Keselowski Battles His Way to a Second-Place Finish
August 12, 2013
THE RACE
CHEEZ-IT 355 At The Glen at Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile road course, Watkins Glen, N.Y.)
Sunday, August 11, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Driven By Brad Keselowski
Start Position: 8
Finish Position: 2
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 8
THE RACE REVIEW
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team began Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Watkins Glen International (WGI) from the eighth position.
· The defending series champion was able to keep his car positioned inside the top 10 until lap 14 when he spun while trying to pass the No. 1 car of Jamie McMurray in turn 1. The incident caused minor damage to the Miller Lite machine.
· Fortunately, an incident involving another competitor brought out the caution flag on the same lap, which allowed Keselowski to come down pit road for repairs, in addition to a four-tire pit stop on the Miller Lite Ford.
· The spin caused crew chief Paul Wolfe to abandon his pre-race strategy. However, he brought Keselowski down pit road at lap 28 for a fuel-only pit stop that allowed him to gain back valuable track position while the leaders made their first pit stops of the day. This placed the Miller Lite team back on the same strategy as the lead cars.
· After briefly getting shuffled back in the field following his last pit stop of the day at lap 59, Keselowski found himself running in the fourth position after all cars had made their final stops.
· Keselowski moved into the second position on lap 66. He was able to mount several charges on eventual race winner Kyle Busch, but he was unable to make a pass for the lead over the final laps of the race that featured several caution periods.
· With the result, Keselowski made a major gain in the point standings. He is now in the eighth position with four races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRAD KESELOWSKI
YOU WERE CLOSE TO PICKING UP YOUR FIRST CUP SERIES WIN AT WATKINS GLEN. CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RACE?
“We were strong, but we just weren’t quite strong enough. We were definitely really close and we’ve been close over the last three years, but just came up a little bit short on the last lap on all three of them. That stinks, but that’s racing. We had a shot at it. I was gonna have to wreck him (Kyle Busch) to really get it and I didn’t want to do that. I thought I could cross him over here on the last corner and the car just slid the back end a little too much and I just couldn’t quite pull off the move. It was still a great run for the Miller Lite Ford Fusion. It was just a really fast race car and a solid weekend.”
IT WAS A GOOD POINTS DAY FOR YOU. DID THAT GO THROUGH YOUR MIND OR WERE YOU THINKING OF THE WIN?
“Points are great when you’re in the Chase. Before that, to me, it’s about wins. Even if you don’t end up in the top 20 I’d rather be a wild card with four or five wins than be a guy in the Chase with zero wins.”
CHEEZ-IT 355 At The Glen at Watkins Glen International (2.45-mile road course, Watkins Glen, N.Y.)
Sunday, August 11, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Driven By Brad Keselowski
Start Position: 8
Finish Position: 2
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 8
THE RACE REVIEW
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team began Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) race at Watkins Glen International (WGI) from the eighth position.
· The defending series champion was able to keep his car positioned inside the top 10 until lap 14 when he spun while trying to pass the No. 1 car of Jamie McMurray in turn 1. The incident caused minor damage to the Miller Lite machine.
· Fortunately, an incident involving another competitor brought out the caution flag on the same lap, which allowed Keselowski to come down pit road for repairs, in addition to a four-tire pit stop on the Miller Lite Ford.
· The spin caused crew chief Paul Wolfe to abandon his pre-race strategy. However, he brought Keselowski down pit road at lap 28 for a fuel-only pit stop that allowed him to gain back valuable track position while the leaders made their first pit stops of the day. This placed the Miller Lite team back on the same strategy as the lead cars.
· After briefly getting shuffled back in the field following his last pit stop of the day at lap 59, Keselowski found himself running in the fourth position after all cars had made their final stops.
· Keselowski moved into the second position on lap 66. He was able to mount several charges on eventual race winner Kyle Busch, but he was unable to make a pass for the lead over the final laps of the race that featured several caution periods.
· With the result, Keselowski made a major gain in the point standings. He is now in the eighth position with four races remaining until the Chase for the Sprint Cup begins.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRAD KESELOWSKI
YOU WERE CLOSE TO PICKING UP YOUR FIRST CUP SERIES WIN AT WATKINS GLEN. CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RACE?
“We were strong, but we just weren’t quite strong enough. We were definitely really close and we’ve been close over the last three years, but just came up a little bit short on the last lap on all three of them. That stinks, but that’s racing. We had a shot at it. I was gonna have to wreck him (Kyle Busch) to really get it and I didn’t want to do that. I thought I could cross him over here on the last corner and the car just slid the back end a little too much and I just couldn’t quite pull off the move. It was still a great run for the Miller Lite Ford Fusion. It was just a really fast race car and a solid weekend.”
IT WAS A GOOD POINTS DAY FOR YOU. DID THAT GO THROUGH YOUR MIND OR WERE YOU THINKING OF THE WIN?
“Points are great when you’re in the Chase. Before that, to me, it’s about wins. Even if you don’t end up in the top 20 I’d rather be a wild card with four or five wins than be a guy in the Chase with zero wins.”