Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team were all set for a run at their second consecutive Daytona International Speedway victory, but a wreck on a restart swallowed up the White Lite, ending the 2 Crew’s Daytona 500 prematurely.
BK led two laps and was among the strongest cars in the field in the early going. However, a wreck on lap 143 of the 200-circuit Monster Energy Cup Series opener snapped the track bar of the No. 2, resulting in a 27th-place finish for Keselowski.
“We were running really well, right up at the front where we needed to be to be in contention for a solid finish and hopefully a win with the Miller Lite Ford,” Brad said. “We had just pitted to make sure we wouldn’t get caught on strategy and all that but I guess everybody decided to wreck on the restart. That is unfortunate.”
Kes earned a seventh-place start after finishing fourth in the Can-Am Duel 1. He quickly drafted his way up into the lead pack, finishing the 60-lap opening stage in fourth place.
Brad pitted for the first time during the 2017 season during this break, taking four fresh tires and coming off in the 12th position. He reported that he was happy with the way the White Lite was running.
Late in the race, the Team Penske restrictor plate magic began to show. Kes linked up with teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney to draft into the Top 10, but the second major wreck of the day followed.
BK managed to avoid the first two big wrecks of the day, and he nearly avoided the third, but he was caught just before he could skirt away from danger at lap 143.
“I just had nowhere to go after everyone started wrecking, but I almost made it through,” Brad said. “We will get through it and go on to Atlanta. We did the best we could and controlled everything we could control on our own today.”
Had he avoided that wreck, there’s little doubt that Brad would’ve been in contention for the win. Logano finished sixth, while Blaney went on to finish second, just two-tenths of a second behind race winner Kurt Busch.
After finishing both the first and second segment in the fourth position, Brad collected 24 points at Daytona, putting him at 12th in the Monster Cup standings with 31 points.
NEXT UP
The Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series now heads to Hampton, Ga. for the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 at Atlanta Motor Speedway.
BK has scored consecutive ninth-place finishes at AMS, the first 1.5-mile track of this season. He’ll once again don the AutoTrader colors for the second full points event of the season.
The race is set for a 2:30 p.m. ET start and will air on FOX Sports 1.