LONG BEACH, Calif. — ESPN reporter Jamie Little ran a smart race and ended up in victory lane at the Toyota Pro/Celebrity Race Saturday.
The race went 10 laps around the 1.968-mile street course as part of the Toyota Grand Prix of Long Beach. The 12 celebrities and six pros drove identically prepared Toyota Scion TCs.
Pro Division winner Mike Skinner was right behind Little at the end. In fact, there was some confusion at the end: The field was given the one lap to go sign from the starter’s stand, but the checkered flag didn’t wave at the end of the 10th lap.
“They did something NASCAR would never do,” Skinner said. “They admitted they made a mistake and corrected it.”
In the Pro/Celebrity format, the amateur celebrity field gets a 30-second head start.  Polesitter Brad Lewis led the first nine laps. Little was “asleep” at the start, and dropped to fourth.
Meanwhile, NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series driver Skinner was slicing his way through the field and was up to fifth when a crash by Basketball Hall-of-Famer Nancy Lieberman caused a local yellow.
Lewis slowed for the incident, allowing Little, now in second, to close in. After taking the one lap to go sign, Skinner had worked his way up to third, behind Little, who was pressuring Lewis.
When Lewis checked his mirror, he missed a turn, hitting the tire barrier. Little blasted into the lead and then the confusion began. After passing the start-finish line, Little started celebrating, and Skinner went by her. In the end, the race went to Little, with Skinner second. 
“I got jumped at the start,” Little said. “But I was calculating in going past people. Overall, I made some mistakes, but I am so thrilled. I wanted to prove I could do it, not just talk about it.”
The race raised considerable funds for Racing for Kids, which benefits children’s hospitals in Long Beach and Orange County.
The finish:
Jamie Little, Mike Skinner, Daniel Goddard, William Fichtner, Tony Pedregon, Whit Bazemore, Drew Lachey, Marty Nothstein, Brad Lewis, Bud Gordon, Wilmer Valderamma, Craig Barto, Eric Dickerson, Raymond Cruz, Beccy Gordon, Sarena Traver, John Salley, Nancy Lieberman.