The No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion suffered a cut tire just five laps into the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, leading to a third consecutive finish off the lead lap for Kes in Thunder Valley, as he crossed 29th.

“Tonight was one of those races that no driver likes to have here at Bristol, but they can happen from time to time,” Brad said.

Starting mid-pack in P17, it only took five laps for the beating and banging to begin on the World’s Fastest Half-Mile. The Autotrader Ford made slight contact with a competing car, slicing a tire and sending BK into the wall. None of the damage was severe enough to warrant a caution, but it was enough for crew chief Paul Wolfe led to bring Kes to pit road under green, putting him several laps off the pace.

“When you have to pit under green that early in the race and lose that many laps it makes for a long night,” Kes said.

Due to that green flag stop, the No. 2 team wasn’t able to set itself back up on the lead lap over the duration of the race.

Typical Bristol attrition set in for the rest of the field, allowing Kes to jump from dead last in 40th, to a 29th-place finish.

“Credit goes to my Autotrader Ford team as they never gave up,” BK said, “but we were in a big hole after that and could not claw our way out of it.”

The Team Penske crew has an extra weekend to recover from the Night Race as they prepare for Darlington Raceway’s throwback events. Since returning to Labor Day weekend, Brad has shown some stellar progress at the 1.366 egg-shaped oval. Claiming the Pole in 2015 and leading 196 of 367 laps along the way, he came up just short of a win.

Check out the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Sunday, September 3 at 6 p.m. ET, live on NBC Sports Network to see if the iconic Miller Genuine Draft scheme can get back on track.

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Bristol Motor Speedway, and it’s famed Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race, is the perfect opportunity to do just that.

“Bristol represents a physical and mental challenge unlike any other track in the sport, but I like that challenge and suspense,” says the two time Bristol winner.

It’s expected that the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion will unload off the hauler with some speed, as the iconic Deuce has built quite the reputation at the legendary Tennessee short track. Originally piloted by NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace, he took the familiar Blue Deuce paint scheme to the hallowed grounds of victory lane a total of seven times. Former teammate Kurt Busch then took the reins and lead the Deuce to one more victory.

“The No. 2 car has been a marquee car for a while. It’s well beyond my time and all those pieces together make it a thrill and an honor to drive that car,” Brad says on having his time behind the wheel of Roger Penske’s car.

While the new 2017 point system has created some incredible racing all season long, Kes isn’t sure if the package is necessary at Thunder Valley, which always presents a challenge to man and machine.

“I not really sure the new format is going to impact Bristol Motor Speedway,” he said. “We’re going to learn real quick that track has been one that’s so dynamic the bottom, the top of the race track, and the middle of the race track. You seemed like you run every lane and it’s like you have to be so adaptive as drivers which makes it a fun challenge but we’ve had a lot of success through the years, and hopefully we can do it again and win another race here.”

For the second and final time this season, Kes will be representing Autotrader’s colors. The last time he wheeled their scheme, it went straight to Victory Lane at Atlanta early in the year.

A two-time Bristol winner, Brad also has four Top 5s, and five Top 10s to his credit at the concrete track. Ironically, as the Night Race laps the half-mile oval 500 times, BK has led 499 around the track—just one short of an entire race. The first of his triumphs came less than a month after hurting his ankle in a violent 2011 testing crash, while the second was en route to his 2012 Championship.

During a trip to another half-mile short track in Martinsville Speedway earlier this year, Brad took the dominant car and piloted it straight to Victory Lane. Overcoming penalties, and less-than-preferred restarts, the 2 Crew was on its game making Keselowski’s work look easy. It will take another full team effort to pull off similar results on Saturday night.

Racing on BMS’s concrete surface adds an additional challenge that the 2011 Night Race champion welcomes. His first three NASCAR national touring series wins came on the three different concrete tracks in Nashville, Bristol, and Dover.

