News

No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger
Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips 400
Michigan International Speedway
June 13, 2010

No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-706 during Sunday’s 400-mile race at Michigan International Speedway (MIS). Brad Keselowski had a strong run in this car as he finished seventh in the NASCAR All-Star Race at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May.
• No. 12 Penske Dodge in 2010... After 14 events, Keselowski and the No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team currently sit 24th in the Cup Series driver point standings and 25th in the owner point standings. Keselowski moved up one spot in each of the standings following his 21st-place finish at Pocono Raceway last weekend.
• Homecoming for Keselowski… The name Keselowski is racing royalty in the state of Michigan. A native of Rochester Hills, Brad Keselowski will be returning to his “home” track this weekend for the first time as a member of Penske Racing.
• Michigan Triumvirate… The names Penske, Keselowski and Dodge carry lots of weight in the state of Michigan. All have deep roots running through the Wolverine State. The three will come together this weekend as Keselowski will drive a red No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger for Roger Penske at MIS.
• Nationwide Winner… In one of the most-exciting finishes of 2009, Keselowski passed the cars of Kyle Busch and Brian Vickers, with one lap remaining, to pick up the win in the Carfax 250 Nationwide Series race at MIS last August. In three Nationwide Series starts at the track, Keselowski has one win and has completed 100% of the laps contested.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing has enjoyed considerable success at MIS, a track that used to be owned by Roger Penske. In 80 Cup Series starts at the venue, Penske Racing drivers have recorded six wins, one pole award and 22 top-five finishes. The organization made its first start at the track in August of 1972 with Dave Marcis behind the wheel of the No. 16 entry.

Brad Keselowski on returning home to race at Michigan International Speedway
“I had so much fun at Michigan last year. It’s one of those tracks that mean so much to me and my family. I remember going there watching my dad race back when I was a little kid and can remember coming through that tunnel amazed at how big this place was to me. It will be fun to be back home and race in front of family and friends. It’s in Dodge’s backyard and we certainly know how important of a race it is for them. They’ve been a tremendous help to our program this year and to get them in victory lane would be awesome.”

Brad Keselowski assesses his season-to-date
“When Jay (Guy) and I got together before the season started we agreed that the most-important thing for us would be to find consistency. I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that thus far. We've been about a 10th to 20th place car every week. To take that a step further, we’ve done really well at the tracks I’ve never been to before. Now we just need to continue to find more speed and I think we’ll do that when we go to these tracks a second time.”

Crew chief Jay Guy on Michigan International Speedway
“Michigan always provides great racing. Its surface is very wide, which gives you a chance to run a lot of different grooves. So it’s not the end of the world if you miss the setup a little bit because the track is very forgiving. Aerodynamics are important as well, but your motor is probably the most important part of your car. You need a lot of horsepower because it is a two-mile oval, but your motor has to stay together too. Drivers are not off the gas very long during a lap a Michigan and that puts the motor under extreme stress.”