Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski, driving the No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang, won the race held at Virginia 529 College Savings 250. It was Keselowski’s fifth victory of the season in Hertz colors and 11th win for Ford in 2013. This is the first year of the team’s partnership.

Keselowski started the race, which was held on the night of September 6, 2013, at the fourth position. He worked his way into the bottom line after giving up several spots during the initial laps. This is the preferred line on the Richmond International Raceway, known as the victory lane.

He made his first pit stop at lap 69, where Jeremy Bullins, the chief crew, adjusted the air pressure and track bar. Keselowski had earlier radioed Jeremy that the No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang was tight in the center but loose on the exit and corner entry. By the time he made another pit stop at lap 135, he had worked his way into the top five cars.

Brian Scott was in the lead for most of the race in his No. 2 racer, but Keselowski eventually passed him at lap 240 during a late-race restart. He again held Scott at lap 245 and cruised to the win.

When Scott was asked about the race, he said Keselowski was involved in a questionable restart. However, Keselowski responded that the restart box was a zone, and they had gone right at the start without giving Scott a second to catch up.

Asked what it meant to win the 1,000th nationwide series race, Keselowski said he was still too close to the race to understand it well. He said the question could only be answered well with the benefit of hindsight.

Explaining that it was a great honor to win such a distinguishing race, Keselowski appreciated every member of the No. 22 Hertz Ford Mustang team. He gave Jeremy more credit than himself for positioning them where they had a very fast car, particularly during the last few runs. He said that whether he was making passes or restarts, he was simply making executions as everything came together for the team.

 

Joey Logano took first at the Pure Michigan 400 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race at Michigan International Speedway last Friday. It was his first win since joining Penske Racing, and the win wasn’t the only highlight of the day. Logano broke the track record of 203.241 mph previously helped by Marcos Ambrose. Logano’s No. Shell/Pennzoil Ford Fusion took the track at 203.949 mph. His qualifying lap enters the record books as the ninth fastest pole-winning lap in the history of the Sprint Cup Series.

Kurt Busch and Jimmie Johnson also bested Ambrose’s record, coming in as the second- and third-place qualifiers for the day. Driver Dale Earnhardt, Jr., acknowledged the speed, saying, “The car’s got a lot of grip. I think the track is even more abrasive than the first trip here. The cars are carrying a little more speed than the first trip here in practice and qualifying.”

Overall, it was a pretty good day for Logano on the MIS, which has been described as the sport’s fastest track thanks to the greater amount of banking. He tailed Mark Martin, his childhood hero, in the final stages of the race, finally taking the lead when the No. 55 Toyota ran out of fuel with only three laps to go. Not only did he best Cup veterans Kevin Harvick and Kurt Busch, but he also moved from 16th place in series points to the number 13 spot. There are still three races left before the Chase for the Championship, and Logano’s momentum might push him far enough to make it.

Logano began racing in 2009 at Joe Gibbs racing. This win was the third in his Cup career and the first for 2013. The risk that Roger Penske took on the young driver has paid off. Penske, former owner of MIS during the early 1970s, called Logano’s win one of the biggest in 30 years. It was particularly meaningful since Penske hails from Detroit.

“What a great time to win, being in Ford’s backyard, being in Roger’s backyard,” Logano said in an after-race interview. “I’m glad to make the most of it.”

Rounding out the race’s top ten were Mark Martin, Jeff Burton, Juan Pablo Montoya, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Kyle Busch.

[Photo Source: http://www.freep.com]

After earning his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship in the Penske Racing Dodge, Brad Keselowski was touring the Charlotte Motor Speedway 1.5 mile oval behind the wheel of the 2013 Ford Fusion.

Roger Penske made the switch at the end of the 2012 season. The champion was in the No. 2 Miller Lite Fusion this morning. “It’s hard to get a great read on the whole manufacturer change because, obviously, it’s a different car, but I think all the signs are there that we have the potential to be just as strong, if not stronger, than we were last year, which is very, very encouraging,” said Keselowski during the break.

