The No. 2 Team Penske crew just didn’t have it in their hometown, finishing 15th in the Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. As a result, Kes dropped from fourth to 10th in the Monster Energy Cup Series standings going into next weekend’s trip to Talladega Superspeedway.

“It wasn’t the day we wanted for the Team Penske/Alliance Truck Parts Ford, so we’ve got two races left to go and we need to have two strong races,” Brad said. “I was probably more frustrated with not being as fast as we wanted to be.  That makes the day a lot longer, but a little bit of heat, that’s what this sport is about.”

The Black and Yellow Deuce had some speed off the hauler for just his third start of sixth or better in the last seven races. However, a spin in practice to start the weekend foreshadowed the handling issues that plagued BK throughout race day. When the green flag dropped on Sunday, Brad couldn’t hold his starting position as he fought a machine that lacked stability entering and exiting the corners of the 1.5-mile North Carolina racetrack.

A rough restart on lap 36 saw Brad slide out of the Top 20. He did all he could to pick his way back to the front but made it to just 14th, just outside of the points at the conclusion of Stage 1. A nice pit stop by the 2 Crew sent BK off into Stage 2 from the 12th position. But 90 laps later, he found himself just outside of the points again, in 13th position when the second stage came to a close.

Paul Wolfe and Co. made rounds of air pressure and wedge adjustments while Brad altered the track bar from the cockpit. The No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts machine found a little life late in the race as Brad cracked the Top 10 after a green-flag pit cycle around lap 225.

But the stint in the Top 10 didn’t last. As Brad continued to fight an ill-handling Ford, he slid back out of the Top 10 to 15th place when the checkered flag flew, the second-lowest finish of all remaining playoff contenders.

BK earned 22 points from his finish but couldn’t collect any additional points throughout the day. He sits 10th in the MENCS standings, though he’s just two points off of this round’s eighth-place cutline.

The Monster Energy Cup Series now heads to Talladega Superspeedway, where Brad boasts four wins, more than any other track. Kes finished seventh at Talladega earlier this season. Of his four Dega wins, one came in this fall event—and it came in 2014 as one of the biggest wins of his career. That clutch victory sent him to the next round of the playoffs, a feat he’ll look to replicate Sunday (Oct. 15) at 2 p.m. ET.

MENCS PLAYOFFS STANDINGS

1. Martin Truex Jr. – 3106*
2. Kyle Larson – 3072
3. Kevin Harvick – 3069
4. Chase Elliott – 3
5. Denny Hamlin – 3056
6. Kyle Busch – 3055
7. Jimmie Johnson – 3051
8. Jamie McMurray – 3044

— ROUND OF 8 CUTLINE —

9. Matt Kenseth – 3043
10. Brad Keselowski – 3042
11. Ryan Blaney – 3039
12. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 3034

* – Clinched Round of 8 Berth

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Featuring two mile-and-a-half tracks sandwiched around a trip to the treacherous Talladega Superspeedway, the Round of 12 is sure to increase the playoff intensity. The first 1.5-mile track comes this weekend in Charlotte Motor Speedway’s Bank of America 500. While BK enters the Round of 12 in fourth place, he’s not taking lightly the challenge that lies ahead.

“I see those two mile-and-a-halves (Charlotte and Kansas) which is mostly about the aerodynamics, and that’s important to get all that right,” Brad said. “And then Talladega which is just…”

Brad boasts four career wins at Talladega, more than any other track, but he’s well aware that he can’t take the challenge lightly. The Team Penske driver believes that the restrictor-plate track’s unpredictable nature will be magnified in the current stage format.

“I felt like before the stages it was a little easier to control your destiny there. You could run up front and kind of stay away from it all,” BK said. “Then with the stages, you could run up front, somebody would short pit and cycle you to the back. … That just mixes up the field; it means there’s no safe place to be.”

With that in mind, up-front finishes and strong points days will be highly coveted this weekend at Charlotte as drivers look to pad their points going into Dega. BK knows that he and crew chief Paul Wolfe will have to be on their game, as the race for stage points will be fierce.

