impact the rest of the field, especially those who don't race in as many races as Keselowski.

Regardless of what is on the horizon, Friday was an evening of celebration for Keselowski after the victory.