Keselowski Finishes 12th in Quicken Loans 400 at MIS
June 17, 2013
THE RACE
The Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, Mich.) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Sunday, June 16, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Start Position: 16
Finish Position: 12
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 9
THE RACE REVIEW
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team started the Quicken Loans 400 from the 16th position on Sunday.
· Early in the race, Keselowski radioed that the car needed rear stability entering and exiting the corners at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) while he made his way towards the top-10 cars.
· Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for several two-tire stops, along with adjustments to the track bar, wedge and air pressure on the Miller Lite machine to help Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, Mich., achieve the feel he was looking for on his home track.
· As the car’s handling improved, Keselowski was able to keep the No. 2 Ford positioned inside the top 10 for much of the race.
· After Keselowski brought his car down pit road for the final pit stop of the day at lap 168 he left before the pit crew could fill the Miller Lite Ford with enough fuel to make it to the end of the race.
· Keselowski restarted the race in the fifth position at lap 174 after deciding to save fuel over the final laps instead of coming back down pit road.
· Unfortunately, the No. 2 machine was just shy of making it to end of the race as the Miller Lite Ford began to run its tank dry with just two laps remaining. Keselowski was able to cross the finish line under power, but he had dropped to the 12th position at the checkered flag.
· Keselowski remains ninth in the Sprint Cup Series point standings with Sunday’s finish at MIS.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE LAST PIT STOP?
“We didn’t need a full tank, but we did need more than what we would get in it on a two-tire stop. There was just a mix-up in communication because I went on the jack falling instead of giving my gasman a few more seconds. It’s unfortunate because in looking at the finishing order, I think we could’ve brought the Miller Lite Ford home in the third or fourth position. I was almost able to save enough fuel as it was, but we needed just another half of a gallon or so.”
WAS IT A STRUGGLE FOR FIND A BALANCE IN THE SETUP?
“Yeah it was a tough day at times. In the middle part of the race we were dealing with the dreaded ‘loose in, tight in the middle, loose off’ condition. That’s a tough one to fix. If you fix one of those issues you inevitably make one of the others worse. But (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) and the guys really went to work on top of the pit box and at the end of the race we were in position to capitalize with a solid finish. Wasn’t meant to be today, but we did gain some points on 10th place.”
The Quicken Loans 400 at Michigan International Speedway (Brooklyn, Mich.) – NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Sunday, June 16, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Start Position: 16
Finish Position: 12
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 9
THE RACE REVIEW
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford team started the Quicken Loans 400 from the 16th position on Sunday.
· Early in the race, Keselowski radioed that the car needed rear stability entering and exiting the corners at Michigan International Speedway (MIS) while he made his way towards the top-10 cars.
· Crew chief Paul Wolfe called for several two-tire stops, along with adjustments to the track bar, wedge and air pressure on the Miller Lite machine to help Keselowski, a native of Rochester Hills, Mich., achieve the feel he was looking for on his home track.
· As the car’s handling improved, Keselowski was able to keep the No. 2 Ford positioned inside the top 10 for much of the race.
· After Keselowski brought his car down pit road for the final pit stop of the day at lap 168 he left before the pit crew could fill the Miller Lite Ford with enough fuel to make it to the end of the race.
· Keselowski restarted the race in the fifth position at lap 174 after deciding to save fuel over the final laps instead of coming back down pit road.
· Unfortunately, the No. 2 machine was just shy of making it to end of the race as the Miller Lite Ford began to run its tank dry with just two laps remaining. Keselowski was able to cross the finish line under power, but he had dropped to the 12th position at the checkered flag.
· Keselowski remains ninth in the Sprint Cup Series point standings with Sunday’s finish at MIS.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
WHAT HAPPENED ON THE LAST PIT STOP?
“We didn’t need a full tank, but we did need more than what we would get in it on a two-tire stop. There was just a mix-up in communication because I went on the jack falling instead of giving my gasman a few more seconds. It’s unfortunate because in looking at the finishing order, I think we could’ve brought the Miller Lite Ford home in the third or fourth position. I was almost able to save enough fuel as it was, but we needed just another half of a gallon or so.”
WAS IT A STRUGGLE FOR FIND A BALANCE IN THE SETUP?
“Yeah it was a tough day at times. In the middle part of the race we were dealing with the dreaded ‘loose in, tight in the middle, loose off’ condition. That’s a tough one to fix. If you fix one of those issues you inevitably make one of the others worse. But (crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) and the guys really went to work on top of the pit box and at the end of the race we were in position to capitalize with a solid finish. Wasn’t meant to be today, but we did gain some points on 10th place.”