News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Coca-Cola 600
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Sunday, May 27, 2012
TV: FOX at 5:30 PM ET   Radio: PRN/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-826 during Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte Motor Speedway (CMS). This is a brand new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in 2012… After 11 points-paying events, Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 12th in the 2012 driver point standings and 13th in the owner point rankings. The team is coming off a second-place finish in the Sprint All-Star Race, a non-points paying event, at Charlotte Motor Speedway last Saturday night.
• NASCAR Unites… This weekend, Keselowski will debut his first special paint scheme as driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge. The specially-designed red, white and blue scheme is in support of NASCAR’s “NASCAR Unites – An American Salute” program, a platform uniting the NASCAR industry this summer to enhance the lives of U.S. military families. In addition to the new paint, the Miller Lite Dodge will also feature the new Punch Top Can innovation instead of the aluminum pint that has adorned the side of the car since the start of the 2011 season. This new design will also be featured the track at Daytona International Speedway in July.
• Defending Pole Winner… In qualifying for last year’s Coca-Cola 600, Keselowski won the pole position by recording a lap of 28.112 seconds, or 192.089 miles per, around the 1.5-mile oval. Coming on the heels of a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway, this served as a springboard for the Miller Lite Dodge team and led to an impressive stretch of summer races that culminated with a fifth-place finish in the 2011 Chase for the Championship.
• All-Star Segment Winner… In the most-exciting segment of the NASCAR All-Star Race last Saturday night, Keselowski was able to hold off the No. 5 car of Kasey Kahne by six inches as the two crossed the finish line side-by-side in the third segment of the event. Keselowski led all 20 laps of the third segment, giving him the most laps led on the night.
•.  Meet Brad… Keselowski will make an appearance at the Miller Lite stage at Food Lion Speed Street on Friday night at 7:40 pm. Speed Street transforms the streets of Uptown Charlotte into a showcase of motor sports with non-stop entertainment. Keselowski will introduce the band Benton Blount before signing autographs for fans.
• Enjoy A Punch Top Can… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in Charlotte is “Enjoy A Punch Top Can.” 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 television advertisement.
• The Rest is History... Penske Racing made its first start in the annual 500-mile fall race at CMS on October 8, 1972 with Dave Marcis behind the wheel of the famous Penske Racing No. 2 car. In 93 combined starts, Penske Racing drivers have recorded one win, eight poles, 14 top-five and 31 top-10 finishes at the 1.5-mile Charlotte oval.

Brad Keselowski on preparing for the year’s longest race, the Coca-Cola 600
“The Coca-Cola 600 is a brutal race, no doubt about it. It’s a test of both man and machine. It can wear you down physically, as well as mentally, and you need to be prepared for it. While this is true for every race, a good-handling car will make the world of difference when you have to run 600 miles. The Miller Lite Dodge was very fast in the All-Star Race. We needed just a little more to run with the No. 48 (car) at the end, but the 600 is a completely different animal. If we can stay out of trouble and tune our car correctly for the transition to the night portion, I think we can give Mr. Penske another trophy on Memorial Day weekend.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on this weekend’s Coca-Cola 600
“This Miller Lite Dodge team has a lot of confidence heading into Sunday’s Coca-Cola 600, based on how we ran in the All-Star Race. While they are two different races, our car showed a lot of speed. The 600 is a long race and you have to play the role of crew chief, along with that of psychiatrist, because you want your driver at his very best, mentally, for the final 100 laps. You can lose the race early, but you won’t win it until the last 100 laps. We’re bringing a new car to the track and it has great potential. Everyone wants to win this race. Hopefully it will be us on Sunday night.”