Coming off of two straight weeks of disappointing finishes, Brad Keselowski and the No. 2 Wurth Ford Fusion team head to a track that can change their tone: New Hampshire Motor Speedway.
“I’m really looking forward to New Hampshire,” he said.
Kes has had great success in Loudon, particularly early in the week. He scored his first career Coors Light Pole award in 2010 at the NHMS, and he’s totaled three over his career at the 1.058-mile oval, a career-best for any track. If nothing else, those strong starts can lead to strong finishes.
His first pole led to an 18th-place result, not too shabby for the 2010 version of BK piloting Team Penske’s No. 12 entry. The next two first-place starts, in spring 2013 and fall 2014, led to fourth- and seventh-place finishes, respectively. Not only serving as a morale booster to the team, the pole position grants the ability to choose pit stalls, specifically the first one, which can simplify The Magic Mile’s tight pit road.
In 2014, the Michigan driver put up a feat of his own by sweeping the weekend in XFINITY & Cup competition. Winning both races with the dominant car, a repeat of that race is exactly what he needs to get pointed in the right direction.
“It feels like we’re the best we’ve ever been right now,” Kes said. “When a team like this starts to click, the sky’s the limit.”
In his 15 Loudon Cup races, Brad has only notched one win, but owns six Top 5’s, and nine Top 10’s. Completing 99 percent of his 4,438 possible laps, and leading 350 of them, Kes knows how to survive a race and be there when it counts.
Returning to the secondary Wurth colors this weekend, Brad looks to make up for their last outing in Dover, which ended in an unlucky wreck when Kurt Busch went spinning on the Monster Mile.
On the other side of the garage, Keselowski will be partaking in his seventh double-duty weekend of the year, piloting Team Penske’s No. 22 Discount Tire Ford in the XFINITY Series entry as well.
With eight starts under his belt at NHMS in the NXS, the 2010 Champion has two victories, four Poles, and every finish in the Top 10. Additionally, Brad has never failed to complete a lap.
The XFINITY Series Overton’s 200 kicks off on Saturday, July 15 at 4 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.
Some food for thought: the last time the Monster Energy Cup Series visited a flat short track was Martinsville—and we know how that race turned out, with Kes capturing his first Grandfather Clock in the Cup series. See if BK & Co. still have their flat track program up to standards when the Overton’s 301 goes green on Sunday, July 16 at 3 p.m. ET, also live on NBCSN.