Junior wins as Cup stars dominate Busch race.

Dale Earnhardt Jr scored his third win in as many races at Daytona this year in Saturday's Koolerz 300 Busch Series race as drivers starting in Sunday's Daytona 500 swept the top six positions.

Earnhardt Jr led 66 of 120 laps with the DEI prepared #8 Oreo/Ritz Chevrolet Monte Carlo as he added Busch Series glory to his Bud Shootout and Gatorade 125 success and goes into Sunday's Daytona 500 poised to complete a historic clean-sweep at the 2.5-mile Superspeedway.

Saturday's race was largely dominated by the visiting Winston Cup drivers with the top six positions filled out by names also set to contest Sunday's blue-riband Daytona 500. Matt Kenseth followed Dale Jr across the line ahead of Kevin Harvick, Mike Wallace and Jamie McMurray.

Todd Bodine came home in a rather controversial sixth position having played a part in a race ending crash on the penultimate lap which saw NASCAR debutant Jimmy Vasser take two vicious hits and Jason Keller suffer slight burns and a possible concussion.

Vasser, who was set to score a top ten finish in his maiden Busch Series appearance, was shaken but uninjured and was finally classified 28th.

Not all of the visiting Winston Cup drivers enjoyed the same good fortune as Earnhardt Jr, Kenseth etc including two drivers who should be major players in Sunday's main event.

Daytona 500 polesitter Jeff Green was a last minute replacement for the flu-ridden Joe Nemechek and although the 2000 Busch Series Champion had to start from the rear of the field in Nemechek's pole winning car he was making great strides until contact with another car sent him crashing out of the event less than 30 laps from home.

Michael Waltrip also crashed out of the event in the late going, the innocent victim of Vasser's brush with the turn four wall, and then another car.

Of the Busch Series regulars Bobby Hamilton Jr played his cards right and came through the penultimate lap carnage smelling of roses to take seventh place with Kasey Kahne, Johnny Sauter and rising star Chase Montgomery rounding out the top ten.