Currently with two wins to his name in 2017, Brad wants to add a third, as well as putting five more Playoff points on the board. Tune into the Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race on Saturday, August 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

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BK earned the pole position for the second time this season and dominated Stage 1 of the Pure Michigan 400. He also finished second in Stage 2 and led a race-high 105 laps, making for an outstanding points day for the Miller 2 Crew, but Kes and Co. didn’t have the speed to contend with Martin Truex Jr. late in the race, finishing 17th.

“The team did a good job. We executed in qualifying and all of those things, and we really made the most out of everything we had today, it just didn’t come out our way,” Brad said. “It just didn’t come together there at the end, but it was nice to lead a bunch of laps. That was good and something I was really proud of.”

It was one of the most special Coors Light Pole Awards of Brad’s career—his first ever pole at MIS set the top speed for the 2017 season, leaving the team optimistic going into Sunday’s 400-miler, which featured an All-Team Penske front row.

Once the race started, BK sailed smoothly through Stage 1, as he cruised to his fourth Stage win of the season—awarding another valuable bonus Playoff point in the progress. Leading a majority of the second Stage as well, the Deuce came up a spot short to Martin Truex Jr.

At that point, Brad and crew chief Paul Wolfe knew they didn’t have the power to outrun the Furniture Row Toyotas driven by Truex and Erik Jones. And the Miller 2 Crew didn’t go to Michigan to finish third, so Wolfe elected to go to an off-sequence strategy, hoping the caution flags would fall in their favor.

Electing to visit pit road during a lap 140 caution, Brad was the highest running driver to visit pit road, as the rest of the leaders stayed out. Even with fresher tires and a full load of fuel, the lost track position was too much to overcome. A handful of late-race restarts from the inside line turned out to be an even larger setback, as it caused the No. 2 Ford to drop to P17 when the checkered flag flew.

“I just didn’t have enough to really run with the 77 and the 78. We tried a little strategy to kind of get something out of it, but the way it all played out I ended up getting the bottom lane on the restarts and getting absolutely swallowed,” BK recalled. “We tried. We put in as much effort as we could. We knew we didn’t have as much as those two, but we gave it 100 percent effort and I was really proud of my team for that.”

Disappointed that he’ll have to wait another 10 months for a shot at a hometown win, Brad and the Miller Lite team can’t have their heads down for too long. Next up on the Monster Energy Cup Series tour is another of BK’s marquee tracks: Bristol Motor Speedway. A two-time winner at the concrete half-mile, Brad wants to add a third tally to the chart. The Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race from BMS airs live on NBC on Saturday, August 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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“If we could win Michigan, it would be one of the biggest wins of my career — if not the biggest,” the driver said.

Even though Brad hasn’t yet pulled through for that milestone victory, he’s done all but it. A runner-up result and a trio of third-place efforts solidify the Rochester Hills, Mich. native as a serious threat to the competition at the fastest track in NASCAR.

In his 16 MIS starts, not only has BK been around at the finish each time, but he’s finished all but two of them on the lead lap. The two exempted races, both in 2010, saw the Penske driver a total of four laps down. A track like Michigan is known for demanding every ounce of strength from the motor, the Goodyear Eagles, and the grip a driver can grasp the wheel—but completing 3,138 of 3,142 total laps run is a definite shot in the arm to the team.

His Michigan Cup debut came in the second 2009 race, with the 24th-place result to only be overshadowed by his win in XFINITY competition the day prior.

“Oh my God, I won at home! I’m speechless. I can’t believe it. I’m usually terrible here and to win here is a major accomplishment. It’s so cool to win in front of my hometown fans,” Brad said in the Winner’s Circle following his first of two second-tier Michigan feats.

The next year, he backed it up and proved the last-lap pass to win was no fluke. Even without a clutch, his No. 22 Discount Tire machine sailed the Michigan native into Victory Lane for the second straight year.

Brad hopes to put on a great race, not only because the track is home to him, but it’s also home to his team owner, The Captain, Roger Penske. With his Penske Corporation headquartered right outside of Detroit, Penske’s passion for motorsports in Michigan stretches deep. Not only was The Captain responsible for bringing IndyCars back to Detroit’s Belle Isle, but in 1972 he purchased the Michigan International Speedway—something his driver recognizes.

