brad keselowski

Bradley "Brad" Keselowski (born February 12, 1984) (most recently called BK12) is an auto racing car driver currently competing in the #12 Verizon Wireless (shown as 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 was previously a driver 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.

1 NASCAR career
2 Brad Keselowski Racing
3 Races Won
- 3.1 Sprint Cup (1 win)
- 3.2 Nationwide Series (10 wins)
4 Images
5 References
6 External links

NASCAR career

Keselowski began racing in NASCAR in 2004 in the Craftsman Truck Series, as the driver of 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 once due to a rainout. 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. 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. However, Keselowski made contact with Edwards left rear quarterpanel, making him lose control of his car in a crash that sent Edwards back into the path of Ryan Newman. Edwards' car bounced off of Ryan Newman's hood and then up into the catch fence, injuring seven fans. Brad Keselowski did not go down below the yellow line 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 there was controversey over whether he was forced to move below the yellow line). 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.

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 spun Denny Hamlin in response to Hamlin making hard contact with Keselowski the previous lap. A week later, Hamlin returned the favor by spinning 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.

Keselowski left JR Motorsports and Phoenix Racing after the 2009 season to drive full time for the #12 Dodge for Penske Racing in 2010.

At the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta, the two were involved in an incident on lap 40 when Edwards tried to force his way in front of Keselowski, taking himself out of the race after hitting the wall. After leaving the infield care center, Edwards stating that "I tried to take something there, but Brad wouldn't give it [the position] to me". Edwards' crew repaired the car and with four laps to go, and being 150 laps down, Edwards tried to turn Keselowski [who was running 6th at the time] into the outside wall at 190 mph. Failing at his first attempt to wreck Brad for not giving him the spot, Edwards tried again and succeeded in sending Keselowski's car airborne. When the car landed on its roof. Edwards was parked for the last few laps. There was much debate, especially in regards to NASCAR's new policy of "Boys, Have at It," as to what, if any penalties Edwards should have received. He ended up being put on probation for 3 races. In July, the feud returned when in the last lap of the Nationwide race at Gateway, Keselowski bumped Edwards in turn 1 and got him loose but Edwards was able to save it and maintain speed. The 2 drivers entered turn 3, they raced cleanly side by side and Brad took the lead coming out of turn 4. Edwards turned hard left and hooked Keselowski into the outside wall as pay back for the contact in turn one so he could win the race and Brad could not "steal" it from him. With the car completely out of control after the spin and impact, Keselowski slid into the inside wall where his car was struck by 2 other competitors at over 130 mph, completing obliterating the back and front of the car. Edwards won the race. Edwards was again put on probation, received a $25,000 fine, and in an attempt by NASCAR to 'put things back to where they were before the race', they docked Edwards 60 Nationwide points. In what some believe was a move designed to prohibit Keselowski from retaliating against Edwards during a Cup race, where Edwards holds out hope of making the chase, NASCAR also placed Keselowski on probation. When given the opportunity to clearly state that Keselowski was put on probation for making contact in turn one, and not to protect Edwards' Cup hopes, NASCAR failed to do so.

In 2011, Brad will drive the #2 Miller Lite Dodge after teammate Kurt Busch and team owner Roger Penske agreed to move Busch to the current #12 team, renumbered #22 as requested by new Penske sponsor Royal Dutch Shell. Keselowski and Busch will retain their current crew chiefs and crews. Only the team numbers and sponsors are changing for 2011.

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 #29 Chevy himself and earned the team's first Top 10 finish.

Races Won

Sprint Cup (1 win)

2009

Aaron's 499 at Talladega Superspeedway – April 26, 2009

Nationwide Series (10 wins)

2008

Federated Auto Parts 300 Presented by Dollar General at Nashville Superspeedway – June 7, 2008
Food City 250 at Bristol Motor Speedway – August 22, 2008

2009

Heluva Good! 200 at Dover International Speedway – May 30, 2009
U.S. Cellular 250 at Iowa Speedway – August 1, 2009.
Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway – August 15, 2009
Kroger On Track for the Cure 250 at Memphis Motorsports Park – October 24, 2009

2010

Aaron's 312 at Talladega Superspeedway – April 25, 2010
BUBBA burger 250 at Richmond International Raceway – April 30, 2010
Federated Auto Parts 300 at Nashville Superspeedway – June 5, 2010
Carfax 250 at Michigan International Speedway - August 14, 2010

Images

2010 Nationwide car

References

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

bradracing.com

External links

v • d • e Penske Racing
IRL IndyCar Series Team Penske drivers	Hélio Castroneves (#3) \| Ryan Briscoe (#6) \| Will Power (#12)
Sprint Cup drivers	Kurt Busch (#2) \| Brad Keselowski (#12) \| Sam Hornish, Jr. (#77)
Nationwide drivers	Justin Allgaier (#12) \| Brad Keselowski (#22)
Driver development program	Dakoda Armstrong \| Parker Kligerman
Management/Related Info	Roger Penske \| Tim Cindric \| Warren Czarnecki \| Steve Addington \| Rusty Wallace \| Ryan Newman \| Michael Kranefuss

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