The choice to attend the NASCAR two-day open test was up to the teams. Penske took advantage of the opportunity for both Keselowski and new driver Joey Logano. It is not only their first opportunity to run the Ford brand, but mainly testing the 2013 “Gen 6” version Fusion.

Keselowski added before the afternoon session, “It’s been a lot of fun having the first day today working with Joey, which I think has been probably more of an adjusting process than the actual car itself, and a good adjusting process. I’m curious to see over time how we can work together and push each other to be the best we can be, so I’ve had a lot of fun with that so far. We’ve got a lot of work to do. We’re only a half-a-day into two really important days, not only for Penske Racing but for the sport itself and, hopefully, we can continue to show progress.”

(Source: Motorspot.com)

Sports – Brad Keselowski’s New Ride

LAS VEGAS — Less than six hours before being honored as the 2012 Sprint Cup champion Friday, on the biggest night of his young career, Brad Keselowski was in the basement of the Penske Ferrari dealership attached to the Wynn Las Vegas.

He wasn’t choosing one of the sleek, exorbitant cars to purchase with his share of the $5.7 million bonus he got for winning the title.

He wasn’t even checking out the merchandise that includes some of team owner Roger Penske’s prized show cars.

He was playing video games.

Well, sort of.

Keselowski was in the cockpit of a Formula One Ferrari shell that is part of the Shell Professional Simulator Experience. He was tackling The Circuit of Americas course in Austin, Texas, that recently hosted its inaugural Grand Prix event.

He was turning laps of just over 1 minute, 39 seconds, slightly more than three seconds behind the pole time of 1 minute, 35.657 seconds that Sebastian Vettel had on this 20-turn road course.

“I left something out there,” Keselowski said afterward.

This could be the future of all motorsports. Ferrari already uses the simulator to train prospective F1 drivers before they get on the track and educate veteran drivers learning new circuits.

Penske was so impressed with how realistic the machine was, how it was so finely tuned that it simulated every bump, slide and wiggle — everything but g-forces — that he is looking to possibly purchase one for his IndyCar organization and perhaps one for the NASCAR side if it can be adapted to it.

“In talking to Brad, it focuses you mentally, whether it’s a road course or whatever it might be,” Penske said. “I’m really interested in seeing if it is worthwhile for us.”

Tiny beads of sweat were on Keselowski’s forehead after about 20 minutes in the machine, indicating just how realistic it is. The 28-year-old driver was mildly frustrated that he could have turned a faster lap. There was almost the same intensity on his face that he had before the Sprint Cup finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway, where he clinched the championship.

The competitive juices were flowing as Keselowski tried to get everything he could out of the machine, just as though he were qualifying for the Daytona 500.

Penske was equally captivated by the simulator during a social gathering the night before. Like Keselowski, he almost had to be dragged from it.

“I wanted to get more time in it, but I was so damned bad at it that I put somebody else in it,” Penske said. “But I sure want to get back in when nobody is watching to see if I could get better.”

He may have that chance on Dec. 14 when the simulator is transported to Penske Racing in Mooresville, N.C., for the team Christmas party. It’s such a big event that Anton Stipinovich, who heads the company All In Sports, which developed the machine, is expected to make the trip from Modena, Italy.

Only two other machines are exactly like this in the world. One is owned by the Ferrari Driver Academy in Italy, and the other is in the home of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso.

They’re not cheap. They run about a half-million dollars, well more than Keselowski will pay for the tank he really does plan to buy with his share of the championship profit.

But if you’re a car owner — or a driver like Alonso with money to spare — this is an investment in the future. That’s particularly true in F1, in which testing is limited.

“The use of simulation testing is completely unlimited, which is why they have become so important to teams and sponsors [in F1],” said Anthony Dealtry, the senior account executive for Crunch Communications, which travels with this machine.

The simulator is designed to be as realistic as possible, down to the car getting faster as the tires and brakes get hot. Dealtry doesn’t see why it can’t be adapted to IndyCar and even NASCAR, although the value in stock cars wouldn’t be as great because so many tracks are ovals compared to road courses, where you need more time learning the turns.

And while people like me can have fun in them, these aren’t toys. The hand-eye coordination and the ability to multitask between changing gears and other telemetry while keeping up with the track separate the amateurs from the professionals in a hurry.

