Brad Completes Sweep with Cup Win at Vegas

After back-to-back bittersweet third place finishes to start the 2014 season, Brad Keselowski finally hit the jackpot on Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.

Since the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series implemented a new Chase for the Championship format this season that puts more emphasis on winning than ever before, Cup drivers have been forced to take on an “If you’re not first, you’re last” mentality in every race. That mentality has left Brad feeling less than satisfied after strong third place runs in the first two races of the Sprint Cup season.

But all of that changed at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday when BK used a final lap pass on Dale Earnhardt Jr. to win the Kobalt 400 and all but guarantee his place in the 2014 Chase for the Championship. It also completed BK’s first ever weekend sweep of the Nationwide and Sprint Cup Series races and he became the first to do it at Las Vegas since Jeff Burton in 2000.

“I’m proud to get the Miller Lite Ford in Victory Lane,” Brad told Fox Sports’ Krista Voda as he wiped Miller Lite from his face in Victory Lane after Sunday’s race. “That’s a big deal. We’re very happy and locked into the Chase early, so I don’t have to hear that crap all year about not being in the Chase.”

Brad also noted after the race that the win, his second Cup Series win since Team Penske made the switch from Dodge to Ford, had some extra meaning on the same day that the Ford family mourned the death of William Clay Ford, the last surviving grandchild of company founder Henry Ford. Brad paid homage after the race.

“It was kind of a sad day for Ford with the loss of William Clay. That’s a big deal where I’m from in Detroit,” he said. “Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”

The victory was Brad’s 11th of his Sprint Cup career, in his fifth full season and seventh overall season in the series. It marks the earliest he has ever won in a season in his career and a stark contrast to the 2013 season. Last year, Brad went the first 30 races of the season without a win before capturing the Bank of America 500 in Charlotte last October. With that in mind, Kes couldn’t stress enough how much an early win impacts the rest of the season.

“I’m glad to be back here in Victory Lane,” he said. “It is truly special to get a win early in the year when it’s just such a relief for everyone on the team, and me included, getting that win in early and being able to enjoy the races and opportunities that we have instead of being stressed out about them. I think, if anything, it actually lends itself to better racing.”

Brad’s victory capped a huge weekend for Team Penske. It started when No. 2 crew chief Paul Wolfe returned to the pit box after missing last week’s race in Phoenix for the birth of his child.

The good times continued to roll on Friday, when BK nearly won his second straight pole in elimination qualifying. He was knocked out of the top spot by teammate Joey Logano, creating an all Penske front row for the second consecutive week.

Then on Saturday, Brad dominated the Nationwide Series Boyd Gaming 300, leading 144 of 200 laps on the way to victory. That victory sent BK, who had never won at Las Vegas Motor Speedway in any series before this week, into Sunday’s Cup Series race with momentum.

But it wouldn’t have been right to finish the sweep in Sin City without a bit of flair.

After doing everything he could to hold off a hard-charging Kyle Busch and win the Nationwide race on Saturday, Brad was in the other position on Sunday. Despite leading 52 laps over the course, he had to come from behind to lead his 53rd and the last of the race’s 267.

“It was definitely different being the hunter instead of the hunted,” he said. “I had fun with it both days, though.”

BK was only able to pull off the comeback thanks to an expertly executed strategy by the No. 2 team.

Though the race was decided in the final mile, Wolfe set the course for a victory earlier on in the race. Rather than follow everyone into the pits under the third caution of the race on lap 156, Wolfe and BK made the decision to keep the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion out on the track. The decision allowed Brad to gain the lead, but put him off-sequence with the rest of the field.

After the race, Wolfe explained his thinking.

“We were on a little different strategy from time to time with everybody, but the things that have made the No. 2 team successful over the last few years is being aggressive.” Wolfe said. “We’re going to be aggressive this year. That’s what we did today, and it paid off for a big win for us.”

After leading more the next 39 laps after the caution, Brad briefly dropped out of the top 10 during a green-flag pit cycle on lap 196. However it wasn’t long before the field cycled through the pits, putting the White Deuce back into the lead in less than 20 laps. After the race, BK heaped praise on his team’s strategy.

