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DARLINGTON, S.C. -- NASCAR Busch Series champion Jeff Green finally found the winning touch this year, holding off Matt Kenseth the final 25 laps to win the SunCom 200 at Darlington Raceway Saturday.

Green, whose team switched from Chevrolets to Fords this season, beat Kenseth out of the pits on lap 123 and finished less than a second in front for his first victory at the track.

	Jeff Green's pit crew celebrates after winning the SunCom 200 at Darlington Raceway.

"This is a great day," said Green, who has 17 career Busch victories. "We knew it was going to take us a little while to get used to the change and it's getting better every week."

Green's season started slowly after a spectacular 2000, when he took the driver's title by 616 points over teammate Jason Keller. Even though he had four top 10 finishes and leads the points race this year, it was uncertain if Green's Ford would ever have the same muscle as his Chevy.

He and his crew showed it did the final 20 laps.

"That's when I was pumped up, ready to run hard," Green said.

After Gus Wasson hit the wall to bring out the fourth and final caution, Green's team pulled off a quick pit stop to beat leader Kenseth back to the track. Green gradually widened the lead after the restart and finished .511 seconds in front.

Green earned $68,059. His average speed was 128.742 mph.

Kenseth, who led 66 of the 147 laps, looked like he had the most powerful car, following in the Darlington Busch tradition of his Winston Cup teammates Mark Martin and Jeff Burton, who ha won four of the past seven Busch races here.

Kenseth passed Green on lap 80 for the lead and increased it to nearly four seconds.

But Kenseth's 17-second pit stop was bettered by Green's team and Kenseth was left behind.

"We're were pulling away from him, I thought we had him," Kenseth said. "It was just bad luck at the end."

Keller was third, followed by Kenny Wallace, Mike McLaughlin and Bobby Hamilton Jr.

Two racers connected to the late Dale Earnhardt, DEI driver Steve Park and Earnhardt's RCR Racing replacement, Kevin Harvick, were seventh and eighth.

Green wasn't ready to race with Kenseth after he passed the first time. "I was just trying to pace myself," Green said. At the end, "I knew the adjustments we made would help, so I went for it."

Could Green have caught Kenseth without the caution?

"I don't know," said Green, who increased his series points lead to 46 over Keller. "I'm glad I didn't have to find out."

He might soon find out on the Winston Cup series. Green has talked with owner Richard Childress about running the limited schedule in the No. 30 car that was supposed to be Harvick's this year.

Harvick was selected to drive Earnhardt's Winston Cup car, now No. 29, after the Intimidator's death at the Daytona 500.

"I'm almost 39, I'm not going to have a lot more opportunities to go to the Winston Cup side and there are only a handful of cars I'd go over there to drive anyway," Green said.