News

Brad Keselowski
No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger
Federated Auto Parts 400
Richmond International Raceway
Saturday, September 8, 2012
TV: ABC 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-822 during Saturday night’s Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond International Raceway (RIR). Brad Keselowski last raced this chassis to a win at Kentucky Speedway in June. It has been updated to the current Penske Racing specification.
• No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in 2012… After 25 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked sixth in the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) driver and owner point standings. Winners of three races already this season, the team is coming off a third-place finish in the AdvoCare 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway last Sunday night.
• Chasing a Championship... The pressure is off Keselowski and the Miller Lite team this weekend at RIR as they have already punched their ticket to the 2012 Chase for the Championship, securing a spot in the post-season with Sunday’s result at Atlanta. This marks the second-consecutive year that Keselowski and the No. 2 team have qualified for NASCAR’s playoff system.
• A Special Place for the Keselowski Family… In 1997 Keselowski’s father, Bob, scored the only NASCAR Camping World Truck Series win of his career at RIR. The younger Keselowski, who attended most of his father’s races, was forced to miss the win because of school commitments. For that reason, Brad’s 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series victory at Richmond is one of his favorites as it placed the Keselowski name alongside Petty, Earnhardt, Allison and Jarrett as family winners at the .75-mile oval.
• Career-Best Top-Five Mark… In addition to his three wins, Keselowski is tied for third with 10 top-five finishes in 2012. This represents a career-best mark for the young driver.
• Lite Up Your Night… The featured tag line on the rear bumper of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend in Richmond will read “Lite Up Your Night.” Night racing is the perfect opportunity to join friends for an “It’s Miller Time” moment.
• 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 85 combined Richmond starts, Penske Racing has five wins (Rusty Wallace – 4, Ryan Newman – 1), five poles and 27 top-five finishes.

Brad Keselowski on qualifying for the Chase for the Championship
“I’m really looking forward to going to Richmond with no pressure, other than trying to win the race. That is going to be one wild race on Saturday night. Some really good drivers need to win to make it in, but we aren’t going to give it to them. We want to win to go into the Chase tied for the points lead. With the security we have of already locking ourselves in, we can take some chances to see if we can hit on something that will help us get to Victory Lane. It’s been a great year for the Miller Lite Dodge team. Now it’s time to see what we’re made of.”

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 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 into 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.”