“Roger used to own Michigan International Speedway, and it’s a track that he holds dear to his heart,” BK said. “It’s my home track. All these things are lining up.”

If his desperation for a Michigan win hasn’t become apparent yet, it should be as he will do what it takes to claim a checkered flag. Solidly locked in the championship deciding Playoffs with a pair of victories thus far, the 33-year-old driver has nothing to lose by going for his third win of the season.

“Michigan will always be my home track, and that puts it at a whole other level compared to other tracks of wanting to win in front of your family and friends in the place you recognize as home,” he said.

Running well at MIS in recent years, and performing well the last few races is all it takes to push the 2 Crew to deliver another win. Tune into the Pure Michigan 400 from Michigan International Speedway on Sunday, August 13th at 3 p.m. ET, live on NBC Sports Network.

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Kes was one of three drivers to lead 20 or more laps of the I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen, but the battle of fuel strategy left the Miller 2 Crew just a few laps short of their first road course win. Brad was in contention all day but the one final late caution he needed didn’t show, and he was hit with a penalty for driving through too many pit boxes on the empty pit road, forcing him to settle for a P15 finish.

“Tough break today for the Miller Lite Ford team,” Brad said. “We weren’t the fastest car today but we raced real hard and with a lot of heart. That put us in position. I guess I drove through too many pit stalls leaving on our last pit stop. Gosh, it’s a bummer. I hate that I cost us a top-five to a 15th. Good effort all around.”

Starting the 355-kilometer race from P8, Brad quickly worked his way up inside the Top 5, and remained there for the duration of the 20-lap first Stage. The fourth-place stage finish netted the 2 Crew an additional six points for the race. Pitting for a fresh set of tires and fuel during the caution, it relegated BK to a 14th-place start in Stage 2 behind the drivers that visited pit road prior to the yellow.

Still not having the grip on his Deuce he wanted, it slowed down the three-time WGI runner-up’s progress through the pack. Cracking into the Top 10 fairly easy, it took all he had to muscle up to seventh when Stage 2 ended on lap 40, earning him another handful of bonus points.

Going green again on lap 45 for the start of the final segment, Kes restarted from seventh—but contact with Kyle Busch through his day through a loop. Busch attempted a pass on Brad’s left side through the tight quarters of the bus stop chicane, and the two longtime rivals made contact and spun out of line. Fortunately, both stopped short of the wall and avoided major damage. Busch was upset over the radio after the incident. Brad had this to say afterward.

“This is a track where you fight for inches and we both are probably not willing to give in on it,” Brad said. “Nobody is happy when you have contact. It didn’t help my day at all either, I can tell you that. I wasn’t looking to get into him and I don’t think he was looking to get into me. We got into each other and that hurt everybody.”

After finding trouble, Brad and Co. did all they could to recover. Obtaining a vibration from the incident, crew chief Paul Wolfe requested his driver come in to replace the likely flat-spotted tires. Pitting just a few laps before the pit window opened, it put the Miller Lite team in a tough position to make the rest of the race.

The race’s only non-stage caution followed, and Brad remained on the track after pitting recently and inherited the lead at lap 54. He held the top spot for 10 laps before the fastest car in the field, Martin Truex Jr.’s No. 78, won out at lap 64. Truex held the lead for 13 laps before he put in motion a bold strategy, saving fuel and allowing BK to retake the lead. Kes stayed out in front for another 10 laps, hoping a final caution would come out, but with four laps to go, Brad pitted from the lead.

After the stop, Kes cycled out inside the Top 10 with the time and power to secure a third straight Top 5 finish before spotter Joey Meier delivered bad news over the radio. Upon exit of his pit stall, BK clipped into a fourth box. Though pit road was empty at the time during the green flag run, the penalty stood and Brad was forced to perform a pass-through penalty, saddling the Miller 2 Crew with a P15 finish. Meanwhile, Truex went on to win his fourth race of 2017 and earn a congratulatory gift from BK.

With a tough finish at The Glen now behind him, Brad heads to his home state of Michigan for the Pure Michigan 400. BK’s hometown race airs live on Sunday, August 13 at 3 p.m. ET on NBC Sports Network.

