Keller wins easily at Rockingham

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) _ Jason Keller was overpowering Saturday on the way to victory in the RBCTerm.com200 NASCAR Busch Series race at North Carolina Speedway. <br><br>With the last 68 of 197 laps run

Monday, February 25th 2002, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ROCKINGHAM, N.C. (AP) _ Jason Keller was overpowering Saturday on the way to victory in the RBCTerm.com200 NASCAR Busch Series race at North Carolina Speedway.

With the last 68 of 197 laps run without a caution, Keller's No. 57 Ford pulled steadily away and wound up beating the Taurus of runner-up Greg Biffle by 6.208 seconds _ about one-third of a lap on the 1.017-mile oval. Keller averaged 115.119 mph in a race slowed by five cautions for 27 laps.

It was Keller's sixth career victory and first since last May in Loudon, N.H., a span of 23 races.

``We've talked a big game all winter long and now here we are in Victory Lane,'' said Keller, who opened the season a week earlier with a fourth-place finish in Daytona and moved out to a 30-point lead over Scott Riggs in the standings.

Biffle, last year's top rookie, came back from a lap down to pass two-time Busch Series champion Randy Lajoie for second place on lap 164. By that time, Keller was long gone.

``If we could have had a caution and pitted for some new tires, maybe we could have given that 57 a run at the end,'' Biffle said. ``Give those guys credit, though. That car was really good today.''

Keller, who had led only four laps in his previous 18 starts here, led 76 laps Saturday, including the final 74.

Riggs, who finished sixth at Daytona, was fourth here, followed by Mike McLaughlin, Jack Sprague and Jimmy Spencer.

Former series champ Jeff Green started from the pole and led the first 90 laps. Once he fell out of the top spot, Green dropped back into the pack and wound up 11th.

Dale Earnhardt Jr., who won the Busch season-opener, did not enter this event. He will race in Sunday's Subway 400 Winston Cup race.