News

Brad Keselowski
No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger
Pepsi Max 400
Auto Club Speedway
October 10, 2010

No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-716 during Sunday’s Pepsi Max 400 at Auto Club Speedway (ACS). Keselowski last drove this chassis to a 26th-place finish at New Hampshire Motor Speedway in June.
• No. 12 Penske Dodge in 2010... After 29 events, Keselowski and the No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team currently sit 25th in the Cup Series driver and owner point standings.
• Keselowski NASCAR History at Auto Club Speedway… In addition to his one career Cup Series start at ACS, Keselowski has made eight career starts in the Nationwide Series at the two-mile oval. In those starts he has recorded two top-five and two top-10 finishes, while completing 87.2% of the laps contested. Keselowski also has two career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series start at ACS with his top finish of 16th coming in 2006.
• Auto Club Speedway Rewind… After starting the spring race at ACS from the 21st position, Keselowski was able to race his way to the 11th spot late in the event before spinning his No. 12 Dodge due to a worn right-rear tire. The No. 12 crew was able to keep Keselowski on the lead lap to finish 21st.
• Third Official Jail and Bail… Keselowski will take part in the Third Official Jail and Bail at The Brickhouse Tavern in Davidson, N.C. on Tuesday, October 12. This event raises money for the Brienne Davis Scholarship Fund, which provides scholarships to female students who are interested in pursuing a career in motorsports at any of the 11 Universal Technical Institutes across the U.S.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing earned consecutive Cup Series victories at Auto Club Speedway in 2000 and 2001, the most-recent with former driver Rusty Wallace. Additionally, the organization has captured four poles, eight top-five finishes and 20 top-10 results in 48 combined starts at the Fontana, Calif. oval built by Roger Penske.   

Brad Keselowski on going back to Auto Club Speedway for a second time in 2010
“We ran really well with the Nationwide car at Auto Club Speedway in the spring. That was a huge boost of confidence for me because it had been one of the weaker tracks for me over the years. I had a legitimate shot to win that race. I’m really looking forward to going back and having another solid weekend. The Cup car was a little up and down the last time we were in Fontana, but it was really fast at times. Everyone on the No. 12 Penske Dodge is excited about the car we are taking this weekend. There has been a lot of work put into it and I think it will race well.”

Brad Keselowski on the improvement in the intermediate program at Penske Racing
“Our cars are driving better on the intermediate tracks, not just for me, but for Kurt (Busch) and Sam (Hornish Jr.) as well. We have some new cars coming out as we close out the season. We’re trying to do everything we can to help Kurt win the championship. So I’ll think we continue to see improvement in our cars as we close out 2010 and start preparing for 2011. We have new cars coming out that we think will make us more-competitive and I’m looking forward to seeing what they can do.”

Crew chief Jay Guy on preparing for Auto Club Speedway
“I feel like we learned a few things last weekend at Kansas that will help us this weekend in Fontana. Goodyear is bringing the same tire and that will help out tremendously. You don’t necessarily think of Kansas and Fontana being similar, but they really are and the fact that we’ll be on the same tire will give us a better notes package. The No. 12 Penske Dodge we are bringing this weekend has been completely redone by our aero department. We feel like it’s going to be very-competitive this weekend and I look forward to getting it out on the track.”