News

THE RACE

Blue Jeans Go Green 200 at Phoenix International Raceway (1-mile oval, Avondale, Ariz.)
Saturday, March 1, 2014

THE RESULTS

The No. 48 Discount Tire Ford
Driven By: Brad Keselowski
Starting Position: 1
Finish Position: 3
Owner's Points Position: 2

THE RACE REVIEW
    
· Brad Keselowski and the No. 22 Discount Tire team started the event from the pole position after breaking the track record in the morning qualifying session.

· The 200-lap event began with Keselowski leading the charge over the first five laps before slipping back to third as he battled an exceedingly loose handling Ford Mustang.

· An early caution flag allowed the Discount Tire crew to make adjustments to the Team Penske machine at lap 22. The stop forced Keselowski to be out of sequence with the race leaders and dropped him toward the back of the lead lap cars in the 27th position.

· The veteran driver would break back into the top-10 at lap 53 and maintain a steady presence there over the next 30 laps.

· On lap 89, Keselowski once again took the lead as others began to make scheduled pit stops. At lap 92, the No. 22 Ford would pit from the lead under green for fuel and adjustments.

· A timely caution flag flew at lap 96, allowing Keselowski to return to the lead-car’s pit window and once again race for the lead.

· Keselowski would stay in the top-five until lap 165 when rain brought out the red flag. NASCAR waited out the rain, but ultimately called the race three hours after the first showers fell.

· Keselowski ended the day with a third-place finish – his second-consecutive top-three finish to start the 2014 NASCAR Nationwide Series season.

· The finish allows the No. 22 Discount Tire Ford to remain second in the Owners’ point standings – trailing  the No. 54 of Joe Gibbs Racing by five points.
    

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

TALK ABOUT YOUR THIRD-PLACE EFFORT OUT THERE TODAY.
“Well I guess it is kind of a good and bad day. We probably qualified better than what we should have. We had about a third- or fourth-place Ford Mustang all weekend. We made adjustments to try to get better but I just had my hands full for whatever reason. The Discount Tire crew gave me great service during our stops and we were fighting all afternoon. I felt kind of relieved to get it over with here. Third was about all I could do. I was holding on for all I was worth towards the end of the last stint before the rain came. It was a decent run I guess and I am proud of the effort. We will take it and move on.”