News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Auto Club 400
Auto Club Speedway
Sunday, March 25, 2012
TV: FOX at 2:30 PM ET   Radio: MRN/Sirius Channel 90

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-816 during Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway (ACS). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in 2012… After four points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 13th in the 2012 driver point standings and 14th in the owner point standings. The team is coming off its first win of the season in the Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway last Sunday.
• Winner, Winner…Only one driver in the Cup Series can go for two wins in a row this weekend at ACS and, thanks to his victory last weekend at BMS, that driver is Keselowski. The win was the fourth Penske Racing Cup Series win for the Rochester Hills, Mich. native, and the fifth overall of his career.
• Going For Another 100 Wins… Keselowski’s win last weekend at BMS marked the 101st stock car victory for Penske Racing. The first win for the organization came in 1973 at Riverside International Raceway with driver Mark Donohue.
• MillerCoors National Distributor Conference… On the way to Fontana, Keselowski made a pit stop in Las Vegas for the MillerCoors National Distributor Conference at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. The conference provided a unique setting that brought together the entire MillerCoors distributor network and provided a platform for the organization to lay out their plans for 2012.
• Taste Greatness… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in Fontana is “Deuces Wild.” The triple hops brewing process gives Miller Lite its great, award-winning taste.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing earned consecutive Cup Series victories at Auto Club Speedway in 2000 and 2001, the most recent with former driver Rusty Wallace. Additionally, the organization has captured four poles, eight top-five finishes and 20 top-10 results in 53 combined starts at the oval originally constructed by Roger Penske.   

Brad Keselowski on his win at Bristol
“I’ve felt comfortable at Bristol from the very first race I ran there and I have a confident feeling anytime we race on that surface. To get a win under our belts this early in the season is huge for everyone on the Miller Lite Dodge team. While we don’t plan on having to use the ‘wild card’ again this season, it’s a nice safety measure to know that we probably only need one more win to ensure a spot in the Chase for the Championship. We’ve been fast every week to start the year. (Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) just does an incredible job of getting better when we go back to a track for the second or third time. Hopefully the win at Bristol gives us early momentum as we head into the summer months because that’s when we seem to really do well.”

Brad Keselowski on racing at Auto Club Speedway
“We’ve run really well with the Nationwide car at Auto Club Speedway over the last couple of years. We don’t yet have a win to show for it, but it gives me a boost of confidence because Fontana has been one of the tougher tracks for me over the years. I’m really looking forward to going back this weekend and having a solid race with the Cup car. The Cup car was a little up and down last year, but it was really fast at times. Everyone on the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge is excited about the car we are taking this weekend. There has been a lot of work put into it and I think it will race well.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on Auto Club Speedway
“The key to victory at Auto Club Speedway is having a car with great balance. The track is known for long green flag runs and the car tends to get looser the longer you run. It’s a delicate balance because you have to be loose to start a run. A tight racecar is no good either but the driver has to be able to hold on to it. That is a very fine line. In Brad we have a driver that can handle a loose racecar. In fact, he prefers the car to be loose rather than tight and his margin for error is pretty wide. That gives me confidence that we can put a car underneath him that he can use to run up front.”