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The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driver boasts four finishes of third or better at WGI, including a third-place finish last season. He did so on a newly repaved surface at the upstate New York track, and he’ll have to conquer it yet again in this year’s I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen.

“My thoughts on the pavement is I think we’ve seen a pretty dramatic shift in probably the last four or five years with respect to the type of pavement that’s being used to repave the tracks,” Brad said. “We probably saw that again at Watkins Glen, where the pavement is very, very smooth. It lasts a really long time.”

Last year in the debut of the fresh asphalt, BK wasted no time in showing his prowess at the racetrack. He led late and put his team in position to capitalize on a win, though the Miller 2 Crew came up just short with a third-place finish.

Still, that marked the fifth Top 10 finish for Brad in seven starts at the 2.45-mile course. His career at WGI has been highlighted by a trilogy of runner-up results from 2011-13. In both 2011 and 2012, he came up second to Australian road racing ace Marcos Ambrose, with the latter of two producing one of the most entertaining finishes in recent history.

For crew chief Paul Wolfe, the annual trip to The Glen is a homecoming event. The Milford, New York native always enjoys coming home, and he tends to bring outstanding equipment each time the No. 2 Ford team returns.

“I’m a big fan of Watkins Glen,” Wolfe says. “Going there brings back a lot of memories from my first visits to the track when I was a kid. I still have some family and friends that are in the area, so it’s good to see them while there.”

While his crew chief will certainly be feeling right at home, Brad will also be feeling comfortable on the road. In the season’s prior road race, Brad logged a career-best third-place finish at Sonoma Raceway for the fifth Top 5 in road course competition for his Cup career.

Locked into the Playoffs with two wins to his credit, Brad is hoping to earn as many playoff points as possible as he looks to advance to the Championship 4. The best way to do that is to win.

The 2 Crew takes on Watkins Glen International’s curves for the I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen, airing live on NBC Sports Network on Sunday, August 6 at 3 p.m. ET.

DOUBLE DUTY FOR PENSKE DUO

Already an NXS winner in 2017, Brad Keselowski hops back in the REV/Fleetwood RV No. 22 Ford, the premier ride in Team Penske’s XFINITY Series program. And he’ll once again have a great chance to win at Watkins Glen International.

“Watkins Glen is a track that I picked up on fairly quickly from the first time I raced there. It’s a ‘speedway type’ road course and that fits my driving style well,” he says. “The XFINITY cars are a blast to drive at the Glen because they go through the corners so much faster than the Cup cars. You have to back up your braking points in a Cup car, but you can really race hard into the corner in a XFINITY car.”

Brad’s affinity towards the road track is clear, as he has rarely missed an NXS run at The Glen in the last 10 years. In fact, the only time BK chose to sit out the race came in 2011, just two weeks after injuring his left ankle in a testing crash, both Brad and Roger Penske felt it was best to sit out of the race, handing the car to Cup teammate Kurt Busch. Busch put the No. 22 on the pole, and won the race.

Two years after Busch’s win in the No. 22, Brad decided it was his turn to follow in the 2004 Cup Champion’s footsteps and win at The Glen. Starting fifth, it didn’t take BK long to find the lead and stay there for the most laps of the afternoon.

Saturday’s Zippo 200 will mark a few firsts for Brad. The REV Group and Fleetwood RV make their second appearance of the season after sponsoring Joey Logano’s No. 12 entry earlier this season, but it’s their first connection with Brad this year. Logano will join BK at The Glen, piloting the No. 12 dressed in Snap-On colors.

The REV Group and Fleetwood RV make their second appearance of the season after sponsoring Joey Logano’s No. 12 entry earlier this season, but it’s their first connection with Brad this year. Logano will join BK at The Glen, piloting the No. 12 dressed in Snap-On colors.

Together, BK and Logano have amassed two fourth-place finishes, one third-place finish, three second-place finishes and three wins for Team Penske at WGI. Whether under the Penske banner or in JR Motorsports rides, Brad has found success at The Glen from his first series start at the New York road course. His sixth-place finish in his 2008 WGI debut began a string of seven straigh Top 10 finishes in NXS competition, which ended just last year.

