Said wins by .012 seconds

MONTREAL - Boris Said has made a living helping NASCAR drivers master road courses with the expertise he's accumulated racing around the world. With his 48th birthday looming in three weeks, he finally helped himself.

Said came back from an early spin and won the Nationwide race at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve on Sunday, edging Max Papis by a nose on a green-white-checkered finish to win the crash-filled event.

"I can't believe it!" Said shouted over the radio of his 09 Ford to team owner Robby Benton. "I'm going to keep trying until I win a Cup race."

Last year, Carl Edwards passed Marcos Ambrose on the final turn to win here, and it seemed like a repeat when Papis dove past Said entering the final chicane. The lead lasted only for a split second, though. Said never lost momentum and sped back by as Papis sailed wide, and he outraced him to the line.

The margin of victory was .012 seconds, fifth-lowest all-time and closest since 1998 at Homestead.

"I thought I went pretty deep," Said said. "I wanted to be careful, I didn't want to overshoot it. When he went that deep, if he makes it he deserves it."

Papis, driving Kevin Harvick's No. 33, didn't and Said had his first career Nationwide victory in 22 races over the past decade and his second in NASCAR. He also won a truck race at Sonoma in 1998, his only triumph in 127 previous starts across NASCAR's top three series.

French Canadian star Jacques Villeneuve started on the front row and was third in his No. 32 Toyota, followed by series points leader Brad Keselowski and Paul Menard.

"You need the fastest car at the end of hte race," said Villeneuve, who elicited roars from the animated crowd when he briefly got past Papis with one lap to go. "We just didn't lead the race long enough. We were just behind some road race experts the last three laps. It was one thing to get by him (Papis), but it was tough. I didn't make it stick."