Keselowski Finishes 7th in Geico 400 at Chicagoland
September 16, 2013
THE RACE
Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile oval, Joliet, Ill.)
Sunday, September 15, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Driven By Brad Keselowski
Start Position: 2
Finish Position: 7
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 14
THE RACE REVIEW
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team qualified second for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opening race of the Chase. The result gave Penske Racing a 1-2 start as Keselowski’s teammate, Joey Logano, began the race from the front of the field after he won the pole position.
· Keselowski settled in to the second position after he took the green flag, which was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain showers in the area.
· NASCAR mandated a competition caution at lap 30, during which crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a four-tire stop with an air pressure adjustment to the Miller Lite Ford. Keselowski, the defending winner of the event, restarted from the seventh position at lap 38.
· The Miller Lite Ford was one of the fastest cars on the track as Keselowski made his way back to the front of the field before another rain shower placed the event under a five-hour rain delay with 109 laps completed.
· When the race resumed under the Chicagoland Speedway lights, Keselowski radioed that his No. 2 Ford Fusion was handling too loose around the 1.5-mile oval. Following a round of adjustments to tighten the handling, Keselowski restarted from the 20th position at lap 129.
· With the car’s performance improved, the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion began his assault on the field as he was easily able to make his way into to the top 10.
· Keselowski was able to maintain a position inside the top 10 before a major vibration developed in the car around lap 187. The vibration seriously affected the handling of the Miller Lite Ford and, as a result, Keselowski lost several spots before coming to pit road at lap 216. After the team worked on the car Keselowski once again worked his way back through field.
· On the last restart of the day, at lap 245, Keselowski found himself in the 16th position. He quickly made his way back inside top 10 in just one lap, and he eventually claimed the seventh position before taking the checkered flag.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRAD KESELOWSKI
IT WAS A LONG DAY A THE TRACK. CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RACE?
“There were a lot of ups and downs for us tonight. We started second and were running up front for a while. Then we got shuffled back on pit road and developed some kind of vibration that we couldn’t identify. We lost all of our track position and the last run we just dug really hard to salvage a seventh-place finish. I think the Miller Lite Ford Fusion was probably a top-five car. I don’t know if I had anything for the 20 car or the 18 car. It is hard to tell because we never got a shot to find out.”
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO COME BACK OUT AFTER THE LONG RAIN DELAY?
“Going from a day race to a night race, due to the rain, really changed the handling of the car. We were very loose after the rain so we had to make some big adjustments to compensate. (Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) did a great job with those and the Miller Lite Ford was quick at the end of the race. We just started too far back on the last restart to make it up to the front.”
Geico 400 at Chicagoland Speedway (1.5-mile oval, Joliet, Ill.)
Sunday, September 15, 2013
THE RESULTS
The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Driven By Brad Keselowski
Start Position: 2
Finish Position: 7
Status: Running
Current Driver's Points Position: 14
THE RACE REVIEW
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team qualified second for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opening race of the Chase. The result gave Penske Racing a 1-2 start as Keselowski’s teammate, Joey Logano, began the race from the front of the field after he won the pole position.
· Keselowski settled in to the second position after he took the green flag, which was delayed by 90 minutes due to rain showers in the area.
· NASCAR mandated a competition caution at lap 30, during which crew chief Paul Wolfe called for a four-tire stop with an air pressure adjustment to the Miller Lite Ford. Keselowski, the defending winner of the event, restarted from the seventh position at lap 38.
· The Miller Lite Ford was one of the fastest cars on the track as Keselowski made his way back to the front of the field before another rain shower placed the event under a five-hour rain delay with 109 laps completed.
· When the race resumed under the Chicagoland Speedway lights, Keselowski radioed that his No. 2 Ford Fusion was handling too loose around the 1.5-mile oval. Following a round of adjustments to tighten the handling, Keselowski restarted from the 20th position at lap 129.
· With the car’s performance improved, the current NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) champion began his assault on the field as he was easily able to make his way into to the top 10.
· Keselowski was able to maintain a position inside the top 10 before a major vibration developed in the car around lap 187. The vibration seriously affected the handling of the Miller Lite Ford and, as a result, Keselowski lost several spots before coming to pit road at lap 216. After the team worked on the car Keselowski once again worked his way back through field.
· On the last restart of the day, at lap 245, Keselowski found himself in the 16th position. He quickly made his way back inside top 10 in just one lap, and he eventually claimed the seventh position before taking the checkered flag.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING
BRAD KESELOWSKI
IT WAS A LONG DAY A THE TRACK. CAN YOU DESCRIBE YOUR RACE?
“There were a lot of ups and downs for us tonight. We started second and were running up front for a while. Then we got shuffled back on pit road and developed some kind of vibration that we couldn’t identify. We lost all of our track position and the last run we just dug really hard to salvage a seventh-place finish. I think the Miller Lite Ford Fusion was probably a top-five car. I don’t know if I had anything for the 20 car or the 18 car. It is hard to tell because we never got a shot to find out.”
HOW DIFFICULT WAS IT TO COME BACK OUT AFTER THE LONG RAIN DELAY?
“Going from a day race to a night race, due to the rain, really changed the handling of the car. We were very loose after the rain so we had to make some big adjustments to compensate. (Crew chief) Paul (Wolfe) did a great job with those and the Miller Lite Ford was quick at the end of the race. We just started too far back on the last restart to make it up to the front.”