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Brad Keselowski

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Brad Keselowski
Awards2008-2009 Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver
NASCAR Cup Series career
Car no., team
  1. 12 - Penske Racing
2008 position57th
First race2008 Dickies 500 (Texas)
First win2009 Aaron's 499 (Talladega)
Wins Top tens Poles
1 3
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
Car no., team
  1. 22 - Penske Racing
2009 position3rd
Best finish3rd - 2009
First race2006 Ameriquest 300 (California)
First win2008 Federated Auto Parts 300 Presented by Dollar General (Nashville)
Last win2009 Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 (Memphis)
Wins Top tens Poles
5 38 2
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
First race2004 Kroger 250 (Martinsville)
Last race2009 O'Reilly 200 Presented by Valvoline (Bristol)
Wins Top tens Poles
2 1

Bradley "Brad" Keselowski (born February 12, 1984) is an auto racing car driver currently competing in the #12 Penske Racing Dodge Charger in the Sprint Cup Series and the #22 Discount Tire Company Dodge Charger in the Nationwide Series for Penske Racing. He previously drove for JR Motorsports from 2007 to 2009 in the Nationwide Series and for Phoenix Racing and Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series.

He is the son of Bob Keselowski and the nephew of Ron Keselowski. His older brother Brian competes part-time in both the ARCA RE/MAX Series and the Nationwide Series.


NASCAR career

Celebrating his first win at Nashville with trophy guitar

Keselowski began competing in NASCAR in 2004, when he began racing in the Craftsman Truck Series, driving the #29 for his family-owned K Automotive Racing team. He made his debut at Martinsville Speedway, where he started 26th and finished 33rd. He made seven more starts that season, his best finish coming at Mansfield, where he finished 16th.

In 2005, Keselowski began competing in the Truck Series full-time with backing from SUBcrews.com and Samson Stone. He opened the season with a career-best seventh-place finish at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250. Running every race that season, he finished 21st in points. He ran the first two races of 2006 for K-Automotive, finishing sixteenth at California Speedway, before a lack of sponsorship caused the team to temporarily suspend operations. Keselowski then drove a pair of races filling in for the injured Kelly Sutton, where he had a seventh-place start at Memphis Motorsports Park. He returned to the Trucks in August, where he finished 33rd at Bristol Motor Speedway driving the #63 for MB Motorsports.

In 2007, Keselowski began running in the NASCAR Busch series full time and for Rookie of the Year honors with Keith Coleman Racing, but the team suspended operations in July. During the 2007 racing season, Keselowski was tabbed by Germain Racing to replace Ted Musgrave at Memphis Motorsports Park after Musgrave was suspended for an in race scuffle with another driver in Milwaukee. He qualified first for the Saturday night race, and led a majority of the race, but got bumped by Travis Kvapil with about nine laps to go. Keselowski finished 16th. Shortly afterwards, he was called by car owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr to drive his #88 United States Navy Chevrolet for JR Motorsports for the rest of the year in the Busch Series, posting five top-ten finishes.

Keselowski re-signed with JR in 2008, and got his first win came June 7, 2008 at Nashville Superspeedway, overcoming Clint Bowyer after the final caution in the closing laps of the race. His second Nationwide career win came in the same fashion at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 22, 2008. He ended the season third in the points standings, the highest finish by a full-time Nationwide Series-only driver. Late in the season, Keselowski was hired to drive the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for two races with Hendrick Motorsports.[1] Keselowski was on stand-by for an ill Jeff Gordon in Kansas and for expectant father Casey Mears at Talladega that season as well. Keselowski made his Cup series debut at Texas after failing to qualify twice due to rainouts. He finished the Dickies 500 in 19th position, and 23rd in the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Keselowski continued driving the 88 for JR in 2009 as well as competing in a limited Cup schedule. He will drive the #25 in seven races, and is scheduled to drive the #09 Phoenix Racing in ten races. He won the Aarons 499 in just his fifth career Cup start.

