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.

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Beginning at this weekend’s NASCAR race at Daytona International Speedway (DIS), fans and families of service men and women can visit CheckeredFlagFoundation.org to nominate a person that has sacrificed for our country. Nominees will have their name displayed on the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) race at Phoenix on November 12, Veterans Day weekend across the United States. The special promotion will run through the MENCS regular-season finale at Richmond International Raceway on September 9.

The cost is $100 per nomination, which is fully tax-deductible, and all proceeds go to the Checkered Flag Foundation. In addition to being recognized on the race car, each nominee will receive a piece of the No. 2 Ford Fusion’s sheet metal that shows their name, along with a photo of the car and a letter of thanks from Keselowski. Fans can use the social media hashtag, #Tribute2Veterans, to highlight their nominee online as well.

“The Checkered Flag Foundation (CFF) celebrates veterans and they work to not only honor them but hopefully enrich their lives through various programs,” said Keselowski. “This unique fundraiser will go directly to those programs, while also providing a one-of-a-kind experience to have veterans virtually ride along with me at Phoenix as we try to earn a trip to the Championship 4 the following weekend at Homestead. Whether through the CFF or the Team Penske relationship with the Paralyzed Veterans of America, we are always looking for ways to give back to those that have helped defend our freedom. I think this is another great example of partners working together for a great cause.”

Keselowski is proud of his patriotism, and to make this holiday weekend even more special, the 2012 MENCS champion and last year’s Coke Zero 400 race winner has teamed up with DIS to provide 200 race tickets for Saturday night’s Coke Zero 400 to local military members and their families. The group will be treated to a private meet and greet with Keselowski and DIS president Chip Wile prior to the race.

“Brad Keselowski has always been a big supporter of our Armed Forces,” said Wile. “It’s great to see last year’s Coke Zero 400 champion utilizing Daytona International Speedway and this July 4th race weekend as a platform to have local military personnel enjoy the excitement of NASCAR on the high banks.”

About Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation

Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation honors and assists those who have sacrificed greatly for our country. Since 2010, the foundation has supported over 50 organizations and individuals in order to help veterans and first responders during their road to recovery. There are numerous ways for those interested to become involved. Visit www.CheckeredFlagFoundation.org for details.

The post BK Announces Checkered Flag Foundation Veterans Day Promotion appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

As is his custom, Kes grabbed the American Flag for a last year’s 4th of July weekend celebration, and he’s excited for the opportunity to once again do a Star Spangled burnout at the sport’s most famous track.

“It’s awesome to be able to celebrate our country’s independence down in Daytona Beach at one of the most important tracks to NASCAR,” BK said. “It’s a Saturday night race, which everyone seems to enjoy, both drivers and fans.”

Bouncing off an unexpected P3 finish last week, his best ever at Sonoma Raceway, Kes looks to keep the hot streak alive under the lights in Daytona. And as the defending winner of the Coke Zero 400, Kes wants nothing more than to extend his restrictor plate legacy. Qualifying fifth in 2016, it only took nine laps for the No. 2 to become No. 1—a spot he held for 115 of 160 laps, including the last one.

While it was the Michigan driver’s fifth career restrictor plate win, it was the first on Daytona’s 2.5-mile circuit.

“I doubted myself here, and we came here for the 500, and quite honestly, we ran like dog crap,” BK said a year ago. “My team worked on it. I didn’t give up on them. I believed in them and they went to work and put together a better car and it really showed today with a great effort for our whole team. I’m really proud of everybody.”

Back behind the wheel of the Detroit Genuine Parts Ford this weekend, which he brought to Victory Lane in last year’s Coke Zero 400, Brad hopes to keep the strong results alive with the scheme. Since last year’s DIS breakthrough, BK wheeled the car once at Richmond in the spring, scoring a P2 finish and a Stage win while leading over a quarter of the race.

While Brad will be looking for just his second win at Daytona, he’ll be in search of his sixth restrictor-plate victory. With four wins to his name at Daytona’s sister track, Talladega Superspeedway, the 2012 Champion says there is less to carry over than most think, recognizing the nuances that separate the two tracks.

“I think Daytona and Talladega have long been two different tracks,” Kes says. “It is wider and a lot harder to block and control the pace at Talladega. That is not a bad thing.”

Most importantly, Brad’s goal this weekend is to display our nation’s colors. As the race falls on Fourth of July weekend, the ever-patriotic driver embraces his chance to proudly wave the Red, White, and Blue under the lights at Daytona.

“I like to think that I’m a pretty patriotic guy,” he says.

The 17th race of 2017 marks the transition to the NBC family of networks, as NBC will broadcast the Coke Zero 400 live. Tune into the action on Saturday, July 1, at 7 p.m. ET and see if BK can go back-to-back in Daytona’s summer race.

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