However, 2016’s 24th-place finish for BK was little more than a fluke. Team Penske fielded two dominant cars in that race, with Logano having the edge all race long, and Brad pushed his equipment as far as it could go before the rear suspension gave out. The P24 result marked his only finish outside the Top 10, and he’ll hope to keep it that way. To see how BK does this go around, tune into the Zippo 200 when it goes green on Saturday, August 5 at 2 p.m. ET, live on NBCSN.

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And just days after signing a contract extension to stay at home with Team Penske, there couldn’t be a better time for BK to convert that runner-up magic into a win on the 2.5-mile Tricky Triangle.

“There are some things you control and a lot that you can’t,” he said. “That said, our approach for the weekend is always shifting and adjusting based on how the rules package flows and how our own team developments flow, and Pocono always seems to line up where the first Pocono we are a lot less competitive than the second Pocono for whatever reason.”

Pocono’s second run of the season is one of the most demanding races, of man and machine, on the Cup schedule. The 400-mile venture on the unique triangular track—which can be described as a combination between a road course and a superspeedway—will strain the motor, breaks and transmission, as well as a driver’s mettle.

“I tend to find things that I like about all the tracks that we race on, as that is the optimal way to approach the weekend,” Brad says. “The variation in corner speed, the length of the long straight and the configuration of the corners are unlike any other circuit. The track is also uniquely situated geographically as most race tracks on the Cup circuit are relatively close to a large city. Having won there in 2011 makes it standout in my mind as well as that was a big win for us without a doubt.”

His victory six years ago in the mountains of Pennsylvania was a triumph on a few levels. It was the Deuce driver’s second regular-season win, one that all but locked him in his first Playoff. Additionally, it was the first race the Michigan native won on pure speed. In conversation with longtime spotter Joey Meier, Brad noted that his first win came at the crapshoot Talladega Superspeedway, and his second was a fuel mileage win in Kansas. But the most memorable part of all was how he won just four days after fracturing his ankle in a testing crash.

In full health now, Kes will look to repeat that performance. In recent Pennsylvanian runs, the No. 2 has scored all but a victory. With the last four results being a second, third, second and sixth, Paul Wolfe & Co. are more than capable of squeaking out a win on pure speed or strategy.

In this event last year, Brad left the Pocono Mountains with another second-place finish. Brad had perhaps the fastest car on the track, but the race was ended prematurely as a thick fog loomed over the superspeedway—allowing Chris Buescher to grab his first career MENCS victory. The last time the series visited Pocono in June, BK made it to Victory Lane, but to interview and congratulate his future teammate Ryan Blaney, who was announced this week as a third-car addition to the Penske outfit starting in 2018. Kes finished sixth himself in Blaney’s victory, showing what kind of power his Roush Yates motors brought to this demanding race track.

And always in need of another win to add Playoff points before the postseason begins, Kes will go for it when the Overton’s 400 goes green on Sunday July 30. The race airs live on NBC Sports Network at 3 p.m. ET.

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BK led late in a crash-filled Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400, but the Team Penske driver couldn’t hold off a determined Kasey Kahne, who was as overdue for a victory as any driver at the Cup level. But while Brad didn’t quite have the power to hold off Kahne, he came away with his best finish ever at The Brickyard, in second place.

“You know, we just have to take our result and move on,” Brad said. “We weren’t necessarily the fastest car today, but the Miller Lite Ford team did a hell of a job executing.”

Starting from P11, it didn’t take Kes long to realize that the handling of his Deuce was not there. The rough riding 2 car slipped outside the Top 25 in just a handful of laps, but BK battled his way back to sit in 20th when the first Stage ended on lap 50.

