News

Brad Keselowski
No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger
Tech-Net Auto Service 300
Charlotte Motor Speedway
May 29, 2010

No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger News and Notes
• This Week’s Charger… The No. 22 Penske Racing/Discount Tire Dodge Charger team will use chassis PRS-031 during Saturday’s race at Charlotte Motor Speedway. This is the first race for this brand-new chassis. 
• The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Charger in 2010... After 11 races, Keselowski and the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team currently lead the Nationwide Series driver point standings by 11 points over Kyle Busch.
• Points Leader… Keselowski has led the Nationwide Series point standings since his win at Talladega Superspeedway in April. He has led the standings for a total of six weeks during the 2010 season.
• A New Series Record... Upon finishing the race at Dover International Speedway, Keselowski extended his NASCAR Nationwide Series record of 78 consecutive races without a DNF (Did Not Finish).
• Making Laps… Keselowski has completed all 2,121 laps contested this season. He has led the field for 360 of those circuits.
• Non-Companions Begin… Following the race at Charlotte, the Nationwide Series will break away for three weeks of “stand-alone” events at Nashville Superspeedway, Kentucky Speedway and Road America, respectively. Keselowski will become familiar with the inside of his new airplane as he crosses the country between these races and the NASCAR Cup Series events. Keselowski will fly over 6,300 miles in an attempt to keep his Nationwide Series points lead and give Roger Penske his first NASCAR championship.
• Penske Racing at Charlotte… On October 14, 2005, Ryan Newman led 133 laps en route to his fifth-consecutive Nationwide Series victory of the year at Charlotte Motor Speedway. In eight series starts at the 1.5-mile oval, Penske Racing entries have recorded one win and three top-five finishes.

Brad Keselowski on the difference between Charlotte Motor Speedway and other 1.5-mile tracks
“All 1.5-mile tracks are different, but it’s very hard to see that from the stands or on television. Charlotte is extremely weather sensitive. Small changes in track temperature drastically affect the speed and handling of our racecars. So that makes Charlotte a unique challenge. Over the last few years the asphalt has started to age a little. So the cars are starting to slide around a little more and that makes it a fun place to race. We’ve won a short-track race and a restrictor-plate race already this season. I feel good about the new car we are taking to Charlotte, so hopefully we’ll get our first intermediate win this weekend.”

Crew chief Paul Wolfe on Charlotte Motor Speedway
“Charlotte is a very fast, 1.5-mile track. Since they repaved it a few years ago, it is probably one of the fastest places that we go. You need to get as much speed out of the car as possible without sacrificing the handling. Charlotte is very temperamental to changing track conditions and this race is run during the day when the sun is the hottest. That can cause the surface to become very slick. Finding the right balance between speed and grip is very important. Brad has a good record at Charlotte over the last couple of years, so I’m confident we can contend for the win and leave with the points lead.”