It is simply amazing what one race can do for a team that wasn’t having a great year by any standards, despite already having a win under it’s belt. But, the No. 2 Miller Lite team of Penske Racing, with Brad Keselowski at the wheel, has simply been on a charge since the month of August began.
It didn’t exactly start off great, as he was testing at Road Atlanta to prepare for the event in Watkins Glen. That was until he crashed his Dodge into a barrier that didn’t have the S.A.F.E.R. wall protection. The wreck broke his ankle to the point where it was swollen like a balloon, and also tweaked his back. However, Keselowski didn’t want to have someone on standby when NASCAR went to Pocono to be his relief driver. He insisted to run the entire distance.
Not only did he run the entire distance, but he put the car in victory lane. Quite an accomplishment for a kid that days earlier was in a hospital bed.
But it didn’t stop. One week later, he endured the braking, shifting and the left and right turns of Watkins Glen to bring home a runner-up finish behind Marcos Ambrose. Things seemed to be rolling, and it continued at Michigan where he placed third. All things just seemed to be falling into place.
At Bristol, Keselowski had not been on the radar as a favorite to win, but at the same time the Penske organization was always strong at Thunder Valley, specifically with that No. 2 car. Former driver turned analyst, Rusty Wallace, won his first and 50th NASCAR Sprint Cup races at this track, and he has always been a fan of the close racing, despite losing some events to a thing called the “bump and run,” plus getting under the skin of some drivers after some on-track incidents.
But Keselowski wasn’t picked as a favorite despite the momentum he was on, yet when it was crunch time and teams needed to make their move to the front, low and behold here comes the blue deuce.
And before you know it, with the help of four new tires, and clean air on the restart, Keselowski made his way to the front and made sure he was there to the end.
The excitement this young man had when he pulled into victory lane was evident. He did a burnout going up the ramp into victory lane, something that seems to be common now that Victory Lane is on top of a building, and had the American Flag flying right out the window during his victory lap. I believe the team has built a flag holder into the chassis since Keselowski had both hands on the wheel on his way to celebrate his win.
Right now I believe Keselowski, despite being in the Chase only due to the wild card, is a legitimate contender for the championship. At the same time, I think he will earn his way into the Chase WITHOUT the wild card. I say that because I can see him making the top-10 in the next two weeks, not only guaranteeing his spot in the Chase, but also the bonus points for his wins.
If Keselowski was 10th instead of 11th in the standings, his three wins would seed him third in the Chase. For now, he would be 11th and wouldn’t earn any bonus points for the victories.
But even if he doesn’t make the top-10, this team is now a title contender, and I wouldn’t put it past them to make a run for it once the Chase begins.
Summer may be coming to an end, but for Keselowski, it was the best summer of his life. Don’t be surprised if he makes more noise as the 2011 Chase draws near.
RESULTS: 1-Keselowski 2-Truex Jr. 3-Gordon 4-Johnson 5-McMurray 6-Kenseth 7-Hamlin 8-Newman 9-Edwards 10-Ambrose
NOTABLE FINISHES: 14-Kyle Busch 16-Earnhardt Jr. 17-Kurt Busch 22-Harvick 28-Stewart
CAUTIONS: 6 for 42 laps. Lap 33-37 (Debris), 105-110 (Debris), 130-135 (Debris), 299-310 (#00, 11, 27, 30 accident-T3), 362-368 (#5, 47, 83 accident-BS), 415-420 (#18 accident-T3).
LEAD CHANGES: 22 among 10 drivers. Newman 1-4, Gordon 5-33, Keselowski 34-37, Kenseth 38-105, Keselowski 106, Johnson 107-182, Gordon 183-238, Keselowski 239, McMurray 240-241, Kyle Busch 242-245, Logano 246-247, Starr 248-249, Kenseth 250-266, Gordon 267-305, Keselowski 306, Kenseth 307-325, Gordon 326-363, Keselowski 364, Kenseth 365-370, Gordon 371-414, Keselowski 415, Truex Jr. 416-420, Keselowski 421-500.
TIME OF RACE: 2 Hrs, 45 Mins, 16 Secs.
AVERAGE SPEED: 96.753 MPH
MARGIN OF VICTORY: 0.951 Seconds
POINT STANDINGS (Top-10, Wild Cards): 1. Kyle Busch, 830 points**; 2. Johnson, 830 points*; 3. Kenseth, -32*; 4. Edwards, -35*, 5. Harvick, -48; 6. Gordon, -48; 7. Newman, -68; 8. Kurt Busch, -81; 9. Earnhardt Jr, -102; 10. Stewart, -120. WILD CARDS: Keselowski (11th, 3 Wins), Hamlin (13th, 1 Win)
**Already clinched spot in 2011 Chase for the Cup
*Clinched spot for 2011 Chase for the Cup in this race