The first caution in Stage 2 flew on lap 57, and the alternate sequence put the 2 Crew in a position to capitalize. Making a 5.6-second stop for fuel and adjustments, something began to click. After restarting 24th, Brad was able to drive through the field and gain six spots by the time the next caution appeared on lap 71. This time, crew chief Paul Wolfe left his driver on track, and Kes resumed racing from the third position. Even though it wasn’t the strongest car in the field, his Miller Lite Ford was potent enough to linger just inside the Top 10 when Stage 2 ended on lap 100. BK and Co. earned some much-needed Stage points with his ninth-place finish, and they were now in

Completing Stage 2 in ninth, BK and Co. earned some much-needed Stage points and also found themselves in position to make something happen at the end of the race.

After hitting pit road for a fresh set of tires and fuel, BK returned to the track in ninth position and restarted in the preferred inner lane. A few laps later on a lap 111 restart, the race had the greatest shakeup of the day. Kyle Busch and Martin Truex Jr., the two dominant cars, had a scuffle entering the first turn, and took each other out in flames.

Realizing his shot to kiss the bricks was there, however small, crew chief Paul Wolfe told Brad to stay out as long as he could, hoping for a timely caution. Just a lap or two before the Deuce would have to come down for fuel, a massive wreck off of Turn 4 emerged, giving BK the critical yellow. After a red flag, Kes came in for a new set of Goodyear rubber and fuel and resumed racing from third, behind two drivers that stayed out on track.

Brad was able to breeze past Ryan Newman on the restart to move in behind Kahne, and one of the race’s greatest battles followed—a Hendrick Motorsports sandwich with Kes in the middle of Kahne and Jimmie Johnson. As a result of a thrilling three-wide fight for the lead, Johnson spun out and into the wall, leaving BK and Kahne to duel for the win.

The lap 161 Overtime restart allowed Brad to pass Kahne for the race lead, just barely nosing out the No. 5 car before a caution flew after another wreck entering the first turn. But on the final lap 165 restart, Kahne laid back some and prepared for a launch that propelled him to the lead, and his first win since 2014, forcing the Miller 2 Crew to settle for P2. Though disappointed with coming so close, the team had to balance their emotions with where they began the race and take what they could get.

“I wish I could have executed a little bit better to bring home the win,” the Miller Lite Ford driver said. “I’m not sure what that would have took. But all in all, good to have a top finish at this track.”

Despite the late heartbreak, it was Brad’s best run ever at The Brickyard, and it filled an important column on his career stat sheet: the Rochester Hills, Mich. native now has a Top 5 finish at every track on the Cup circuit. Kes entered the season with both Sonoma Raceway and Indy missing from that list, but a P3 finish in Wine Country and a runner-up result at The Brickyard mark a season of change and progress for the 33-year-old as he seeks his second Cup championship.

“I think our best finish coming to this race here was ninth. Kind of checked this one off as at least getting a top finish,” Kes said. “Maybe not a win, but, you know, a top three, top two finish. So it’s nice to check that off and hopefully we can come back here next year and improve one more spot.”

Up next on the MENCS tour is The Tricky Triangle, where the drivers battle it out on a 2.5 mile track for the second week in a row. As a former late summer Pocono Raceway winner in ‘11, Brad will be looking to add his third win of the season when the Overton’s 400 goes green on Sunday July 30th. The race airs live on NBC Sports Network at 3p.m. ET.

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“Winning at Indianapolis would make me so proud for Roger,” Brad said. “It definitely gives you a sense of pride when you go to Indy as a member of Team Penske. You look at everything Mr. Penske has been able to accomplish there in open-wheel racing.”

The 2.5-mile track is one of the few where Kes has raced exclusively under the Penske banner, never finishing outside of the Top 25. In his seven starts, Brad has managed to avoid calamity and not only be there at the finish of the race, but complete every one of the 1134 possible laps.

First meeting IMS in 2010, BK started the race from 11th and even found trouble towards the front of the pack. In the opening laps, a competitor took a slight trip through the grass and kicked some soil up – with a chunk landing in Brad’s grille opening. An early pit stop put the team behind a step, but they stayed resilient and rebounded to 19th at the end.

In both 2011 & 2012, crew chief Paul Wolfe put the No. 2 team in a position to win, but late-race restarts didn’t work in their favor, resulting in ninth-place finishes each year. As a shot caller, Wolfe is confident in the package he’s bringing to the track.

