The Chase for the Sprint Cup drama was at an all-time high for Brad Keselowski last year at Talladega Superspeedway. It won’t quite be a do-or-die scenario for the 2 Crew this time around, but Kes will certainly be feeling the pressure once again.
A year ago at Talladega, Brad captured one of the most dramatic victories of his career, passing Ryan Newman on the last lap to triumph in a must-win situation, where not even a second-place finish would do, to advance through the Contender Round of the Chase. In this weekend’s CampingWorld.com 500, Brad can approach the weekend a bit differently.
“That win certainly was a bit of a lucky day,” Brad recalled. “I caught some breaks, and then I forced some things to happen. A lot of times in racing, and I think this is key, most champions don’t force it to happen because your odds of being successful in this sport when you force things they’re pretty high that you’ll be successful in the short-term and extremely low that you’ll be successful in the long-term. We’re in this deal for the long-term, so we’ll do our best to win while keeping in mind that a Top 10 ought to be enough to get us through to the next round.”
A wreck at Kansas put BK in that desperate situation last year, but although he isn’t in dire straits going into this weekend, he’ll still need a solid finish to advance to the Eliminator Round. BK captured his 99th and 100th Top 10 finishes at Charlotte and Kansas to start the Round of 12, and he’ll likely need No. 101 to advance past this weekend.
Kes sits in a tie for fifth with Kevin Harvick and Jeff Gordon in the Chase standings. The three are just seven points ahead of Kyle Busch, who sits in ninth and below the Eliminator Round cutline. Ryan Newman, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Matt Kenseth are all below that cutoff as well, while Team Penske’s Joey Logano is the only driver locked into the next round after winning both Charlotte and Kansas.
A win will send Brad to the next round, but he also controls his own destiny without a win. He can finish second with no laps led, third with one lap led or fourth with the most laps led and still advance no matter where the rest of the Chasers finish.
However, at Talladega where large, field-engulfing wrecks abound, it is almost a certainty that at least one Chase hopeful will see his day ruined thanks to a crash. Brad will try to keep his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion away from “The Big One,” as it is called at the 2.66-mile tri-oval.
Talladega is NASCAR’s longest oval, and it and Daytona International Speedway are the only tracks where restrictor plates are instituted. The restrictor plates limit the airflow into an engine, reducing horsepower and speed. It puts all cars essentially on a level playing field and creates pack racing, where aerodynamics are at a premium. If a driver gets out of line and has no help behind him, he can slide back into obscurity in seconds.
BK is known as one of the best restrictor plate drivers in the game, especially at Talladega. In the Cup series, he boasts three wins and seven Top 10 finishes at the track. His first Cup victory came there in 2009.
“There are quite a few drivers who can win at Talladega, and I think we’re one of them,” BK said after finishing ninth last week at Kansas. “But we don’t have to win. We just have to have a really good day. That’s something to remember.”
Consistency has been Brad’s approach to this Chase thus far. He has finished in the Top 10 in 14 out of his last 16 races, including three Top 10s in five playoff races to this point. Another solid finish is likely to send him to the Eliminator Round for the second straight year.
He should have some help from teammates in this race. Logano is not in need of a win, having already won twice in this round. The teammates will be assisted by Ryan Blaney, who drives in the XFINITY Series for Team Penske and in the Camping World Truck Series for Brad Keselowski Racing. He drives part-time in the Cup series for Wood Brothers’ Racing, which has a technical alliance with Team Penske.
The three finished in order in the first practice: BK in 19th and Blaney and Logano behind him in 20th and 21st. Normally, that finish in practice would be worrisome, but the highest Chase competitor (Kenseth) was just 13th. The 2 Crew will have one more practice on Friday afternoon at 4:30 p.m. ET to sharpen their sword.
Qualifying is set for 4:15 p.m. ET on Saturday, though due to the nature of the racing, starting place has a minimal bearing on success at restrictor plate tracks like Talladega.
Finally, the CampingWorld.com 500 will go green shortly after 2:30 p.m. ET on Sunday and will be broadcast on NBC Sports Network.