The last time Brad Keselowski piloted his No. 2 Ford Fusion decked out in Detroit Genuine Parts colors, he secured one of the biggest wins of his career, his first triumph at Daytona International Raceway.
He’ll look to bring the DGP Ford to Victory Lane once again in this weekend’s Toyota Owners 400 at Richmond International Raceway, a track that has brought some great success for the 2 Crew in the past.
Just a few short years ago at RIR, Kes turned in one of the most dominant wins of his career, leading 383 of 400 laps in the fall of 2014 to win the Federated Auto Parts 400.
“Richmond has been a good track for us in the past,” BK said. “We led a ton of laps there a few years ago in winning the fall race, so we know what we need to do to be successful.”
While Kes has had his share of success at the 3/4-mile D-shaped oval short track, the lion’s share of it has come in the fall’s Saturday night race as opposed to the spring running on Sunday afternoon. Four of his six Top 10s at Richmond have come in the spring, as well as two of his three Top 5s.
In 12 starts behind the wheel of the No. 2 at Richmond, Brad’s average finish in the fall (8.2) is 10 positions better than in the spring (18.3). He’s currently on a three-race run of Top 10 finishes in the fall, but in the spring, he has finished outside the Top 10 in his last two starts.
Nonetheless, Richmond has proven to be a good match with BK’s racing style. His average start of 9.1 at RIR is the second best mark for his career, behind only Kentucky Speedway, and his 654 laps led are a career-best.
“Richmond has a lot of history behind it,” Brad says. “I’ve always respected the track a lot for what it means to racing as far as short track racing and getting back to the basics of what this sport was built on—running side-by-side, using the brakes, out-smarting people and being aggressive. Everything that’s cool about racing, between the smell of the rubber and the glow of the rotors, all that cool stuff is at Richmond.”
It’s as good a track as any for Brad and the No. 2 Ford team to get back into a groove after a rough weekend at Bristol Motor Speedway.
When Kes took the wheel at Bristol on Monday afternoon, he had finished sixth or better in the last six Cup Series races, but his wheel didn’t allow him to make it seven. Power steering issues forced the Miller Lite Ford behind the wall, resulting in a disappointing 34th-place finish.
Brad will look to shrug off that rough result this weekend. But in the first practice of the weekend on Friday morning, he was just 24th quickest on the track. Qualifying is set for 4:45 p.m and Brad has secured Top 10 starting position in six of the last seven races at Richmond and all eight races this season. Once the 2 Crew secures their starting spot, two more practices at 9 and 11:30 a.m. on Saturday will allow them to make some final adjustments to the Deuce. All pre-race action airs live on FOX Sports 1.
Finally, the Toyota Owners 400 will go green shortly after 2 p.m. ET on Sunday and will air on FOX.