The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion driver won Stage 1 in the third and final race of the Round of 16, the Apache Warrior 400 at Dover International Speedway. Already locked into the second round due to his strong Top 5 performances in the first two races of the opening round, Kes enjoyed a stress-free run at The Monster Mile, and logged his 17th Top 10 finish of the year, crossing in 10th.

“We had some pretty good strategy running long and caught the yellow cycle. Then we had a good pit stop that put us in position to win the first stage which was good,” Brad said. “Then we cycled back to sixth the next two rounds and fought really hard from there to just keep track position. We were holding on to sixth or seventh most of the race and at the end we tried to a little bit of strategy and it just didn’t quite work out.”

The White Lite wasn’t overpowering when it rolled off the hauler in Dover. Brad qualified just 16th, but as always, the Miller 2 Crew made the most of it on race day.

BK tried to drive the Team Penske No. 2 ahead in the field in the early going, fighting loose handling entering corners and tightness in the center. Fortunately, he got some help from lady luck late in Stage 1.

The long-pitting strategy has paid off for Paul Wolfe and Co. in the past, and it did again. Brad remained out on the Dover concrete late in the pit cycle while nearly all of his competitors had already gone in for service. A timely caution came out, allowing BK to pit from second place, a lap ahead of the competition. Some outstanding work by Wolfe’s crew had him back out on the track in first place. From there, a strong run on the restart helped Brad cruise to his fifth stage win of the year.

Stage 2 saw Brad slip all the way back to 10th before recovering for an eighth-place finish to add a few more points to his Round of 16 resume. The White Lite awoke to show some strong speed in the final stage, and with that, Wolfe tried to dip back into the long-pitting pond. Unfortunately, it didn’t work the second time around.

The caution Brad needed never came out, and he was cycled back to 15th after finally pitting at lap 340. That gave him just 60 miles to push his way back to the front. The Miller Lite Ford driver clawed his way back into the Top 10 before the checkered flag flew.

The points now reset and Brad remains fourth in a 12-man field as the Monster Energy Cup Series heads to Charlotte Motor Speedway for the Bank of America 500. Brad won the event in 2013—a feat he’ll look to replicate on the 1.5-mile Carolina track.

MENCS STANDINGS

1. Martin Truex Jr. – 3059
2. Kyle Busch – 3041
3. Kyle Larson – 3034
4. Brad Keselowski – 3020
5. Jimmie Johnson – 3017
6. Kevin Harvick – 3015
7. Denny Hamlin – 3013
8. Ricky Stenhouse Jr. – 3010
9. Ryan Blaney – 3008
10. Chase Elliott – 3006
11. Matt Kenseth – 3005
12. Jamie McMurray – 3003

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Brad’s No. 2 Ford in Wurth colors showed great speed at The Monster Mile earlier this year, but it could only show it for 66 laps. Just one week after another competitor’s wreck knocked him out a Charlotte, Kes was taken out by a spinning Kurt Busch in Dover, ending his day early.

“It really stinks to DNF two weeks in a row, but to make it worse I think we had cars capable of competing for the win both weeks,” BK said at Dover in June. “It’s unfortunate that we haven’t been able to show the speed in our Ford Fusions.”

Despite that result, Brad does have a strong history at the 1-mile Delaware track. He boasts six Top 10 finishes, five in the Top 5, two poles and a win that helped fuel his 2012 Cup Championship run. He also finished runner-up twice at The Monster Mile in 2014.

“Dover is an incredible challenge,” BK said. “You literally drive into the corner and you fall down two stories, while going about 160mph, and your stomach just drops. Your right foot has to stay in the gas pedal, and that challenge to do that every lap for three hours is very tough.”

While Kes will have his hands full, he won’t have to deal with the pressure that the majority of his competitors are feeling. Brad is one of four drivers to have clinched a spot in the Round of 12. Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch are in on wins, while Kyle Larson and BK have enough of a cushion on the 12th-place cutline that they can’t fall out of the Top 12 based on points.

Four drivers will be eliminated after the race, setting the stage for a hectic weekend at a track that requires no extra pressure to be difficult. Qualifying is set for 3:40 p.m. ET after the initial practice at 10 a.m., both to be aired on NBCSN. CNBC will carry Saturday’s practice sessions. Finally, the Apache Warrior 400 will go green shortly after 2 p.m. ET Sunday and will air on NBCSN.

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Just 66 laps into the AAA 400 Drive for Autism at Dover International Speedway, Brad was running fourth in search of his eighth Top 5 finish of the year. But when Kurt Busch went for a spin on a restart, he collected the No. 2 Wurth Ford Fusion and sent it into the wall. The damage was critical and the day was over for the 2 Crew.

“It really stinks to DNF (Did Not Finish) two weeks in a row, but to make it worse I think we had cars capable of competing for the win both weeks,” BK said. “It’s unfortunate that we haven’t been able to show the speed in our Ford Fusions.”

Brad showed the strength of the Wurth Ford, posting the sixth-quickest mark in the opening practice of the weekend and earning a Top 10 starting position for the ninth time in his career at The Monster Mile. After qualifying eighth, BK went to work on the short runs early in the race.

He moved from eighth to sixth before the race’s first caution at lap 18. Strategies varied on the opening stop as Brad exited pit road eighth. He gained another position after a miscue by Kyle Busch’s pit crew caused him to lose a wheel and pit a second time, and he again swiped two spots from seventh to eighth on the restart.

Another caution flag flew at lap 48 after a tire issue for Ricky Stenhouse Jr. That first Stenhouse incident allowed BK to grab another spot up to fourth, but a second wreck by the recent Talladega winner set the stage for the wreck that ended the 2 Crew’s afternoon.

