News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Capital City 400 presented by Virginia is for Lovers
Richmond International Raceway
Saturday, April 28, 2012
TV: FOX at 7:00 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-824 during Saturday night’s 400-mile race at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). This is a new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in 2012… After eight points-paying events, Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 15th in the 2012 driver point standings and 16th in the owner point rankings. The team is coming off an 11th-place finish in the STP 400 at Kansas Speedway last Sunday afternoon.
• Miller Lite Punch Top Can… With a successful legacy as innovators in the beer market, Miller Lite will debut a new innovation in the Punch Top Can this week. This new can features a second tab to be opened for a smoother pour with less glug. To help launch this new campaign, Keselowski will be featured in a national advertisement for the Punch Top Can that will be seen, most-notably, during the NBA and NHL playoffs.
• It’s Miller Time… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in Richmond is “It’s Miller Time.” One of the most-recognized marketing slogans in recent memory, “It’s Miller Time” can be found within many popular culture references. MillerCoors decided to bring back the slogan last month.
• Penske Racing and PPG… Penske Racing is proud to use PPG's Envirobase High Performance waterborne system on its cars. The fast drying Envirobase HP is a water-based paint so it has less impact on the environment than solvent paint.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing has a long and storied Cup Series history at the RIR oval. The first start for the organization came in March of 1976 when Bobby Allison qualified on the pole for the Richmond 400, before relief driver Neil Bonnet took over for the remainder of the race. Bonnet drove the No. 2 to a third-place finish. In 83 combined Richmond starts, Penske Racing has five wins (Rusty Wallace – 4, Ryan Newman – 1), five poles and 27 top-five finishes.

Brad Keselowski on getting more consistent finishes with the Miller Lite Dodge
“I think we’ve had consistency in speed with the Miller Lite Dodge, we just haven’t had consistency in finishes.  I’ve had three bad finishes, two of them were for parts issues and the third one was getting caught up in the big one at Daytona.  I’m not concerned about anything other than the parts and the rest will work itself out.  I told Matt Kenseth this the other day – I feel like I’ve race side-by-side with Matt in a lot of races this year and if we simply wouldn’t have had those two gremlins at Vegas and Texas, I think we’d be second or third in points. I don’t feel bad about our efforts.  We just have to get rid of those gremlins. We’re a team that has the ability to win races and run for a championship.”
 
Brad Keselowski on how growing up on the short tracks helps him prepare for Richmond
“Coming from the short tracks of Michigan and Ohio really helps me when we go to places like Richmond. The track has characteristics of several places where I cut my racing teeth. But what helped me out the most was the competition that raced up there. You had to learn to get tough or go home. I learned a lot of lessons on the short tracks back home that helped make me into the racecar driver I am today. I love racing under the lights on Saturday night because it reminds me a lot of those days.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on preparing for Richmond International Raceway
“Richmond is a fast short track that has a lot of challenges. It almost drives like a speedway because the corner speed is very high. It takes the right balance of having the car turn in the center without giving up forward drive off the corner. Fuel mileage and pit strategy come in to play at times so you need to make sure you stay on top of that throughout the race. Richmond is a track where a driver can make a big difference and I feel that plays into our hands with Brad behind the wheel.”