News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Goody’s Fast Relief 500
Martinsville Speedway
Sunday, April 1, 2012
TV: FOX at 12:30 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-818 during Sunday’s Goody’s Fast Relief 500 at Martinsville Speedway. This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in 2012… After five points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 16th in the 2012 driver point standings and 17th in the owner point standings. The team is coming off an 18th-place finish in the rain-shortened Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway last Sunday.
• Shot At Redemption… In the last Cup Series race at Martinsville in October of 2011, Keselowski was poised to pick up his career-best finish at the half-mile oval. Running solidly inside the top 10 with two laps remaining, Keselowski was an innocent bystander in an incident with the No. 88 car of Dale Earnhardt Jr. and the No. 11 machine of Denny Hamlin. As a result, he lost nine positions and hurt his chances to stay in the running for the Cup Series championship. He will look for redemption this weekend as the most recent winner of a short-track race (Bristol) in the Cup Series. 
• Going For Another 100 Wins… Keselowski’s win two weeks ago at Bristol Motor Speedway 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.
• Have A Miller Lite With That Dog… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in Martinsville is “Have a Miller Lite With That Dog.” One of the most well-known traditions in NASCAR is the Martinsville Speedway hot dog. What goes better with a hot dog than a Miller Lite?
• The Rest is History... Martinsville Speedway is a track where Penske Racing has enjoyed its share of success over the years. In 88 starts, the organization has picked up six wins (all by Rusty Wallace), five poles, 19 top-five and 33 top-10 finishes at Martinsville. Wallace made Martinsville his personal playground in the Miller Lite car as he did not finish outside of the top-three in eight consecutive races from September of 1992 through April of 1996. 

Brad Keselowski on racing at Martinsville Speedway
“Martinsville is a place that I’ve learned to enjoy. Bristol is a place that I took to immediately, but Martinsville requires finesse that can only be learned with track time. I never considered myself a great short-track driver, but one thing that helped me when I got to this level was that my dad made me travel around to different tracks when I was growing up. I raced a lot of different short tracks in the Midwest and that made me comfortable when I got into the upper levels of NASCAR. We had a good race with the Miller Lite Dodge here last fall, but got caught up in a wreck late in the race. I know (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) will give me an even better car this weekend and, hopefully, we can get a grandfather clock (trophy).”

Brad Keselowski on the importance of good brakes when racing at Martinsville Speedway
“Martinsville will always be a track that is hard on brakes. Yes, the braking systems have come a long way over the last 10 years or so. But if you give us more brakes or better brakes, we are going to use more brakes to the point that we will damage the sidewall of the tire. Overheating the brakes is something that is easy to do because you are going so hard every lap as passing is difficult at Martinsville. Managing your brakes is part of being a successful short-track racer.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on Martinsville Speedway
“We have a brand-new Miller Lite Dodge this weekend and I’m excited about its potential. We took it to the short track at Rockingham and came away very pleased. One key for me is that we are racing on the same tire as last fall. The left-rear tire is very important for forward bite at Martinsville so it’s nice to know we can use some of last year’s notes. Track position is paramount, so we’ll place some added attention to qualifying on Saturday. It’s still Martinsville so anything can happen, but Brad likes racing there so we are a confident team heading into this weekend.”