CONCORD, N.C. --- David Reutimann stared at the gray sky and silently prayed for one more heavy rain.

A gamble had put the journeyman driver in position for his first Sprint Cup Series victory, and so long as the clouds lingered over Lowe's Motor Speedway, it would come in the crown jewel Coca-Cola 600.

Reutimann didn't like his chances.

"These things don't ever go our way," the 39-year-old thought. "I don't know why it should now."

For most of his nondescript career, Reutimann had never got the lucky break.

It finally came Monday after 75 races, three rain delays, a moment of silence, a spat with Tony Stewart and a two-hour wait.

NASCAR declared Reutimann the winner when the weather forecast indicated it would be impossible to run the longest race of the season to its conclusion a day after it had been postponed because of rain.

"It wasn't the prettiest win, but somebody has to win," Reutimann said. "When you envision yourself winning your first Sprint Cup race, you envision it different. But it's so hard to win these deals, we'll take it any way we can."

With intermittent showers spraying the track all day Monday, the race was one of strategy, as every driver simply tried to be in front when the event was finally washed out.

Reutimann gave it his best shot when, running 14th, he and crew chief Rodney Childers decided not to join the parade of cars following leader Kyle Busch down pit road during a caution for rain 22 laps past the halfway point.

The race had reached the point where if it was stopped again for rain, it was official.

Reutimann claimed the lead, with pole-sitter Ryan Newman and Robby Gordon following him to the front as the rest of the field went to pit road. He didn't lead a single lap under green-flag racing, but he was out front for five laps under caution before NASCAR called the cars back to pit road for the third rain stoppage.

Most drivers headed to their motorhomes to wait out the rain. Not Reutimann. He was joined at his car by his 68-year-old father, Buzzie, a racer with one career NASCAR start who still tears it up in dirt track events at East Bay Raceway near Tampa, Fla. The two didn't bother with an umbrella as they stood in a steady drizzle for more than two hours.

"I tell you what, people, it's been a long road. It's taken us a long time to get here," Buzzie Reutimann said. "I'm afraid I'm going to wake up in the morning and find out I'm dreaming all of this. Words can't describe how great a father would feel to see his son to win a race."

Newman finished second and Gordon was third. Gordon might have a problem, though, as NASCAR confiscated his real axle housing after post-race inspection for further evaluation.

Carl Edwards, who had changed into street clothes by the time the race was called, finished fourth, followed by Brian Vickers and Busch.

Rain ruined a race for Busch for the second time in three days. He led a race-high 173 laps and was out front when he pitted during the final caution. He wound up sixth.

Busch led 143 laps in Saturday night's Nationwide Series race, lost the lead during a round of pit stops and never had a chance to reclaim it when the race was shortened by 45 miles because of rain.

"Weather, you can't do anything about it, really," he said.