“Heck of a call throughout the race to get us out front, get us some track position,” he said. “Clean air, with these cars, is so important. At the end, this car was just really fast and I’m really proud of it, really proud of the team for giving me a car this fast.”

A caution on lap 222 proved to be the difference. Kes took the opportunity to make one final stop for fuel, which put him back on sequence with most of the field. But Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and a few others gambled on fuel by staying out.

At that point, Wolfe knew victory was within reach.

“When we pitted there at the end when the 99 and 88 stayed out, we knew we were plenty to the good,” the Miller Lite Ford Crew Chief said. “Didn’t figure there was anyway they could make it but wasn’t sure yet where they were fuel-mileage wise.”

Though Brad restarted in seventh with less than 50 laps to go, he shot out on the restart and was chasing Earnhardt and Edwards within a few laps. BK and the No. 2 car overtook Edwards and the No. 99 with 20 laps left, which allowed Kes to put pressure on Earnhardt and ruin his fuel-saving tactic. Wolfe credited the pass on Edwards as the winning move and credited Brad with making it decisively.

“Being able to get around the 99

[Edwards] and put pressure on the 88 [Earnhardt] to run wide open was I think a key,” Wolfe said. “I think Brad’s determination you saw, it wasn’t a lap or two and he was able to get around that 99 and start putting the pressure on. I think that was very important overall.”

But Brad wouldn’t take all the credit, and acknowledged the move of Edwards, a fellow Ford driver, who made the decision not to block Brad and a noticeably faster White Deuce from chasing down the 88.

“Carl Edwards helped me out there. He gave me a little break so I could go run down the 88,” BK said. “That’s what we needed for a Ford to win. We needed to put pressure on Dale and not let him get into fuel-save mode because you could tell he was really close [to making it on fuel]. I appreciate that, so I want to say thanks to Carl and all the Fords that worked with us today.”

After passing Edwards, BK still sat about a second and a half behind Earnhardt Jr. on the track. But as Earnhardt Jr. attempted to save enough fuel to make it to the finish, Brad closed in, and with 12 laps to go, Kes had the No. 2 car on Earnhardt Jr.’s bumper. BK’s quick close caused Earnhardt Jr. to abandon his fuel-saving strategy to hold off the White Deuce.

He had nearly done it, as they took the white flag with Earnhardt Jr. holding a lead of .54 seconds. But the 88 ran out of gas on Turn 2, less than a mile from the checkered flag and Earnhardt Jr. pulled his sputtering machine to the bottom line of the racetrack.

Brad flew past on the high line to take the lead on his way to the checkered flag as Earnhardt Jr. coasted in for a second place finish. Ironically, it was Earnhardt’s Daytona 500 victory that allowed him to take the fuel gamble, in turn making BK a first-time Vegas winner.

“The chance that Dale and Stevie [Letarte, crew chief of the No. 88 team] took with the 88 car was way out there, and it was a good risky move on their part because they had nothing to lose because of this format,” Brad said.

He added that can’t wait to be in Earnhardt’s position later in the season.

“I think that shows some of the opportunities that come up and how they can be stress-free days,” Kes said. “I’m looking forward to being able to take those same opportunities because, believe me, I’m not scared to take them, and I know Paul’s not, so look out. It’s gonna be a lot of fun.”

NEXT UP

Perhaps the first opportunity for Brad, Paul Wolfe and the rest of the No. 2 team to take a chance like that will come next weekend as the series heads back East to Bristol, Tennesee for the first true short track race of the year, the Food City 500 next Sunday at Bristol Motor Speedway.

BK is a two-time winner at Bristol, including the 2012 Food City 500, the first victory of his championship season. Brad dominated that race, leading 232 of the 500 laps on his way to victory. He also won the summer race at Bristol on 2011 and led 62 laps in last year’s Food City 500 on his way to a third place finish.

The weekend at Bristol kicks off on Friday with practice at Noon ET. Qualifying follows at 4:30 p.m. ET and both can be seen on Fox Sports 1. Action resumes on Saturday morning on Fox Sports 1 with a practice session at 9 a.m. ET, then switches over to Fox Sports 2 for final practice at Noon ET. Coverage of the the Food City 500 begins at 12:30 p.m. ET on Fox with the green flag scheduled to fly at around 1:15 p.m. ET.

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