New Season Begins In Nationwide No. 22

In the competitive world of racing, it doesn’t get much better than the 2013 season that the Team Penske Nationwide Series No. 22 team enjoyed.

Under direction of four drivers and with the help of one of the best crews in the sport, the No. 22 team won the 2013 Nationwide Owner’s Points title for Team Penske with 12 victories over the course of 33 races last season. So what can the team do for an encore? Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins, who returns with a nearly identical crew as last season, has some ideas.

“The approach for us is simple, and that’s to continue to build on the things that made us successful last year,” Bullins said. “If we can continue to improve in all areas, whether it be faster cars or faster pit stops or better strategy, there’s no reason to think we can’t perform at a high level. Everyone at Team Penske has worked hard in the off season to be as prepared as we can be for this season.”

One thing the No. 22 team can do that they didn’t last year is win at Daytona and they have a chance to do that in the season kickoff race, the DRIVE4COPD 300 on Saturday.

Brad Keselowski, who won six races in the No. 22 last year, will be back behind the wheel of the Double Deuce for several races in 2014, including Saturday’s race at Daytona. He ran the Discount Tire Ford Mustang sixth fastest in the first Nationwide practice on Thursday and will start the race on Row 9 after finishing 17th in Friday’s qualifying session.

BK has won 27 career Nationwide races, putting him in a tie for seventh all-time, but he has never been to Victory Lane at Daytona in the Nationwide Series, or any other series for that matter.

Kes has come close to winning at Daytona in the DRIVE4COPD 300 while piloting the Discount Tire machine each of the last two years. He finished second in the race in 2012 and was attempting to make a move for the win in the final turn last year when Regan Smith went up for the block and contact between the two cars created a huge wreck.

“We’ve been close here, last year comes to mind,” BK said. “We have fast Ford Mustangs and this No. 22 Team Penske crew knows what it takes to win. We have a solid chance this year, and we will do our utmost to make the most of the opportunity.”

The DRIVE4COPD 300 will be Brad’s 12th career Nationwide race at Daytona. He has led at least one lap in eight of those 12 and his average finish is in the Top 15, including four Top 10s. He’s also run nine regular season Sprint Cup races at DIS with a pair of Top 10s. Additionally, over the last week, BK led the Sprint Unlimited and his Budweiser Duel for long stretches. With that kind of success at the track under his belt, Kes knows it is merely a matter of time before he finds his way to Daytona Victory Lane.

“I always enjoy racing here at Daytona,” he said. “If you run up front consistently and keep yourself in a position to win – it is going to happen, it’s just a matter of when.”

When could certainly be Saturday afternoon as the No. 22 team seeks to build on one of the best seasons ever for a Team Penske race crew. The precedent is set, and Brad and his team are ready to try and exceed it.

“I think when you have a season like we had in 2013, with 12 wins and a championship; you never really want it to end,” Bullins said. “It also sets the bar high for the following year, as you always want to move forward and get better.”

Coverage of the 2014 DRIVE4COPD 300 at Daytona International Speedway begins at Noon ET on Saturday on ESPN, with the green flag scheduled to fly at around 1:15 p.m.