News

Brad Keselowski
No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger
Tums Fast Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway
October 24, 2010

No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-741 during Sunday’s Tums Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a brand-new chassis to the No. 12 fleet.
• No. 12 Penske Dodge in 2010... After 31 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 Martinsville Raceway… In addition to his lone career Cup Series start at Martinsville, Keselowski has made four career NASCAR Camping World Truck Series starts at the .526-mile, paperclip-shaped oval. His best Truck Series finish of 18th at Martinsville came in his family-owned entry in 2005.
• Martinsville Raceway Rewind…Rain showers washed out the qualifying session for the spring race at Martinsville, which forced Keselowski to start the event from the 33rd position, based on the 2010 NASCAR owner point standings. Keselowski and crew chief Jay Guy developed a solid pit strategy at the spring race, which allowed Keselowski to work his way through the field and score a 12th-place finish.
• Tums to Honor NASCAR’s Road Warriors… To honor the dedicated road warriors and pit crew members, TUMS designated all crew members as the Grand Marshals for the 2010 TUMS Fast Relief 500 on Oct. 24. For the first time in NASCAR Sprint Cup Series history, 43 crew members – one from each team – will represent all of the crews and collectively give the command “Gentlemen, Start Your Engines.” David Doyle, mechanic on the No. 12 Penske Dodge, will represent the team during the pre-race ceremony.   
• The Rest is History... Martinsville Speedway is a track where Penske Racing has enjoyed its share of success. In 81 starts, the organization has picked up six wins (all by Rusty Wallace), five poles, 19 top-five and 32 top-10 finishes. Wallace made Martinsville his personal playground as he did not finish outside of the top-three in eight consecutive races from September of 1992 through April of 1996. 

Brad Keselowski on building on his debut at Martinsville Speedway this spring
“The No. 12 team had a very successful race at Martinsville in the spring. That was my Cup debut and even though I had a few Truck Series starts there, it was really like going there for the first time. We ran solidly in the top-15 for most of the day and we were able to bring our car home in pretty good shape. I was really proud of the effort that everyone put in. Hopefully, we can ratchet that up a notch or two and get a top-10 effort out of it this weekend.”

Brad Keselowski on whether brakes are still important at Martinsville Speedway
“Martinsville will always be a track that is hard on brakes. Yes, the braking systems have come a long way over the last 10 years or so. But if you give us more brakes or better brakes, we are going to use more brakes to the point that we will damage the sidewall of the tire. Overheating the brakes is something that is easy to do because you are going so hard every lap as passing is difficult at Martinsville. Managing your brakes is part of being a successful short-track racer.”

Crew chief Jay Guy on preparing for Martinsville Speedway
“Everyone on the No. 12 Penske Dodge Charger team is excited to go back to Martinsville. We had a strong showing in the spring race and built a brand new car for this weekend. Hopefully, the weather cooperates and we can get our qualifying session in. A strong starting position would get us off to a good start to the race weekend, as well as a favorable pit stall selection. I’m sure Brad learned a lot from his first Cup Series start at Martinsville in the spring. We’re looking to translate that into our first top-10 of the season.”