“Indy is a unique circuit, but we think we have something for it. Our set-up for this track has similarities with the Pocono package, and we were pretty good there. Strategy and track position are going to be key come race day, but we feel good about our chances.”

Those ninth-place finishes stand as BK’s career best on the Cup circuit at Indy, making it the only track were he hasn’t logged a Top 5.

But while he hasn’t kissed the bricks at the Cup level, he is one of few to have done so at the XFINITY Series level. In 2012, Kes took the chance to hone his skills on the relatively flat Indiana track, and he claimed the inaugural NXS victory at the historic racing venue.

On the MENCS side, he’s kept the Deuce out front for a collective 76 laps, but there’s no doubt that the midwestern driver wants to lead one more lap, and emerge victorious at the most prestigious track from the region.

“It would be one of the coolest things I could ever do in a racecar if I could get him [Roger Penske] his first win in the Brickyard 400. We’re going to give it our best shot this weekend.”

BK entered the season with two tracks where he hadn’t recorded a Top 5 finish: Indy and Sonoma Raceway. He checked the tricky California road course off that list with a P3 finish a month ago. See if he can check the second box when the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400 goes green on Sunday, July 23 at 3 p.m. ET, live on NBC.

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The 2 Crew overcame a jack malfunction on pit road and a machine that wasn’t quite as fast as desired to secure a ninth-place finish. After the tough day, BK was proud of the perseverance shown by his squad.

“Yeah, that was a reasonable finish for us for sure,” BK said. “We weren’t probably as fast as we wanted to be, but we stayed very persistent as a team and that is good.”

The 2 Crew kicked off the Overton’s 301 from 11th place but quickly proved they had a piece to contend with. BK drove the car into the Top 5 prior to the lap 30 competition caution, and crew chief Paul Wolfe used that as an opportunity to bring the car down pit road. While changing tires, the jack gave out, resulting in a drop back to P22. Valiant as ever, BK managed to drive back inside the Top 15 by the end of the first Stage on lap 75.

However, while the 2 Crew was changing tires, the jack gave out, resulting in a longer than average stop and a drop back to P22 as a result. Valiant as ever, BK managed to drive back inside the Top 15 by the end of the first Stage on lap 75.

“The [first] pit stop was a bummer,” he said on the faulty jack. “I am not sure what happened there. Nobody wants to see that happen.”

Similar to the XFINITY race the day before, the Monster Energy Cup Series event experienced a red flag, but this was for track repairs from the VHT traction compound applied to the racing surface.

“I don’t know if the compound made things any racier,” BK said afterward. “It was certainly different but I don’t know if it was — I have to think about that one.”

As the race progressed, the VHT wore off, drastically changing the track conditions in the process. Noticing a swing to the loose side, Brad dropped back out of the Top 20 by the time Stage 2 ended.

In the second half of the race, the conditions started to swing back the way BK wanted. Settling into 12th position on lap 178, he held the spot until pitting under green on lap 247 for a full set of tires and fuel. The 12.6-second stop cycled the Deuce out to 21st place. Three laps later, the Michigan-born driver unlapped himself and started his charge to gain those lost positions.

He had driven up to 16th when the final caution flew on lap 261 for a Ryan Newman wreck. Wolfe threw one last set of Goodyear rubber on the Deuce and prepped his driver for the remaining 40 laps. Restarting 13th, he passed Danica Patrick, Jamie McMurray, Chase Elliott and Dale Earnhardt Jr. before the end of the race en route to a ninth place result.

Looking forward to next week, the Monster Energy Cup Series heads to Indianapolis Motor Speedway for the Brantley Gilbert Big Machine Brickyard 400. Legendary car owner Roger Penske has the 2.5-mile superspeedway dialed in on the open-wheeled IndyCar side, but Team Penske is yet to score a Cup Series win at the famed track. Tune in and see if Brad & Co. can change that on Sunday, July 23 at 2:30 p.m. ET, when the race airs live on NBC.

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