Daytona Beach, Fla. ? Ryan Newman found a way to squeeze past Kurt Busch 100 yards from the finish line and won the season-opener of the International Race of Champions Series Friday night.

“I could have leaned into him and spun him at the line, but that wasn’t the way to win,” said Newman, who waited several minutes inside his car parked in Victory Lane while IROC officials viewed tape of his pass.

To get by Busch, the defending IROC champion and a fellow NASCAR Nextel Cup standout, Newman got two wheels under the yellow out-of-bounds line along the lower edge of the banked 2 1/2-mile oval at Daytona International Speedway — generally considered an illegal move.

“He tried to push me off, and I was at the point of no return,” Newman said. “I went below the yellow line instead of spinning him out. Fortunately, it was the last lap.

“I knew I was forced down there, but you never know how it’s going to be called.”

It was the end of a sensational run for Newman, who found himself last in the 12-car all-star field nine laps from the end of the 40-lap, 100-mile event.

“I got some help from (Steve) Kinser and got back toward the front, and then I hooked up with Busch and hoped I’d get a chance to get by,” Newman said.

Busch took the lead five laps from the end when longtime sprint car champion Kinser, who had been leading, got loose and nearly spun, slipping well back into the field.

Ryan Newman celebrates his victory in the IROC Series season opener. Newman won Friday at Daytona Beach, Fla.

“When Kinser got loose, the whole field jumbled up,” Busch said. “Then you have three-wide, two-wide, cars all over the place.”

As the last lap began, NASCAR’s Jimmie Johnson got some momentum and tried to bump Busch and help them pull away from the pack. Instead, he slammed into the rear of Busch’s car, got both cars sideways momentarily and slowed down the whole field.

“I figured that the pace would have been slow enough all the way back to the finish line that nobody could get a run going,” Busch said.

Then, coming off turn four, Busch found Newman looming in his mirrors.

“I went to the bottom to leave just about a half car-length between me and the yellow line, which would not allow him to go below me,” Busch said. “But he was able to squeeze underneath with a tremendous run and get to the finish line before me. I may have done it maybe a half-second too late.”