News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
SHOWTIME Southern 500
Darlington Raceway
May 7, 2011

No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-751 during Saturday’s Showtime Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway. This is a brand-new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011... After nine events, Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team sit 28th in the Cup Series driver and owner point standings. The team is coming off a 36th-place finish in the Crown Royal presents the Matthew and Daniel Hansen 400 at Richmond International Raceway last Saturday.
• Keselowski NASCAR History at Darlington Raceway… In addition to his two career Cup Series starts at Darlington, Keselowski has made four career NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) starts at the 1.366-mile, egg-shaped oval. In those starts, Keselowski has accumulated one top-10 finish while completing 94 % of the laps contested.
• Cheers to the Lady in Black… The featured tag line on the bumper of the “Blue Deuce” this weekend in Darlington will be “Cheers to the Lady in Black.” One of the toughest tracks on the NASCAR circuit, Darlington earned this moniker due to the white outside retaining walls that turn black from the many cars that bounce off them throughout each race weekend at the track.
• Hauler Parade … Rick “The Rocket” Johnson, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge transporter, will take part in Darlington’s seventh-annual Hauler Parade on Thursday, May 5. The event kicks off at 4 p.m. ET with the parade scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET from the Florence Civic Center. The parade then winds along US Highway 52 to downtown Darlington. A festival will follow on the Public Square with food and souvenir vendors, a car show, racing simulators and a fireworks display. For more information, contact the Greater Darlington Chamber of Commerce at (843) 393-2641.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing made its first start at Darlington Raceway in the 1972 Southern 500. The organization immediately began to show that it would be a force on the 1.3-mile oval. In their first eight races at Darlington, Penske Racing drivers recorded two wins (both by Bobby Allison) and never qualified outside the top-10. In 62 Darlington starts, Penske Racing has posted two wins, two poles and 18 top-five finishes.

Brad Keselowski on this weekend’s race at Darlington Raceway
“Darlington is one of my favorite tracks. I wish we had more like it on the schedule. It’s just a tough, old racetrack that is nothing like anywhere else we go. I never had the opportunity to race there when the asphalt was worn out and I would have loved that. Hopefully I’ll have a long career and I’ll be able to see it get back to that ‘slipping and sliding’ racing that used to be so cool to watch on TV. Back in the day, the Southern 500 was one of our biggest races. It would mean a lot to me to have that trophy.”

Brad Keselowski on his immediate goals for the next quarter of the season
“It's all about winning and putting our Miller Lite Dodge in victory lane.  We want to get our mile-and-a-half program running better. I think we have some ideas on what we need to do to get our Penske Dodge's more consistent. I don't think that we've had a race this year where we’ve gotten a finish that's equivalent to what we're capable of.  We just need to execute and if we do that I think that we'll have some good runs and climb our way up in the point standings."

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on preparing for Darlington Raceway
“It’s always a challenge to run at Darlington. There is a fine line of racing other people and racing the track. You need to find a good race pace and work on handling to keep the car turning from the center out to corner exit. People get in trouble by racing each other too hard and the ‘Lady in Black’ will reach out and grab you. Race hard and race the track and you will put yourself in contention for the win at the end of the night. We’re bringing a new Miller Lite Dodge to the track this weekend. Hopefully we can dance with the ‘Lady in Black’ without stepping on her toes.”