News

Brad Keselowski
No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger
Feed The Children 300
Kentucky Speedway
Friday, June 29, 2012
TV: ESPN2 at 7 PM ET   Radio: PRN/Sirius 90

No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger News and Notes
• This Week’s Challenger… Brad Keselowski and the Penske Racing Discount Tire Dodge Challenger team will use chassis PRS-225 during Friday night’s Feed The Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway. Keselowski drove this chassis to a third-place finish at Darlington Raceway in May.
• The No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger in 2012... Following 14 points-paying events, the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge team sits eighth in the NASCAR Nationwide Series (NNS) owner point standings following a sixth-place finish at Road American last week with driver Jacques Villeneuve.
• Keselowski Climbing the Charts… By taking the checkered flag in the History 300 at Charlotte Motor Speedway in May, Keselowski remains in 15th place on the NNS all-time wins list with 18 victories. Keselowski is now two wins away from tying Greg Biffle for 14th place on the all-time list.
• Defending Winner… Keselowski led 132 of 200 laps in last year’s Feed The Children 300 at Kentucky Speedway, cruising to his first victory of 2011 with then crew chief Todd Gordon. The duo would go on to win four more races before the end of the season, helping to elevate Gordon to the NASCAR Cup Series as crew chief of the No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge of AJ Allmendinger.
• Five For Five?... In four NNS starts at the 1.5-mile Kentucky Speedway, Keselowski has never finished outside the top five. He will look to make it five-consecutive top-five finishes this weekend. Keselowski has also completed every lap of NNS competition over the last four races at Kentucky.
• Keselowski Speedway Stats…In 122 speedway starts in the Nationwide Series, Keselowski has accumulated 12 wins, 54 top-five finishes, 75 top-10 results and eighth pole awards. In addition, he has led the field for 2,065 laps at tracks between one and two miles in length.
• Pick 22 To Win… Discount Tire, America’s largest tire and wheel retailer, and NASCAR champion driver Brad Keselowski, are providing an exciting way for race fans to follow the action and win great prizes with the Pick 22 to Win online sweepstakes. At pick22towin.com fans select where Keselowski and his No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge Challenger will finish in a designated Nationwide Series race. There are 15 separate Nationwide Series races for fans to participate in for a chance to win free sets of tires and great autographed Brad Keselowski race gear.

Brad Keselowski on last year’s win at Kentucky Speedway
“It really felt good to finally get a win in the Discount Tire Dodge last year at Kentucky. I had been so close before, running up front and leading laps, that I knew it was just a matter of time before we broke through. What made that win even more special was that it was the first win of the season for the team. We were just coming off the Nationwide Series championship in 2010 and we had many of the same people on the team, but we were having some terrible luck. After that win, it seemed like everything fell back into its old place. Even Kurt (Busch) picked up a win for us while I was out with the ankle injury. So, basically, from July to November we knocked off six wins. That’s a pretty good stretch and I think we can do it again. We’ve already won at Charlotte this year, so we know our intermediate program is solid.”

Crew chief Jeremy Bullins on preparing a car for Kentucky Speedway
“Over the last couple of years, Kentucky has taken on some characteristics that make it a little different than the other 1.5-mile tracks we visit. Turns 1 and 2 are very bumpy, especially on the bottom. You need to have smooth ride quality to take the fast way around the track. That also means a second groove will develop as the race progresses because a lot of drivers will avoid those bumps. The track gains a lot of grip as the sun goes down and it becomes very fast. I think it’s a track suited perfectly to Brad’s driving style, obvious by his dominate win there last year. Our goal is to make it two in-a-row this year.”