Keselowski showed quickly the skills that helped him become NASCAR’s newest champion. After an initial lap of 1 minute, 55 seconds, he was down to 1 minute, 41 seconds.

If it weren’t for the banquet, he probably would have stayed in the machine until he broke 1 minute, 36 seconds.

“I know there’s a 135 out there,” he said.

Dealtry was impressed, but a minute and 35 seconds?

“I’m not so sure about that,” he said. “But I like his optimism.”

The simulator is addictive. Keselowski was so hooked that he called a Penske official at 11 p.m. on Thursday and asked if he could open the shop for him and a few other drivers.

It didn’t happen, but he was back the next morning immediately after a dress rehearsal for the banquet.

“What was so impressive about Brad was his ability to spot the right line around the track to make sure he was picking up time,” Dealtry said.

I didn’t perform nearly as well, finding the right line into the wall more than once. Whether it was adjusting to the left-foot brake pedal that was stiffer than a 2-by-4, my inability to watch the track and the light that tells you when to change the flappy-paddle gearbox, or just pure lack of talent, I was a wreck waiting to happen.

But I know my spot in the world is behind a keyboard, just as Keselowski knows his spot is behind the wheel.

Someday, Keselowski admittedly would like to give an open-wheel car a spin for real. But Penske isn’t ready to offer him a ride in the Indianapolis 500 like he did to Tony Stewart.

That offer, by the way, was almost like an empty promise, since Stewart has made it clear he has no desire to do another double — Indy and the Coca-Cola 600 on the same day — and the timing of the two events makes it almost impossible to do.

“I’m not sure I’d make the recommendation today,” Penske said of putting Keselowski in an Indy or F1 car. “He has some [goals] left in NASCAR before he gets to … open wheel.”

Or, as Keselowski said, you won’t see him in an F1 car as “long as my Cup team keeps running this awesome.”

But at least for a few days in Vegas, he could pretend.

[Source: ESPN.Go.com]

Brad Keselowski didn’t dare take his phone in his car before the biggest race of his life. NASCAR’s social media champion handed it over before pulling on his helmet and chasing the Sprint Cup title he promised to deliver to Roger Penske.

But when Sunday’s race ended, Keselowski crossing the finish line at Homestead-Miami Speedway as the champion, he didn’t even consider getting out of his car to celebrate before getting that phone back.

Keselowski, the kid you first heard about when he tweeted from inside his car during the season-opening Daytona 500, opened his championship reign by tweeting from inside his car: “We did it,” he posted with a picture.

He did it with Penske, forming NASCAR’s oddest couple to capture its biggest prize.

Keselowski brought Penske his first Sprint Cup championship 40 years after his first stock car race, beating five-time champion Jimmie Johnson of mighty Hendrick Motorsports while delivering the crown that fills a glaring hole on Penske’s otherwise sterling racing resume.

Penske is considered the gold standard of open-wheel racing — he has 15 Indianapolis 500 wins — and his empire makes him one of the most successful businessmen in America. But until Sunday night at Homestead-Miami Speedway, his NASCAR program was never more than average.

“Personally, I feel amazing that I’ve been able to achieve this in racing,” Penske said. “I think it took guts for me to stay in the sport. We could have thought, ‘Well, we won the Indy 500 15 times and we’re a big deal.’ But I’ll tell you one thing … I think I just woke up here tonight, and it’s a big thrill.”

As always, Penske credited the entire program.

But the program really turned behind Keselowski, a blue collar, Michigan native, who chugged sponsor Miller Lite’s product, donned goggles to douse the Blue Deuce crew with champagne, and imagined how his life will change as NASCAR’s champion. At 28, he’s the eighth youngest champion in NASCAR history and proud he doesn’t have a date for the Nov. 30 champions banquet in Las Vegas.

“I’ve always wanted to date a celebrity,” said Keselowski, “I’m just throwing that out there. That would be really cool, don’t you think?”

Penske could only shake his head in bewilderment.