“Those stages are (crucial), as they were meant to be. They were meant to put an emphasis on running up front early in a race and not just riding around and cruising,” Brad said. “You can run fifth and not score any stage points and you’re not going to score the fifth-most points on the day, you’re going to score about the 10th-most points.”

Fortunately, BK has mustered up some magic in this playoff race at Charlotte before. Amid a 2012 Championship hangover in the 2013 season, Brad raced his way to his first career win at the 1.5-mile Carolina track—his only win of that down campaign.

He also has three XFINITY Series wins to his name at Charlotte, two of which came in the fall. He has a history of CMS consistency at NASCAR’s second level, finishing in the Top 10 in 14 of his 18 starts.

Brad was on a string of four straight Top 10 finishes at the Monster Energy Cup Series level before this season’s earlier trip to Charlotte. Kes hit an oil slick and smashed into a spinning Chase Elliott, ending his Coca-Cola 600 run just 19 laps in.

“We had a really fast Miller Lite Ford and I think we had a shot at winning tonight, but that’s how it goes,” Brad said after the wreck.

The Alliance 2 Crew will look to replicate that speed this weekend. First practice is set of 1:30 p.m. ET on Friday, followed by qualifying under the lights at 7:20 p.m. The final two practice sessions are set for 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Saturday. The Bank of America 500 is scheduled for a 2 p.m. ET start on Sunday and will air on NBC.

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Caught in an oil slick with two broken cars in front of him just 19 laps in at Charlotte Motor Speedway, the Michigan native was sent home early in a season-worst P39.

“We had a really fast Miller Lite Ford and I think we had a shot at winning tonight, but that’s how it goes,” Brad said after leaving the infield care center injury-free.

Kicking off in 10th place, BK jumped up to eighth on lap 3, passing both Clint Bowyer and Denny Hamlin. Passing Martin Truex Jr. three laps later, and trading the spot back on lap 17 was the last memorable moment of the Coke 600.

The first caution flew on lap 20 when Jeffrey Earnhardt’s motor blew, casting a solid chunk of metal off his engine block and onto the 1.5-mile quad oval surface. Coincidentally, the block landed right in front of the No. 24 of Chase Elliott, instantly piercing his radiator and detonating his motor, leaving an oil trail—and nowhere for the trailing Miller Lite Ford.

“Somebody broke and there was just oil everywhere and I couldn’t turn,” Kes said. “I ran into the back of Chase. Somebody broke in front of him, then he ran over what they broke, and then he broke, so there were two cars broken in front of me and just oil everywhere. You couldn’t stop and turn. You couldn’t do anything. It’s a real bummer for our team.”

The Red, White and Blue Deuce slid through the oil and smashed into the back of the No. 24, leaving far too much damage for the 2 Crew to repair within the 5:00 crash clock.

While the finish was disappointing, the outright speed of the Deuce was promising. After three straight weeks on 1.5-mile tracks, the Monster Energy Cup tour heads to Dover International Speedway for the AAA 400 Drive for Autism airing live on FOX Sports 1 at 1 p.m. ET, on Sunday, June 4.

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As the race places a true test on man and machine, it perfectly suits his style. The Red, White and Blue Deuce qualified 10th for Sunday night’s main event, and he’s ready for the marathon that awaits under the lights.

“We’ve got a big race this weekend, the Coca-Cola 600,” Brad said. “We are really fast with both Penske cars, I feel like we got a shot at it.”

His first Charlotte Memorial Day race came in his first full season with Team Penske, aboard the No. 12 Dodge. The weekend surely didn’t start the way BK wanted with a violent qualifying crash where his Charger charged into a section of the wall without the energy absorbing SAFER barriers. Through some level-headed driving and safe strategies, the Michigander was able to slice his way from the back through about half of the field to a P20 result.

Qualifications in the following year were much smoother as Kes paved the way to his second career Coors Light Pole award. Nearly 600 miles later, the race came down to a late race restart, slotting the Deuce in fourth on the outside lane, when line leader Kasey Kahne’s No. 4 car didn’t roll – effectively ending Brad’s night just a bit too soon.

