News

Brad Keselowski
No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger
Brickyard 400
Indianapolis Motor Speedway
July 25, 2010

No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-720 during Sunday’s 400-mile race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). Keselowski raced this chassis to a 12th-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May.
• No. 12 Penske Dodge in 2010... After 19 events, Keselowski and the No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team currently sit 26th in the Cup Series driver point standings and 27th in the owner point standings.
• Museum Visit… On Friday morning, July 23, Keselowski will visit the IMS museum, along with Penske Racing teammate Sam Hornish Jr. The two drivers will meet with the media alongside the 1972 Mark Donohue-driven car that produced the first Indianapolis 500 victory for Roger Penske. Building on that historic win, Penske Racing has gone on to enjoy unparalleled success at IMS earning 14 more victories in the Indy 500.
• Midwest Homecoming… Keselowski places special emphasis on running well when the series visits the Midwestern part of the country. A native of Rochester Hills, Mich., Keselowski – along with his father, uncle and brother – has won numerous short track races throughout the mid-section of the United States over the years.
• First Timer... Keselowski will be making his first NASCAR Cup Series start at IMS this weekend. Watkins Glen International is the only remaining track on the schedule where Keselowski has yet to make a start in the Cup Series.
• TD Bank 250… Making his first late model start in several years, Keselowski started the race from the 39th position before finishing 22nd in the 37th annual TD Bank 250 at Oxford Plains (Me.) Speedway last Sunday.
• The Rest is History... In the first Brickyard 400 in 1994, Rusty Wallace qualified 12th and finished fourth in the No. 2 car as the only Penske Racing entry in that first Cup Series event at IMS. In 32 combined starts, Penske Racing drivers have accumulated six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes at the Brickyard 400, with an average finish of 17.1. They have completed 4,179 of 4,482 laps (93.2%) with 162 laps led at The Speedway.

Brad Keselowski on his first start in the Brickyard 400
“You can’t go to the Brickyard without thinking about what the track means not only NASCAR, but to auto racing in general. Being from the Midwestern section of the country myself, I always looked to the spectacle of the Indianapolis 500 and wondered what it would be like to compete there. Now we have the Brickyard 400 for stock cars and it has become one of the most prestigious races in the country as well. There are a lot of thoughts that you have when going to race at Indy and I’m excited to get there for my first race.”

Brad Keselowski on racing at Indianapolis for team owner Roger Penske
“It definitely gives you a sense of pride when you go to Indy as a member of Penske Racing. You look at everything Mr. Penske has been able to accomplish there in open-wheel racing. It would be one of the coolest things I could ever do in a racecar if I could get him his first win in the Brickyard 400. We’re going to give it our best shot this weekend. Having an opportunity to do the Goodyear tire test was huge for me in that it helped me build confidence going back to the racetrack. I feel like I can be fast from the time we roll of the truck.”

Crew chief Jay Guy on Indianapolis Motor Speedway
“Corner exit is very important at Indianapolis because you have to make sure you get down the long straightaways. Each turn is tight – basically 90 degrees – so you need to make sure that your car is turning well enough that the driver can get back to the power as early as possible. Mechanical grip and aerodynamic grip all play a part in making that happen. Indy is not an easy place to grasp in your first race, but we were able to take part in the Goodyear tire test there earlier in the year and that allowed us to be better prepared for this weekend. Mr. Penske has a long history of success at Indy and we want to continue that.”