BK 2014 Top 10: No. 2

Brad Keselowski’s 2014 campaign was one to remember in all three NASCAR series. So over the course of the offseason, we’re going to countdown the Top 10 best moments from one of the most successful seasons in BK’s racing career.

At No. 2 is the Nationwide Series dominance by the Team Penske No. 22 team, which was paced by another fantastic season by Brad behind the wheel of the team’s championship-caliber Ford Mustang.

No. 2: Penske Supremacy

Brad’s second best moment of the 2014 season came to fruition at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the season finale, but it was a work in progress all season long.

The No. 22 Discount Tire/Hertz Ford Fusion won Roger Penske his first first Nationwide Series owner’s championship in 2013 by edging out the No. 54 Joe Gibbs Racing squad, headed up by Brad’s longtime rival, Kyle Busch. In 2014, they set out to defend that title from the charge of Busch and the No. 54 team.

As the two teams once again jockeyed to claim the coveted crown in 2014, it took a total team effort from both Team Penske and Joe Gibbs Racing to have elite-level success and create another thrilling chase, something you can’t help but respect according to No. 22 crew chief Jeremy Bullins.

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[One thing] that gets lost a little with the owners championship is it is a team championship,” Bullins explained. “No matter who drove, who worked on the car, if you look at the Nationwide Series the last two years the 22 and 54 have separated themselves from the rest of the teams and have two teams that are 100 points ahead of everyone else for two years in a row, those are two teams that have a lot to be proud of.”

The battle for team supremacy began with Brad behind the wheel of the Double Deuce, and he had the team off to a fantastic start, finishing second and third at Daytona and Phoenix before notching the 22’s first win in the third race of the season at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, as a part of his first ever weekend sweep.

After that triumph, BK took a hiatus from piloting the Double Deuce, and Ryan Blaney and Joey Logano took over.

In the next six races, that pair hit a relative slump, missing the top three in each race. Then at Iowa Speedway, Blaney notched a runner-up finish before handing the keys back to BK, who raced to runner-up finishes in his next two turns behind the wheel of the No. 22, at Charlotte and Kentucky. Kes dominated for most of the John R. Elliot Hero Campaign 300 at KMS, holding the top spot for 138 of 200 laps. Still, the team couldn’t quite replicate the combination of execution and luck it experienced in Las Vegas and settled for second place, just missing out on yet another NNS-NSCS sweep.

However, BK’s performance behind the wheel at Kentucky set the stage for another milestone weekend when he jumped back into the No. 22 in New Hampshire two weeks later. With the Loudon Lobster on the line BK drove the Double Deuce to Victory Lane on Saturday and, just like in Sin City, followed it up by taking the checkered flag in the Sprint Cup Series race at NHMS the next day. Brad led 296 laps between those two victories.

Three weeks after the New Hampshire win, Brad won again in Iowa, a victory that helped to ignite a remarkable run to the crown.

Kes led a race-high 146 laps in his third win at the Midwestern track, one of his favorites on any circuit. After parking the Discount Tire Double Deuce in Victory Lane, he surmised that the No. 22 team had clicked into high gear—and he was right.

“Our Discount Tire Mustang had great speed, and my Team Penske crew did a great job all weekend, especially considering that I didn’t get to practice the car much at all,” Brad said. “The No. 22 team is hitting stride, and I could not be more proud of the effort and the results tonight.”

It continued three weeks after Brad’s third win, when Blaney became the second driver to take the Double Deuce to victory, winning at Bristol Motor Speedway.

Kes raced the No. 22 three more times, all in the final four races of the season—and his efforts over that finale cemented the team’s championship.

First came a win at Charlotte for Brad, followed by a second-place finish by Logano in Texas.

The next time out, Brad won again at Phoenix, giving the team a massive lead for the season finale in Miami. That victory was perhaps the most thrilling for Brad on the Nationwide circuit in 2014. Busch had dominated all day long, leading 187 of 206 laps and a win would have given the No. 54 team a shot at stealing the crown in Miami. But somehow, someway Brad made sure that wouldn’t happen.

Kes made a stunning pass on the final lap, leaving onlookers, and Busch, stunned as the No. 22 finished that 206th lap in P1—all-but sealing the owner’s crown.

“Kyle was really fast and probably had a tenth or two on everybody and then that yellow came out and I don’t know what happened,” Brad said. “It’s like we grabbed a gear or he slowed down, I don’t know which one happened but either way we were able to get to victory lane with the Discount Tire Ford Mustang and get another win with this group.”

At Homestead, essentially all Brad had to do was finish the race, but he went ahead and added another Top 10 finish to the team’s record, crossing the finish line in eighth to seal Team Penske’s victory over the No. 54 JGR crew for the second consecutive season.

When Brad first joined Team Penske, he urged Roger Penske to add a full time program in NASCAR’s second series, which he believed would be crucial to the team building consistent championship contenders at the Cup level. So far that has proven to be correct. Team Penske tallied 11 wins on the Cup side between Kes and Logano last season, and both drivers were popular picks to take NASCAR’s biggest prize.

Meanwhile, the team’s Nationwide program has been a crucial factor in the development of up-and-comer, Ryan Blaney, who was the only driver other than Brad to win in the Double Deuce this year. Blaney’s efforts didn’t go unnoticed: He earned a part-time Cup ride for Wood Brothers Racing next season.

“The Team Penske Nationwide program has been an integral part of the success of this organization both in the Nationwide and Cup series,” he said. “I am happy to be a part of this team and proud that we were able to give Roger another Owners’ title.”

Alex Tagliani and Michael McDowell joined the trio of Brad, Blaney and Joey in piloting the No. 22, and together they posted some incredible numbers.

All season long, the quintet finished outside of the Top 10 just twice. They racked up six victories, 10 poles, 25 Top-5 and 31 Top-10 finishes in 33 races. Brad was responsible for five of those wins, four poles, 10 Top-5s and 11 Top-10 results

“It is an honor to be a part of this team and be able to drive this car,” Brad said. “This No. 22 Hertz Ford team has done a remarkable job of preparing this Mustang all year long. The pit crew has been solid all season long. We’ve had five different drivers in this car – that is impressive in itself.”