Keselowski pulled off an upset and earned his first Sprint Cup win during the 2009 Aaron's 499 at Talladega. He and Carl Edwards were dueling for the win on the final lap, with Keselowski running second until the final stretch when Edwards, who had been trying to keep Keselowski behind him by blocking, hit the front of Keselowski's car as he attempted to keep the block on and crashed, becoming airborne and hitting the catch fencing surrounding the track. Keselowski won in his fifth career start (third start in 2009) and led his first career Sprint Cup lap, Lap 188 (in fact the only lap he led the entire race). It was the first time since May 2007 a driver had won his first career win in a major, and the first win in the Aaron's 499 by a first-time driver since Phil Parsons 21 years ago. It was also the first time a driver's first ever lap led was to win the race. In the pass through the tri-oval, Brad went high to try and fake Carl Edwards out. When Edwards went high to block, Brad went low to pass. Edwards went to block thinking that he was clear, however, Edwards' left rear quarter panel hit the right front of Keselowski's car. Brad Keselowski did not go down due to the circumstances at the race last year involving Regan Smith and the yellow line (Smith passed Tony Stewart below the yellow line to finish first, but lost the win, even when he was forced to go down). Edwards went spinning and Keselowski won the race.

It appears that his win in Talladega has earned him more seat time in the James Finch-owned Chevy. Originally scheduled to appear next in the 18th race of the season, at Daytona International Speedway, is now scheduled to appear in the upcoming race at Richmond International Raceway. Keselowski will now race the Sprint All-Star Race as well.[2][3] He was forced to pull out of the Richmond race due to commitments to his Nationwide series team.

2009 #88 Nationwide car

Keselowski got his third Nationwide victory at Dover. Kyle Busch cut a tire on the restart, second-place Joey Logano rammed Busch and Keselowski passed them both.

After taking a gamble and staying out past his "pit-window," Keselowski garnered his fourth win at the first ever Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway after battling Kyle Busch to take over and maintain first position. Keselowski finishing first over Kyle Busch made Busch tie his record of nine consecutive top 2 finishes.

Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch dominated Michigan, but Keselowski came on top when momentum broke between the two, allowing Keselowski to pick up a victory in his home state.

In the 2009 Amp Energy 500, Brad was pushed into future teammate Kurt Busch by Brian Vickers on the last lap causing Mark Martin to flip over.

In the Phoenix Nationwide race, he wrecked Denny Hamlin in response to Hamlin making hard contact with Keselowski the previous lap. A week later, Hamlin returned the favor by wrecking Keselowski at Homestead in the Natiowide race, Keselowski was able to keep his car off of the wall and continue with the aid of an extra set of tires granted by NASCAR due to the incident being not of Keselowski's own doing.

Reports have surfaced that Keselowski will leave JR Motorsports and Phoenix Racing after the 2009 season to drive the #12 Dodge for Penske Racing. NASCAR.com reported that the deal had gone through but no confirmation has been made yet. Keselowski announced on August 27, 2009 that he would be leaving the #88 Nationwide car at the end of the season, but refused to comment on whether the reports of him going to Penske were true or not. Those reports were confirmed days later as Penske announced that not only would he drive full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, but also in the Nationwide series with teammate Justin Allgaier.

Brad Keselowski Racing

Main article: Brad Keselowski Racing

Keselowski formed his own race team in 2007. The team began competing in the Truck Series in 2008. Brad drove the #19 Chevy himself and earned the team's first Top 10 finish.

Races Won

Sprint Cup (1 win)

2009

Nationwide Series (6 wins)

2009

2008

References

  1. ^ [1] Brad Keselowski to make Sprint Cup debut Oct. 11
  2. ^ [2]2009 Richmond Sprint Cup Entry List
  3. ^ [3]Brad Keselowski's 2009 Race Schedule

bradracing.com

External links


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