News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Hollywood Casino 400
Kansas Speedway
October 9, 2011
TV: ESPN at 2:00 PM   Radio: MRN/Sirius Channel 90 at 1:00 PM

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-753 during Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway. Keselowski last raced this chassis to a third-place finish at Michigan International Speedway in August. 
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011... After 29 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked sixth in the 2011 Chase for the Championship standings. Keselowski is just 14 points behind leader Kevin Harvick following a 20th-place finish in the AAA 400 at Dover International Speedway last Sunday.
• Recent Winner… Keselowski picked up his first career NASCAR Cup Series victory as a member of Penske Racing in the STP 400 at Kansas on June 5. The victory began the start of a torrid summer stretch for Keselowski, in which he picked up two more wins and qualified for his first Chase for the Championship.
• Uncharacteristic for BK… Keselowski’s 20th-place finish at Dover last weekend marked only the second time in the last 10 races that the driver of the “Blue Deuce” has finished outside the top 10.
• Have At It, Brad… The featured tag line on the bumper of the “Blue Deuce” this weekend at Kansas will be “Have At It, Brad.” With his aggressive driving style, Keselowski has embodied NASCAR’s “Have at it, Boys” mantra.
• Have a Beer with Brad… Keselowski will make an appearance at Danny’s Bar and Grill located at 10940 Parallel Parkway in Kansas City, Kan., beginning at 7:00 p.m. ET on Friday, October 7.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing has competed in every NASCAR Cup Series event held at Kansas Speedway since the racetrack opened in 2001. In that first event, Ryan Newman and Rusty Wallace finished second and fourth, respectively, to capture two of the organization’s five top-five finishes at the track. In 26 combined starts, Penske Racing drivers have captured two wins (2003 – Ryan Newman, 2011 – Keselowski), nine top-10 finishes and have led 498 laps at Kansas Speedway.

Brad Keselowski on returning to Kansas Speedway as the most recent winner at the track
“Wow. So much has happened this year since we won at Kansas, but I don’t want the significance of that win lost in the fact that we won two more races and made the Chase. That win at Kansas was special because we knew we were doing the right things to be successful, but just didn’t get the luck needed to win. Winning at Kansas was a validation, of sorts, and it was definitely the catalyst for what we were able to accomplish as the summer months wore on. We won the race on fuel mileage, but we had a very fast car throughout the race. We ran in the top-10 most of the day. With a fast Miller Lite Dodge and good fuel mileage, I’m confident about our chances this weekend.”

Brad Keselowski on rebounding from his finish last weekend at Dover International Speedway
“You know, 10 races is a long time to go without having a few problems. We had some misfortune at Dover with the power steering belt getting knocked off, but we were able to battle back and get the best finish we could. It’s tough when you have a good car – and we had a really good car at Dover – and you can’t capitalize on the points leader having a bad day. But to look at it objectively, we only lost three points to the leader and we only sit 14 points back with seven races to go. That’s not a bad position to be in, especially when you’re still considered to be a dark horse or underdog. But we do want to send a message this weekend that we are going to fight to the finish.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on Kansas Speedway
“Even though we were able to get the win in June from the 25th position, we really want to qualify better this weekend at Kansas. Track position and clean air are key at that track. Once we got Brad out in front, it was like it was a completely different Miller Lite Dodge. Not only were we able to pick up the win the last time we were there, we also learned a lot about our car. We’ve seen improvement each time we have gone back to a track for the second time and I expect the same thing this weekend. The Chase battle is getting tight so we want to come out of here with a good finish.”