Brad Seeks Elusive Win at Martinsville

In each of the five Sprint Cup races Brad Keselowski has run this season, the Miller Lite Ford has been good enough to wind up in victory lane, but things just didn’t go the 2 team’s way in the end.

On Sunday in Martinsville, Brad will be aiming to change that.

After a week off for Easter, the NASCAR Sprint Cup season resumes this weekend in Martinsville, Virginia for the STP Gas Booster 500 on Sunday afternoon.

The race is Brad’s seventh Sprint Cup start at Martinsville. In the most recent race there last fall, BK drove the Blue Deuce back from the back of the field after starting 32nd to finish in 6th, a key finish in his run at the 2012 Cup. Brad admitted that early in his career, Martinsville was a track that frustrated him, but the more he races there, the better he feels about his chances.

“The last few times we have been there I feel like we have been exceptionally strong. We didn’t qualify as well as we wanted to last fall and started in the back, but by the end of the race we came on really well. I think going back to Martinsville we are a lot smarter, I am a lot wiser as to what I need and I think this year I have to be honest – I am going in feeling like we can win the race and might be one of the favorites.”

In addition to a run at his first victory of the season, Brad will be looking to keep up one of the most consistent starts to a season of his career. BK has finished in the Top 5 in four of the first five races this season. He told reporters ahead of this weekend’s race in Martinsville that the No. 2 team’s start has him confident in what they’re capable of this season.

“I can tell you it is a big weight off our shoulders to come out of the gate so strong,” he said. “It is a quick way of quieting all those that said when we switched to Ford we were going to be in a lot of trouble. That is really big for us at Penske Racing and big for me personally.”

Brad believes that the cars the team has been putting out on the track and the consistent performances they’ve strung together to begin the defense of their title reflect positively on the 2 crew from top to bottom.

“It shows the strength we have at every layer, whether as a company, as a team or as a driver and crew chief combination,” he said. “It is something I am exceptionally proud of.”

The weekend in Martinsville begins on Friday with practice at noon and qualifying for the STP Gas Booster 500 at 3:40 p.m. EDT. Friday’s practice will be shown live on SPEED with qualifying airing on tape delay at 8 p.m. EDT. With no Nationwide races this week, Saturday’s only action is back-to-back practices at 10:30 to 11:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Those sessions can be seen on SPEED beginning at 11:30 a.m. EDT

The green flag for the STP Gas Booster 500 drops on Sunday shortly after 1 p.m. EDT and the race will be broadcast live on FOX.