“Just disappointing,” he said on the result. “The Miller Lite Dodge was fast all night. We started on the pole. We ran in the top-10 most of the night. The crew did a great job. It was a total team effort. Unfortunately, we ended up three miles short of a top-five finish.”

While that race did steal a solid Top 5 from the team, they earned it back the next season as Kes claimed a fifth-place result in the Cup Series’ longest race.

Collectively through the years, Brad’s led 59 laps in his six May Charlotte races, but the final circuit has eluded him.

“The Coca-Cola 600 just has this tremendous legacy in our sport of being the longest race, one of the toughest, most grueling races on a racecar driver, which makes it very difficult to earn a win at, and very special,” BK said.

In 2017’s four 1.5-mile track races so far, the Miller 2 Crew has a worst finish of sixth—including a victory in Atlanta, a Coors Light Pole in Las Vegas, and a P2 finish in the most recent of those races in Kansas.

Brad hopes that he can outlast the competition and deliver Ford’s first Coca-Cola 600 win since 2002.

“It’s a test of both man and machine. It can wear you down. You need to be prepared for it.”

The Coca-Cola 600 kicks off on Sunday, May 27th at 6p.m. ET, live on FOX.

DOUBLE DEUCE MARATHON

In addition to running the 600-miler on Sunday, Kes is also competing in the preliminary 300 mile event on Saturday in the XFINITY Series.

Making his fourth series start of 2017, the 22 Crew remains winless, but knows it can change at an instant.

“We’re getting stronger, and soon hope to be where we were [in 2015],” Brad said.

Over time, BK has placed some stellar numbers on the board in his NXS career in the Queen City. Posting three wins, seven Top 5’s, and 13 Top 10’s in 17 starts, he’s been able to bring his ride home in a respectable position more often than not.

The first of his Charlotte triumphs came in his 2010 Championship season. Leading a total of 46 laps that night, he took the lead on a restart with seven to go and never looked back.

Also waving an American flag in the May 2012 race, he led 67 circuits en route to the victory that night. The most recent win in 2014 paved the way to Roger Penske’s second consecutive NXS Owners’ Championships, something The Captain covets.

Team Penske typically operates as a single car function in the second tier series, but this weekend they’ve enlisted support from the No. 12 entry with Ryan Blaney behind the wheel. In the first practice session, both were quick enough to place Top 5 speeds, as well as laying down some frontrunning 10 Lap Average speeds.

The longest weekend of racing begins with the Hisense 300, airing at 1 p.m. ET on Saturday May 27th, live on FOX Sports 1.

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The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team tried a unique strategy on the fly in the non-points exhibition event, but it backfired as the tire strategy wasn’t allowed due to NASCAR’s All-Star Race rules, leading to a ninth-place finish for Brad Keselowski and Co.

“Definitely a tough finish tonight for the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford,” Brad said. “We had loose lug nuts after the second stage and having to come back down pit road to tighten those definitely altered our strategy. We just have to regroup this coming week and be better for the 600.”

Kicking off the first Segment in seventh, it didn’t take long to see some progress. Brad passed Dale Earnhardt Jr. on the opening lap and Kurt Busch on Lap 6 for P5, but the run stalled out, as BK closed the first segment right there in fifth on Lap 20.

Pitting for a fresh set of primary Goodyear Eagles during the yellow, the 2 Crew dropped two positions to a few teams only taking two tires. When the green flag flew to begin Segment 2, BK started and finished it in seventh.

As Wolfe decided it was time to deploy the option green-walled tires, a loose lugnut forced Kes to bring the Deuce in for attention. Once he rejoined the field on the track, a persistent vibration remained, leading the crew chief to swap the soft compound rubber for another set of regular tires.

Because the Miller 2 Crew utilized their optional soft tires and then removed them, it took that set of tires out of the race—meaning they had to run the final two stages—30 laps on the same four tires. Kes voiced his opinion on the confusion after the race.

