No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger News and Notes
July 14, 2011
•This Week’s Charger… The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-751 during Sunday’s Lenox Industrial Tools 301 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Keselowski drove this chassis to a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May.
•No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011... After 18 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 21st in the NASCAR Cup Series (NSCS) driver and owner point standings. The team is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway last weekend. Keselowski sits just three points outside of the top 20 and a possible spot in the Chase for the Championship,
•Most Recent NHMS Pole Winner… Keselowski picked up his first career NSCS pole award in the last Cup Series race at NHMS in September 2010. He has since scored a second pole award, which came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this May.
•Driver Turned Crew Chief… Crew chief Paul Wolfe has an extensive driving history at NHMS. The 34-year-old has one career start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the venue, along with 11 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (KNPSE) competition. In those 11 KNPSE starts, Wolfe accumulated four top-five finishes, six top-10 results and 137 laps led.
•Have a Beer with Brad… Keselowski will appear at the Makris Lobster and Steak House located at 351 Sheep Davis Road in Concord, N.H., on Friday, July 15 at 6:00 pm ET.
•Man Up at the Magic Mile… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in New Hampshire will be “Man Up At The Magic Mile.” This is in honor of the nickname for NHMS.
•The Rest is History... In the first-ever race for Penske Racing at New Hampshire, Rusty Wallace started from the 33rd position and finished in Victory Lane on July 11, 1993. In 58 combined starts at the oval, Penske Racing has notched four wins (Ryan Newman – two, Wallace – one and Kurt Busch – one), seven poles, 14 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. Penske Racing entries have led 861 laps in those races and have completed 95.3% of all laps contested at New Hampshire.
Brad Keselowski on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“It’s always a lot of fun when we go up to Loudon to race. The fans really love what we do and they show it by filling the stands. It’s one of those tracks we can go to and almost guarantee that it will be sold out. The racing that we put on at New Hampshire sometimes gets a bad rap, but I think the spring race last year was one of the most exciting finishes of 2011. It’s a one mile track, but it races like a short track. There is a lot of beating and banging and bumping and running – all of the things that the fans love.”
Brad Keselowski on his strategy for securing a spot in the Chase for the Championship
“We don’t need to change anything concerning how we approach the last few races before the Chase. We’re in a good spot to be one of the wild cards, but we obviously aren’t quite there yet. (Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) and I have always taken things race by race. With the way we have been running over the last couple of months, we should be able to make our way inside the top 20, and contend for more wins which should guarantee a spot in the Chase.”
Crew chief Paul Wolfe on this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“Loudon is a unique racetrack. It has aspects of both Richmond and Phoenix all rolled into one. We work really hard to get the car to turn the center (of the corners) and maintain forward drive for late into a run. It’s a very flat layout, which presents a lot of different challenges. With no banking to catch the car, it can be very hard on brakes because the straightaways are long and you can build up a lot of speed before you get to the corner. It is so hard to pass, you really need the complete package to win there – good brakes, handling and pit stops.”
•No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011... After 18 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 21st in the NASCAR Cup Series (NSCS) driver and owner point standings. The team is coming off a seventh-place finish in the Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway last weekend. Keselowski sits just three points outside of the top 20 and a possible spot in the Chase for the Championship,
•Most Recent NHMS Pole Winner… Keselowski picked up his first career NSCS pole award in the last Cup Series race at NHMS in September 2010. He has since scored a second pole award, which came in the Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway this May.
•Driver Turned Crew Chief… Crew chief Paul Wolfe has an extensive driving history at NHMS. The 34-year-old has one career start in the NASCAR Nationwide Series at the venue, along with 11 starts in the NASCAR K&N Pro Series East (KNPSE) competition. In those 11 KNPSE starts, Wolfe accumulated four top-five finishes, six top-10 results and 137 laps led.
•Have a Beer with Brad… Keselowski will appear at the Makris Lobster and Steak House located at 351 Sheep Davis Road in Concord, N.H., on Friday, July 15 at 6:00 pm ET.
•Man Up at the Magic Mile… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in New Hampshire will be “Man Up At The Magic Mile.” This is in honor of the nickname for NHMS.
•The Rest is History... In the first-ever race for Penske Racing at New Hampshire, Rusty Wallace started from the 33rd position and finished in Victory Lane on July 11, 1993. In 58 combined starts at the oval, Penske Racing has notched four wins (Ryan Newman – two, Wallace – one and Kurt Busch – one), seven poles, 14 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes. Penske Racing entries have led 861 laps in those races and have completed 95.3% of all laps contested at New Hampshire.
Brad Keselowski on racing at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“It’s always a lot of fun when we go up to Loudon to race. The fans really love what we do and they show it by filling the stands. It’s one of those tracks we can go to and almost guarantee that it will be sold out. The racing that we put on at New Hampshire sometimes gets a bad rap, but I think the spring race last year was one of the most exciting finishes of 2011. It’s a one mile track, but it races like a short track. There is a lot of beating and banging and bumping and running – all of the things that the fans love.”
Brad Keselowski on his strategy for securing a spot in the Chase for the Championship
“We don’t need to change anything concerning how we approach the last few races before the Chase. We’re in a good spot to be one of the wild cards, but we obviously aren’t quite there yet. (Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) and I have always taken things race by race. With the way we have been running over the last couple of months, we should be able to make our way inside the top 20, and contend for more wins which should guarantee a spot in the Chase.”
Crew chief Paul Wolfe on this weekend’s race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway
“Loudon is a unique racetrack. It has aspects of both Richmond and Phoenix all rolled into one. We work really hard to get the car to turn the center (of the corners) and maintain forward drive for late into a run. It’s a very flat layout, which presents a lot of different challenges. With no banking to catch the car, it can be very hard on brakes because the straightaways are long and you can build up a lot of speed before you get to the corner. It is so hard to pass, you really need the complete package to win there – good brakes, handling and pit stops.”