News

Brad Keselowski
No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger
STP 300
Chicagoland Speedway
June 4, 2011

No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger News and Notes 
• This Week’s Challenger… The Penske Racing Discount Tire Dodge Challenger team will use chassis PRS-213 during Saturday’s STP 300 at Chicagoland Speedway. Keselowski last drove this chassis to a second-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway in April.
• The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger in 2011... After 13 events, Brad Keselowski and the reigning champion No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger team are ranked eighth in the 2011 NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) owner point standings. The team is coming off a sixth-place finish in the Top Gear 300 last Saturday at Charlotte Motor Speedway.
• 2010 Chicago Rewind... After qualifying his Discount Tire Dodge in the second position at Chicago last season, Keselowski was able to make his way to the top spot early in the race to lead 27 laps. However, the car ran out of fuel on the final restart of the event and Keselowski had to settle for a 21st-place finish after coming down pit road for a splash of fuel. The finish marked his 85th consecutive race without a DNF.
• Keselowski Speedway Stats… In 88 speedway starts in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has accumulated five wins, 38 top-five finishes, 53 top-10 results and four pole awards. In addition, he has led the field for 995 laps at tracks between one and two miles in length.
• Follow Brad on Twitter… Fans can now follow Keselowski on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/keselowski. Followers can get a glimpse inside his everyday life while keeping up-to-date on the latest Cup Series and Nationwide Series news for the Penske Racing driver.
• Super Sub… Keselowski’s Penske Racing teammate, Sam Hornish Jr., will be behind the wheel of the Discount Tire Dodge machine for the first practice session at Chicagoland Speedway on Friday afternoon. Keselowski will be wrapping up Cup Series practice at Kansas Speedway, but he will make the final practice session. Hornish owns two wins in the IndyCar Series at Chicagoland Speedway.

Brad Keselowski on preparing for non-companion weekends
“The most  important thing you can do to help you with the non-companion weekends is surround yourself with good people. It’s so much easier when all you have to worry about is getting in the car. The logistics alone make it very taxing to go back and forth so anything you can do to alleviate strain will pay off. At the end of the day, I love driving race cars and I love competing in both the Cup Series and the Nationwide Series. The enjoyment of being able to race in both series far outweighs any of the travel issues associated with it.”

Brad Keselowski on having Sam Hornish Jr. on hand for the first practice at Chicagoland Speedway
“It’s certainly a huge advantage for us when you think about the caliber of driver that Sam Hornish Jr. is. Not many drivers can say that they have a former IndyCar champion and Indianapolis 500 winner helping dial in their car. Thanks to Sam, we were able to lead laps and have a shot at winning the race in Iowa a few weeks ago. I can’t thank him enough for his help.”

Crew chief Todd Gordon on preparing a car for Chicagoland Speedway
“Chicago is a pretty unique racetrack. It’s a very fast 1.5-mile oval so you need to make sure that you have done your homework in the aerodynamic department. You also need mechanical grip because the track is very bumpy and the surface is becoming pretty worn. I really feel like we are making gains in our intermediate program and a trip to Victory Lane is not far off. That would be great validation for all of the hard work that the guys on this team are putting in each and every week. We’ll get there.”