News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Toyota/Save Mart 350
Infineon Raceway
June 26, 2011

No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-740 during Sunday’s Toyota/Save Mart 350 at Infineon Raceway. This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011... After 15 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team sit 22nd in the NASCAR Cup Series (NSCS) driver and owner point standings. The team is coming off a 25th place finish in the Heluva! Good Sour Cream Dips 400 at Michigan International Speedway last weekend. Keselowski sits just 12 points outside the top 20 and a possible spot in the Chase for the Championship, following his win at Kansas Speedway earlier in the month.
• Learning the Roads… In the three NASCAR Nationwide Series road course events in 2010, Keselowski scored more points than any other driver. He recorded fourth-place finishes in each of the races, cementing his status as one of the up-and-coming road course racers in NASCAR.
• VIR Test… In preparation for this week’s race at Infineon Raceway, Keselowski and teammate, Kurt Busch, visited Virginia International Raceway (VIR) last week. They were joined by former Formula One champion Jacques Villeneuve, who will pilot the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger for Penske Racing in the Nationwide Series race at Road America this weekend.
• Go Right and Choose Light… The featured tag line on the bumper of the “Blue Deuce” this weekend at Infineon Raceway will be “Go Right and Choose Light.” Infineon is one of two road courses on the NSCS schedule where drivers will make both left- and right-hand turns.
• The Rest is History... Starting from the seventh position, Rusty Wallace scored the only victory for Penske Racing at Infineon Raceway in May of 1996. In 38 combined starts at the track, the organization also has two pole positions, 10 top-five and 16 top-10 finishes. In addition, both Helio Castroneves (2008) and Will Power (2010) have picked up victories for Team Penske at the track in IndyCar Series competition.

Brad Keselowski on the road courses becoming “wild card” races for making the Chase
“The two road course races (Infineon and Watkins Glen) could really shake the standings up and determine who makes the Chase. They’re two critical races. Marcos Ambrose and Juan Pablo Montoya are in front of me in points and both could easily win on those road courses, along with AJ Allmendinger. That could completely ruin any shot that I would have unless I win another race. I think, in reality, we just need to focus on our own path and what we can do and it will take care of itself. For us, we just need to run solid races."

How much are you paying attention to the “wild card” situation for making the Chase?
"We've had strong runs in the Cup cars of late, but we haven't quite gotten the finishes that we deserve with the exception of winning Kansas. I feel great with the progress that we've made with this Miller Lite Dodge car. I feel like if we can execute, we have enough speed to run up front and make the Chase on our own merit."

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on preparing for the first road course race of the season
“In the short amount of time that Brad and I have worked together, going back to the Nationwide Series last year, I’ve seen him make great strides in his road course racing. He’s very much a student of the game and he constantly looks for ways to improve. I feel confident that we’ve put together a good car for this weekend – one that he can race up front with. This usually turns into a fuel mileage race, but you still have to have a car that can race with people at the end. Brakes play a big part in that. Road course racing is very hard on brakes so you have to constantly remind your driver to not abuse them. I love road course racing. The two races that we have each year give you a nice break in the action and it mixes it up a little bit.”