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THE RACE

Sylvania 300
New Hampshire Motor Speedway
Sunday, September 21,  2014
 
THE RESULTS

The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion
Driver:  Brad Keselowski
Starting Position: 1
Finish Position: 8
Driver's Points Position: 1
 

THE RACE REVIEW

· Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite team led the field to the green flag to start the Sylvania 300 after Keselowski won his fifth Coors Light Pole Award of the 2014 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series season. The effort marked Keselowski’s eighth NASCAR Sprint Cup Series (NSCS) career pole and it was the fourth time this season the team established a new qualifying track record (Phoenix, Dover, Kentucky and New Hampshire).

· Keselowski was out front to start the 300-lap race and he led until the first pit stop, which occurred at lap 37 during a NASCAR-mandated competition caution at Lap 35.

· During the caution the Miller Lite pit crew changed four tires while many of the lead pack cars elected to take just two tires. The full service resulted in the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Fusion losing several positions. When the green flag restarted the action at lap 40, Keselowski was scored 16th in the running order.

· On the restart, Keselowski got bottled up in traffic and lost a few more spots, falling back to 22nd in the order. It would take the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford over 60 laps to work its way back in to the top 10.

· At lap 117, Keselowski was running in the top 10 with a Ford Fusion that was handling too loose entering and exiting the corner and the car also lacked drive off the turns. The Miller Lite pit crew continued to work on the car to improve its’ performance throughout the afternoon.

· On lap 193, the No. 2 car got loose while Keselowski was attempting to pass the No. 20 machine and the Miller Lite Ford spun, making light contact with the wall. The damage was minor and after a pit stop to change tires and pull out the lightly-dented fenders, Keselowski was able to continue. He did lose several positions, however, once again falling back to 22nd in the running order.

· A lap 210 caution allowed the team to pit for a splash of fuel and pass several competitors in the process.  When the race restarted, the Miller Lite Ford was scored in fourth place and just one lap later, Keselowski secured second.

· Caution flags slowed the pace over the last 80 laps of the race. This helped Keselowski get in position to pass for the lead at lap 228. He held the top spot though the next caution and restart before falling back to second at lap 269.

· Despite a valiant effort to regain the lead, Keselowski was not able to get back up front and he was shuffled back to seventh place as the race concluded under a green-white-checkered flag finish.

· With the result, Keselowski continues to lead the Chase point standings as he is now in front of Sunday’s race winner and teammate, Joey Logano, by one point.
    

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

BRAD KESELOWSKI, NO. 2 MILLER LITE FORD

WHAT WAS THE DIFFERENCE THE LAST FEW RESTARTS?

“I don’t know. We had a lot of adversity. I made a few mistakes that got us behind, but (crew chief) Paul Wolfe and the crew did a great job of getting us back in position. It was kind of an up-and-down day and I guess we ended on an OK note. We finished seventh, but I was definitely looking for more than that. We fought hard and it was a good, solid day.”

TWO PENSKE CARS ARE IN THE NEXT ROUND.  WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THAT?

“It’s great for everyone at Team Penske. We certainly have a lot to be proud of, but there’s still a lot of work to do.”