DOVER -- Many fans arrived at Dover International Speedway on Friday just wanting to get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of the drivers battling it out in the Chase for the Nextel Cup Championship.

You know, guys like Jimmie Johnson, Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart.

But what they left with by the time the checkered flag waved on the Sunoco 150 Busch East Series race was an unexpected and exciting glimpse into the future of NASCAR.

Sean Caisse nudged Joey Logano out of his way between the third and fourth turns with seven laps to go and went on to become the eighth different winner in eight Busch East races at Dover.

Caisse, 21, managed to hold off a closing Logano, 17, over the final laps and got his fourth win of the year by one car length.

Logano, a part of Joe Gibbs Racing's driver development program, clinched the Busch East championship just by starting Friday's race and, with Caisse, celebrated by smoking his tires.

"The Busch East Series is definitely a good development series and has a lot of good drivers in it," Caisse said. "That was a really good run for us. My pit crew did a great job all day. I honestly think we had a third-place car."

Caisse had a little bit extra saved up in his No. 44 Chevrolet in the closing laps.

Logano got into the gas quickly coming off a restart following the final caution period on lap 143, and Caisse took second. Both were able to work past the car of pole-sitter Jeffrey Earnhardt, the grandson of the legendary Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Caisse remained in Logano's mirror until he tapped him with seven laps left en route to the victory.

"I knew I had a little bit left," Caisse said. "I knew what I had to do to win, and that's what I did. Congratulations to Joey; he definitely deserved the championship."

Logano had to settle for his first NASCAR championship. He was presented with a trophy by NASCAR president Mike Helton.

"It's a great thing knowing we just had to start the race to win the championship and were good to go after that," Logano said. "I had a lot of fun out there in that race."

Earnhardt was in the mix throughout, finishing third in a car that Dale Earnhardt Jr. raced in the Nextel Cup Series all-star race in May.

"We definitely had the car to beat," Earnhardt said. "We were fast. I was terrible on restarts, and that's what cost us the win, I thought."

None of the top three finishers will dwell on the Dover race. They all have careers that are moving in fast-forward.

"This series is a stone in moving up," Earnhardt said. "You've got to go in steps. You can't just jump into something. You have to work your way up the ranks little by little."

They still put on a thrilling show at Dover in the infancy of their careers, which all are pointing toward the Nextel Cup Series -- eventually.