Starting the third Segment from P20, Brad cracked the Top 15 after three laps. Halfway into the 20 lap Segment, the Michigan driver worked his way up to P13, also passing Daniel Suarez and Earnhardt Jr. Following the trend of the race, 13th was as high as the 2012 Champion rose in the shootout.

Putting up the ninth best Segment average of the 20 competitors, Brad was one of 10 drivers permitted to the final 10 lap dash. Since all four sets of tires were worn, Kes had no other choice than to stay out on track, take the race lead, and hope for the best.

To no real shock, tires were more critical than ever in the battle for the win as BK fell to the back before even hitting the backstretch, shaping up for a P9 finish.

Even though the non-points event didn’t play his way, the entire 2 Crew still remains optimistic looking towards the Coca-Cola 600. Owning a pair of Top 5’s in NASCAR’s longest race, he’s had the endurance to make it, but will need a full team effort to rise a few more spots. Tune in when the 600 miler starts on Sunday, May 28th at 6 p.m., live on FOX.

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“We’ve been so close in the All-Star Race and the Coca-Cola 600,” Brad said. “We led a ton of laps in the All-Star Race last year, we’ve led in the 600 and have been in position, when little things pop up that have held us back. I feel very confident that we can win either of the two or hopefully both.”

Even though the showdown featuring NASCAR’s very best doesn’t offer the valuable Playoff points, the 25th annual nighttime running of the event does pay out a $1 million award, one that BK has his eyes on.

2017 Monster Energy All-Star Race Setup

Segment 1: 20 Laps
Segment 2: 20 Laps
Segment 3: 20 Laps
Segment 4: 10 Laps

The real strategic plays come in during the final Segment, as the Top 10 running drivers can choose to run an alternate option Goodyear tire compound. Popularized by Formula 1, and proven successful by the IndyCar Series, the green-walled soft tire is estimated by Goodyear to be “half a second faster” per lap until deteriorated. Formulated through the pivotal Drivers’ Council, if deemed a success, the two-tire strategy could be implemented to the 2018 MENCS schedule.

Ever since Brad’s monumental first victory at Talladega in 2009, the driver has been a mainstay in the All-Star race, competing every year since. Locked in 2010 from the same victory, he had to race in through the Open in 2011 – but the 2012 Championship will punch his ticket in regardless of wins.

The Monster Energy All-Star Race is set for an 8 p.m. ET start on FOX Sports 1, but the highlight of the night might be the intense qualifying session at 4:30 p.m., just before the race.

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BK remained patient and avoided several wrecks throughout the afternoon in the Bank of America 500, which was postponed due to rain from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. His efforts produced a seventh place finish, fourth among Chase for the Sprint Cup drivers, marking a strong start to the Round of 12 for Kes and the No. 2 Crew as they attempt to survive and advance in the Chase.

“It’s a solid day,” he said. “To run seventh is OK. We just weren’t quite anywhere near as fast as the 48

[Jimmie Johnson] and the 24 [Chase Elliott], and we were behind a bunch of the others, so we just need to find a little bit of speed, but the execution was great.”

The Wurth Ford Fusion began the 500-mile race mid-pack in 20th after a slower than normal showing in Thursday’s qualifying session. Rain cancelled all track activity on Friday and Saturday, making adjustments a challenge, but both Brad and crew chief Paul Wolfe knew once the race began that they had plenty of time to make their way out front without using any strategy.

Taking the first lap conservatively, BK lost three positions. But he quickly started gathering them back, passing Trevor Bayne on lap three, and Kurt Busch on lap 11. With a nice charge late in the green flag run, Kes made his way back up to the 21st spot prior to the lap-25 competition caution. However, upon exiting the pit stall, the No. 2 was blocked in by a few competitors, costing them three positions and setting up for a P24 restart on lap 31.

However, within just six laps, Brad had already driven his way back to 20th, making up for the setback. He then passed Ryan Newman on lap 36, Danica Patrick on the 39th, Ricky Stenhouse Jr. on lap 42, as well as Tony Stewart and Kasey Kahne on his way up to P15, where he sat when the No. 88 of Alex Bowman blew out a tire bringing out the yellow on lap 61.

