Kyle Larson smacked race leader C.E. Falk III out his way on the last lap exiting Turn 4 on the temporary .4-mile short track to score a history-making NASCAR victory.
Larson took his No. 98 Chevrolet Late Model to Victory Lane with a crumpled front nose after winning the inaugural Whelen All-American Series feature at the Speedway.
He exited the battered racer and stood on the roof his car where he was roundly booed by those in the grandstand.
I don't get booed very often, Larson said. It's kind of cool.
I got into him and didn't get off of him, he continued. I hate to win it that way. This was a pretty big race. I wanted to be the first to win it.
Falk was not pleased and admitted to venting in Turn 1 when the race was over. By the time he reached the media center, he had cooled off significantly.
I knew he would hit me, said Falk, who led 61 laps. He got me once, survived that, then got monster-trucked at the end.
It's fair game to hit someone once. When you hit the guy a second time, it's a pretty crummy deal.
The contact caused Falk's No. 40 Toyota to spin once. It was enough to allow Ben Rhodes to slip past in his No. 46 Chevy for second-place honors.
I started out with a great car today, Rhodes said. I couldn't ask for a better team. The heat race went great. The car got tight during the race. I was running a little too hard trying to keep up with those guys.
Anthony Anders was fourth in the No. 36 Chevy followed by Deac McCaskill, No. 08 Chevy. Daytona Beach driver Dalton Zehr, wheeling the No. 30 Chevy, finished eighth, the last car on the lead lap in the 29-car field.
The 150-lap race was slowed by numerous caution flags as the Late Model drivers tried to negotiate the hairpin-like turns, which required heavy braking.
It was like two drag strips connected by turns, said Larson, who swapped the lead with Falk four times over the last 10 laps.
Larson has enjoyed tremendous success in 2013. He has competed in a variety of racing series and won five features in eight starts. The 20-year-old driver from Elk Grove, Calif., finished second in Saturday's ARCA Lucas Oil 200 at Daytona.
I was using my brakes up, Larson said of his battle with Falk. On the last lap, I got a run on him, got underneath him, turned him around. I was glad to win.
It's been a great 2013. Anything goes. I don't do this kind of racing very often, but it seems like the second-place guy always wins.
The Battle At The Beach continues Tuesday night on the Speedway backstretch with a doubleheader featuring the NASCAR K&N Pro Series and NASCAR Whelen Modified Tour.
The modified race starts at 7:15 p.m. followed by the K&N Pro Series. Both of Tuesday's races are 150 laps.
