Following a runner-up result in Richmond, Brad Keselowski heads off to his best track in NASCAR to better that result: Talladega Superspeedway. Regarded as the fastest track in Monster Energy Cup Series racing, the aggressive style driving and mentally challenging racing puts a true test on him like no other circuit.
“Everybody enters Talladega with a strategy,” Brad said. “Then they drop the green.”
Leading his first ever MENCS lap at Talladega in 2009, it came in the most dramatic fashion ever for the Michigan-born driver, making a last-lap pass of Carl Edwards for his first career win. When asked what he remembers from the race:
“Every second of it. I’ll never forget,” Brad says.
If BK is going to create another memorable race for his team and Miller 2 Crew fans alike, it will be done without the assist of his crew chief Paul Wolfe. Serving his second of three suspended weekends, Wolfe turns the shot calling over to former No. 2 race engineer Brian Wilson. In his first fill in race at Fontana earlier this season, Wilson salvaged a tumultuous start into a P2 finish.
In addition to having someone new on the box, the No. 2 team will have someone new on the side of the car, as Team Penske XFINITY Series sponsor Fitzgerald Glider Kits has stepped up to the Cup level. In their first of two MENCS sponsored events, Brad will pilot their green and black livery both this weekend at Dega, along with the final regular-season race at Richmond in September.
In his 16 Talladega starts, the 2012 Champion has placed some amazing numbers on the board. Now with four wins to his credit, he owns the second most wins at the 2.66-mile track, falling short to restrictor plate master and former team owner Dale Earnhardt Jr. Even when the afternoon doesn’t end in a win, it’s not a throwaway, as Brad has nine Top 10’s and 181 laps led to his credit.
Proving that the 2009 last-lap maneuver wasn’t a fluke, Kes backed it up with a win in the events 2012 running. Followed with a clutch Playoff win in 2014 and victories in two restrictor plate races last year, he’s established himself as one of the ultimate contenders on these superspeedways.
He nearly added a fifth win at Talladega this past fall, leading a race-high 90 laps before his engine expired with 50 laps to go.
“Talladega has been good to me,” Brad said. “Winning four times means a lot here. Talladega has been a track for us that’s been a great catalyst for success. I don’t know why that is. It’s a track where if you’re capable of winning here, I think you show a certain level of attitude and swagger that carries your way through the rest of the year.”
Sunday’s GEICO 500 is slated to kick off at 2 p.m. ET on FOX. Tune in to see if BK can score his third win of 2017, and fifth in Talladega to add to his Alabama legacy.