Returning to the high banks of Daytona International Speedway, it was clear that Brad Keselowski and the 2 Crew brought their expected speed along as they looked to defend their Coke Zero 400 crown.
But after winning the first stage on Saturday night and avoiding two major wrecks, BK’s hopes of repeating last year’s win were dashed early as he was unable to avoid a third incident sparked by a spinning Kevin Harvick. After finishing 31st, Brad looked at the bright side: His team brought yet another win-worthy machine to the track and tacked on another point for the playoffs.
“Tonight was a ‘glass half full’ night,” he said. “We won another stage and picked up another playoff point, but I really thought we had a Detroit Genuine Parts Ford that could have won this race.”
Starting the unpredictable 400-mile event from third place, his track position allowed him to quickly work his way to the lead in the opening segment of the race. Claiming the lead on lap 5, he was able to maintain it when Stage 1 ended on lap 40.
Pitting under the Stage yellow, the 2 Crew wound up P10, behind those who stayed out and some others that only took two tires. With a Playoff point, and 10 Stage points under their belt already, they knew their driver has a fast car, but the track position became too much to overcome.
Once restarted on lap 47, BK held station right outside the Top 10. Riding there until a Jeffrey Earnhardt caution on lap 49, crew chief Paul Wolfe called in for a two-tire stop and to top off the tank with fuel.
The first Big One of Saturday night’s race wiped out some top running cars, nearly taking the Deuce along with it on lap 70.
Barely squeaking through the pileup, the Michigan native dodged another wreck 20 laps later. With attrition coming into play, Kes just had to survive to score a solid finish. The third multi-car incident struck on lap 102, and this time he couldn’t avoid it. Barely clipped in the right rear after Harvick went spinning, the DGP machine took a few spins with what appeared to be no worse than some flat-spotted Goodyear Eagles.
As it turned out, the damage was a bit worse. The rear quarterpanel was buckled to the point where it almost immediately sliced the right-rear tire. The issue forced the team to change right-side tires under green-flag conditions on lap 113, only five laps before the same tire blew out in turn 3, causing the car to crash by itself.
Leaving Daytona with a P31 finish after leading 35 laps, it certainly wasn’t the night the Miller 2 Crew wanted after showing so much promise. Credited by the driver as one of the most intense plate races in recent years, he attributes it to the rubber on the track.
“It was a much different race tonight that it has been in the past, particularly with the shorter stages and softer tires,” BK said.
Brad remained in fifth in the Monster Energy Cup Series standings, and thanks to his Stage 1 win, he’s tied with Kyle Larson for third with 13 playoff points.
Moving forward, the Team Penske crew looks ahead to another track where it can defend its crown: Kentucky Speedway. Brad was won three of the six Cup Series events at Kentucky, including last year’s running, and he’ll try to make it four on the second consecutive Saturday night race. The Quaker State 400 kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.