Pitting again under caution for a fresh set of Goodyear Eagles and fuel, the 2 Crew faced another pit road penalty as one of the members jumped over the wall too soon. The Deuce was forced to start at the end of the longest line in P31 on lap 70, forcing Brad to drive through the field once more.

But BK was undeterred and cooly went about rising back up the board. Within three laps, he passed Landon Cassill and Aric Almirola up to 29th. By lap 79, Kes had also passed Clint Bowyer, Brian Scott, Chris Buescher, Michael McDowell, and Regan Smith to move into P24. In the next handful of laps, he passed another six cars, getting around Trevor Bayne, Patrick, Stenhouse, Paul Menard, Kyle Busch, and Greg Biffle for 18th. Cracking the Top 15 on lap 111, he passed Stewart, Kyle Larson, and Joey Logano, whose flat tire brought out the next caution.

Though an unfortunate fate for his teammate, Logano’s misfortune came at the right time for Brad, in the middle of a green-flag pit cycle when the No. 2 was yet to come in for service. The timely yellow flag gave the 2 Crew the track position they needed. Pitting for four tires and fuel in 12.1 seconds, BK was set up in great position to restart in P3 on lap 162.

Not long into the run, Brad found himself trying to work around leaders Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin, but while trying to make that move, he took a slide in the process in Turn 2. BK miraculously saved his car, but lost a spot to Chase Elliott, dropping to fourth place. On lap 201, Ryan Newman passed the Deuce on track, but once the field cycled through a round of scheduled green flag pit stops on lap 212, the 2 Crew had done enough in the pits to help him claim the spot right back from Newman.

A lap 229 debris caution brought the Wurth Ford back down pit road, where the crew fitted four tires on in 11.6 seconds, but they still lost a spot to Martin Truex Jr in the No. 78. Lining up for a P5 restart on lap 237, Brad immediately fell to seventh behind Newman and Hamlin. Soon thereafter, on lap 253, A.J. Allmendinger blew a tire and hit the outside wall, triggering the fifth caution. Pitting once more under yellow, Wolfe called for another new set of sticker tires on the car, setting up for a 10th place restart.

The biggest moment of the race came on the lap-259 reset, where a wreck with leader Austin Dillon triggered a Talladega-style Big One on the front stretch. The carnage, which took out Chase contenders Chase Elliott and Dillon, had serious championship implications all over it.

Luckily, Kes was safely positioned on the outside line for the restart and rode that line safely past the meleè without damage. He restarted sixth on lap 266, and radioed that the car was loose off the corners, which was evident as he dropped spots to Larson, Kasey Kahne, and Carl Edwards, falling to ninth. The motor in Denny Hamlin’s Toyota detonated on lap 309, bringing out the final caution of the day, and a tremendous stop from the No. 2 Wurth Ford team sent Brad off of pit road up two spots in sixth place.

“On the last pit stop my guys got the Wurth Ford out with the leaders, which was really good,” Brad said. “We’re executing well. We just need to find a little bit more speed to be able to make that execution and speed win races.”

The race went green one last time on lap 316 and moments later Kyle Busch drove his No. 18 car by Brad on the start, dropping the Deuce P7. BK would hold it steady there, leaving him to finish the race in seventh for his 21st Top 10 finish of the year, second only to Kevin Harvick in the Sprint Cup Series.

Jimmie Johnson won the race to punch his ticket to the Round of 8. In the Chase roundup, Hamlin finished 30th, Dillon 32nd, Elliott 33rd, Logano 36th and Harvick 38th. Kes was one of just five Chase drivers to finish in the Top 10, putting him in solid position going into the second race of the Round of 12 He’s currently fourth on the Chase Grid with a 25-point cushion over the elimination line.

With the unpredictable Talladega looming in two weeks, the 2 Crew wants to build up as much of an advantage as they can in Kansas. Tune into next week’s race, the Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway, Sunday, Oct. 16 at 2 p.m. ET, live on NBC.

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