Busch Weekend at the Brickyard 400
Shell-Pennzoil Dodge driver Kurt Busch enters race at Brickyard 400 ranked third in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings. After the qualifying round he found himself in the
fourth position in Sunday’s race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
Despite nice positioning at the start of the race Busch settled for 21st-place finish. His efforts for the Penske Racing Team were hampered by handling issues and getting caught up in an incident with 40 laps remaining. Due to these unforeseen race issues Busch has now dropped to sixth in the NASCAR Sprint Cup point standings.
Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Brad Keselowski continues his busy weekend in Indianapolis with the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger. After the qualifying round he entered the race on Sunday on the fifth starting position, right after teammate Busch.
The Penske Racing driver looked to be a contender for the win as he led laps late in the race. However, strong fuel mileage from other competitors kept the team from capitalizing on its own fuel strategy late in the race.
Keselowski was aware of tight-handling condition in the qualifying round. As the second run began, the handling condition remained the same on the Miller Lite machine. However, the longer Keselowski ran the more the handling improved. By lap 30, he was turning the fastest laps on the track. He radioed to crew chief Paul Wolfe that he still needed more help turning the car, especially in “dirty air.” With constant adjustments No. 2 returned to the track running one lap down to the race leaders, but in “clean air.” Once again, Keselowski began to post some of the fastest lap times on the track. As the pit stops cycled through, Keselowski earned his lap back and he began to set his sights on the front of the field.
Keselowski radioed pit to communicate that his car was running “really good.” Keselowski relinquished the lead at lap 131 when he made his way down pit road for the final time for fuel, tires and another air pressure adjustment. He returned to the track in the 24th position, but many competitors still had to make their final pit stops. He looked to be in position to reclaim the lead before the finish of the race, but the competitors at the front of the field were able to get great fuel mileage and Keselowski was not able to gain back the track position he enjoyed before the final pit stop.
To learn about Brad’s big win on Saturday, click here. Next stop for the Penske Racing Team is Pocono Raceway next weekend, stay tune for updates.
