Brad Faces Near Must-Win Scenario At Charlotte

Brad Keselowski spent the entire first round of the Chase for the Cup at the top of the standings after grabbing consecutive wins at Richmond and Chicago, but now one race into Round 2, he finds himself from 10th place looking up.

A blown tire at Kansas Speedway last week resulted in a 36th place finish that put Brad 22 points off the eighth-place cut line, giving him just two races to win or make up the points gap to move on to the Eliminator Round.

With the final race of the round coming next week at the always unpredictable and crash-filled Talladega Superspeedway, BK and the No. 2 team are preparing for the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway with the knowledge that a Saturday night victory is their best chance at qualifying for the next round—and they believe they have what it takes to complete the climb back to the top.

“The first thing that comes to mind is that we won this race last year. That is a nice confidence booster,” Brad said. “We have a strong intermediate track platform, and the No. 2 Detroit Genuine Parts team has been performing well this season.”

 

Over the last two years, the 2 Crew has become accustomed to looking adversity in the eye and coming out on top, and using Charlotte to do so. Amid an arduous 2013 season, the defending Sprint Cup champ led 11 laps in last October’s Bank of America 500 on his way to his only victory of 2013.

Earlier this season, Kes fell below 10th in the points standings for the 10th and 11th races of the season at Talladega and Kansas, but turned in a 10th-place finish at Charlotte, sparking a scorching finish to the regular season.

However, climbing out of a hole midway through the regular season and doing so with two races left in a round in the Chase are two entirely different challenges. Kes acknowledged the importance of a good performance this Saturday—likening the pressure to do so as similar to the season finale at Homestead. But he noted that the No. 2 Crew is used to shining in these difficult situations.

“It does feel as though Homestead came early this year – subsequently we need a big weekend in order to keep our season alive,” BK said. “This team thrives with adversity, and I am not one to back down when challenged, so I feel as though we are ready for this one.”

Though some uncertainty surrounds the No. 2 team’s prospects to advance after last week’s letdown, crew chief Paul Wolfe doesn’t want his team to lose their focus in light of the Chase’s new rules and their changed position in the standings.

Instead, Wolfe intends to use the intense nature of the playoffs to the team’s advantage.

“This new Chase format does create new challenges, but it also brings new opportunity,” he said. “While it is easy to get caught up in thinking about the Chase and this Contender Round in particular, we can only do one race at a time.”

It’s also important for all involved to keep in mind that the No. 2 crew is not far removed from by far their best stretch of the season. Before a frustrating finish in the bottom eight last week, The Deuce was routinely finishing in the Top 10, including six of the previous seven weeks. That stretch included victories at Richmond and Charlotte and runner-up finishes at Dover and Bristol.

Including the win at Charlotte last year, Brad has finished 11th or better in four of his last five starts at the 1.5-mile quad oval. He also has 10 Top 10 and five Top 5 finishes in the Nationwide Series at the track, including two wins. BK is set to run the NNS race Friday at CMS, which will give him a good deal of extra practice ahead of Saturday night’s all-important Cup event.

That practice could prove vital on a Charlotte track that will take a lot to handle. Wolfe commented this week that the 2 Crew may be forced to shift their strategy due to the unpredictable road conditions. This, however, does not deter the crew from trying to snag one of the remaining seven spots in the playoffs.

“Charlotte is a very temperature sensitive track and this is a long race so keeping up with the changing track conditions is key,” Wolfe said. “Since it is a long race, it seems as though alternative strategies often come into play. We have done a pretty good job so far this year, and we know what we have to do to keep it going. Racing here at home kind of adds a little something to mix as well. I am looking forward to it.”

Brad will also call upon his Penske teammate Joey Logano for a helping hand. The No. 22 driver won last week at Kansas, locking him into the Eliminator Round and the information Brad can get from Logano and his crew could prove crucial to the No. 2’s chances of joining the 22 in the next round.

Together the Team Penske duo has 10 victories on the season, and they are the only two drivers with five wins apiece.

BK will aim to make it 11 for Penske as he climbs into his light blue Detroit Genuine Parts Ford Fusion for the weekend. This will mark the second time the Deuce has been draped in light blue this year. Kes previously ran the DGP Deuce at Richmond, where he qualified second and finished fourth.

Ahead of one of the most important weekends of his career, Brad has been a busy man off the track. He has played host at his home to several guests from down under in New Zealand and Australia in support of Team Penske’s new trucking partnerships.

Wednesday, Brad made good use of his time in North Carolina before practice and preparation, when he took some time to make appearances at Discount Tire and a Wal-Mart in Concord.

Brad and the 2 Crew struggled a bit on their first day on the track at Charlotte, posting just the 31st best time in the first practice and the 17th best qualifying time. However, that starting position could prove insignificant. In this race last year, BK raced to Victory Lane after starting 23rd. 

Drivers get two final practice sessions on Friday at 3 and 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPN2.

Finally, the main event—the Bank of America 500—is set for a 7:46 p.m. ET green flag Saturday and will be broadcast on ABC.