“Maybe I am conservative, but I like to have a little fun, too,” Penske said. “And I think when you’ve won the NASCAR championship, the driver, you can kind of give him a little wider path, and he’s certainly taken it side to side. I think it’s all good.”

Keselowski might not have seemed like Penske material three years ago, but he’s a cornerstone now.

He was a developmental driver for Hendrick Motorsports in 2008 when he went to see Penske, determined that he could be the driver to bring “The Captain” a coveted Cup championship. He wiggled free from his contract a year later, and had a second-tier Nationwide championship — and a closet full of starched white Penske shirts — to show for his convictions.

Now, three years into the plan, he and Penske have that Cup championship and a connection no one saw coming.

(Source: WashingPost.com)

Brad Keselowski has won his first NASCAR championship.

The 28-year-old Detroit native clinched the Sprint Cup title Sunday when fellow title contender Jimmie Johnson pulled out of the season finale because of a parts failure. The championship is the first for longtime NASCAR owner Roger Penske and gives outgoing car manufacturer Dodge the sweetest of parting gifts.

All Keselowski had to do was stay out of trouble over the final 60 miles, which essentially turned out to be 40 victory laps around Homestead-Miami Speedway.

Keselowski says over his radio, “If he’s in the garage, let’s race.”

It is Dodge’s first Cup championship since Richard Petty’s title in 1975. And it surely will help Penske get over a heartbreaking second-place finish in the IndyCar championship in September.

(Source: Washingtonpost.com)

BROOKLYN, Mich. (April 3, 2012) – Brad Keselowski made history at Michigan International Speedway on Tuesday. The Rochester Hills native took the first laps on the newly paved surface at the racetrack during a Goodyear Tire test.
“I feel the decision to pave in October, giving it some time to set was very beneficial,” Keselowski said. “The track should be ready to go in record time for a repave. It should be in great shape when we come back here for the race.”

Keselowski was the first car out at 1:23 p.m., shortly following a rain delay.

He was joined at the test by fellow NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers Jeff Gordon, Matt Kenseth and Juan Pablo Montoya.

Keselowski tweeted throughout the test, saying the track would reach top speeds on Day 2 of the test on Wednesday.

But that didn’t keep him from reaching 212, enough to break the 194.232 mph track qualifying record set by Ryan Newman in 2005.

“We got going pretty good. We got over 210 (mph),” Keselowski said.

Gordon topped off at nearly 215 mph, he said.

But a Goodyear Tire test isn’t necessarily about how fast the NASCAR stock cars can go, but rather collecting data the tire company can use to build a good race tire for the track’s NASCAR events.

Gordon, who has always liked racing at Michigan International Speedway and considers the racetrack one of his favorites, said there’s a chance to gain a competitive advantage when testing at a newly paved racetrack.

“I think it has some advantages, there is no doubt about that,” he said. “We gather the data any time we can go to any track. Whether it is a repave or not, we are gathering data. But when it is a repave, it is smooth and you get to understand the loads, the grip levels and what the track kind of needs.”

“I love Michigan,” he said. “We want to play our role and help Goodyear develop the best tire for that track.  If we can gather some data that is beneficial to us then we certainly are going to try to take advantage of that, as well.”

This is the fourth time the racetrack has been repaved. The track was built in 1968, and repaved in 1977, 1986 and 1995.

During the latest project, 22,000 tons of asphalt was placed on the surface, enough to construct about 5 ½ miles of a two-lane county road.

Milling of the race track began last August and took approximately three weeks to complete. Three-quarters of an inch of asphalt was taken off the top during the milling process.
The project required three inches of total pavement laid down.

The track was paved in two layers with each layer 1 ½ inches thick for a total of three inches. Therefore, the track is now approximately 2 ¼ inches higher than it was previously.

The two-day test concludes 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Wednesday. The Turn 1 grandstands will be open for fans free of charge throughout the day. Fans may park in Lot 10, off US 12.
Nestled in the lush Irish Hills of Southeastern Michigan, Michigan International Speedway is the Great Escape, a venerable NASCAR national park where fans can get away and enjoy the very best in racing and camaraderie. It’s the love of racing and the thrill of a great time for race fans and drivers alike.

[Source: PenskeRacing.com]