On the lap 67 restart, Kurt Busch got loose underneath Kyle Larson while battling for the lead entering Turn 1. His No. 41 Ford slid from the inside line and tagged the No. 2 Wurth Ford, running fourth on the outside, sending Kes hard into the wall in Turn 2. Busch rejoined the race after repairs but soon spun out again, finishing 37th.

“One of them racing deals,” BK said of the wreck. “These cars rely so much on aerodynamics. We saw that early with guys being able to stay out on two tires even with a lot of tire wear. I don’t know if it was Kurt’s fault, just one of them racing deals. We line-up double-file and somebody got loose and just took us out. What a bummer. Just one of them racing deals.”

Jimmie Johnson went on to claim an overtime victory, his 11th career win at Dover.

Last week, Kes held on to third place in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series standings, but he couldn’t survive a second consecutive week of bad luck, falling to seventh. However, he still left The Monster Mile proud of the machine his team brought and confident for the coming weeks.

“The most important thing, though, is that we indeed have speed,” Brad said. “The Wurth Ford was really good on restarts today and we were able to make some good moves to work our way into the top five. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t meant to be today.”

The Cup Series now heads to Pocono Raceway for the Pocono 400. Kes has one win and seven Top 10 finishes for his career at The Tricky Triangle. Green flag is set for shortly after 3 p.m. ET and will air on FOX Sports 1.

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Keselowski presented NMFA with the check in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage area at Dover International Speedway. The donation will be used to support NMFA’s Operation Purple® Healing Adventure (OPHA) in Parkton, NC later this year. Healing Adventures are three day camp experiences for families of the wounded, ill or injured. The retreats are designed to strengthen and connect families coping with a new “normal,” by providing them the opportunity to reconnect, build new memories, enjoy outdoor activities, and heal together.

Brad and Paige present the check to the National Military Family Foundation.

“The mission of my foundation is to honor and assist those who have sacrificed for our country, specifically military service members and first responders,” Keselowski said. “I give Paige a lot of credit for insisting that we work with organizations that support not only our soldiers, but their families as well. She recognized what the NMFA does to help wounded soldiers and their families prepare for the challenges faced during recovery, and as a result, we are honored to support this Operation Purple Healing Adventure.”

NMFA has served tens of thousands of families through its Operation Purple program, which includes Healing Adventures, Family Retreats and Camps for kids. They’ve awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to military spouses and lead the charge when it comes to understanding the often overlooked sacrifice made by military families.

“Multiple deployments and constant relocations create stress on families—and a life-changing injury can be devastating,” said NMFA Executive Director Joyce Raezer. “Thank you to The Brad Keselowski Checkered Flag Foundation and Brad and Paige Keselowski. Their commitment to helping our nation’s families will make a huge difference to these families who have given so much.”

About the National Military Family Association

The National Military Association is the leading nonprofit dedicated to serving the families who stand behind the uniform. Since 1969, NMFA has worked to strengthen and protect millions of families through its advocacy and programs. They provide spouse scholarships, camps for military kids and retreats for families for reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill or injured. NMFA serves the families of the currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA. To get involved or to learn more, visit www.MilitaryFamily.org.

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.

The post CFF Provides Support to NMFA appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

Keselowski presented NMFA with the check in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series garage area at Dover International Speedway. The donation will be used to support NMFA’s Operation Purple® Healing Adventure (OPHA) in Parkton, NC later this year. Healing Adventures are three day camp experiences for families of the wounded, ill or injured. The retreats are designed to strengthen and connect families coping with a new “normal,” by providing them the opportunity to reconnect, build new memories, enjoy outdoor activities, and heal together.

Brad and Paige present the check to the National Military Family Foundation.

“The mission of my foundation is to honor and assist those who have sacrificed for our country, specifically military service members and first responders,” Keselowski said. “I give Paige a lot of credit for insisting that we work with organizations that support not only our soldiers, but their families as well. She recognized what the NMFA does to help wounded soldiers and their families prepare for the challenges faced during recovery, and as a result, we are honored to support this Operation Purple Healing Adventure.”

NMFA has served tens of thousands of families through its Operation Purple program, which includes Healing Adventures, Family Retreats and Camps for kids. They’ve awarded more than $3 million in scholarships to military spouses and lead the charge when it comes to understanding the often overlooked sacrifice made by military families.

“Multiple deployments and constant relocations create stress on families—and a life-changing injury can be devastating,” said NMFA Executive Director Joyce Raezer. “Thank you to The Brad Keselowski Checkered Flag Foundation and Brad and Paige Keselowski. Their commitment to helping our nation’s families will make a huge difference to these families who have given so much.”

About the National Military Family Association

The National Military Association is the leading nonprofit dedicated to serving the families who stand behind the uniform. Since 1969, NMFA has worked to strengthen and protect millions of families through its advocacy and programs. They provide spouse scholarships, camps for military kids and retreats for families for reconnecting after deployment and for the families of the wounded, ill or injured. NMFA serves the families of the currently serving, retired, wounded or fallen members of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and Commissioned Corps of the USPHS and NOAA. To get involved or to learn more, visit www.MilitaryFamily.org.

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.

The post CFF Provides Support to NMFA appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

“Dover is an incredible challenge,” he says. “You literally drive into the corner and you fall down two stories, while going about 160mph, and your stomach just drops. Your right foot has to stay in the gas pedal, and that challenge to do that every lap for three hours is very tough.”

At first, the 1-mile concrete circuit was even too much for BK to overcome. His first Dover Sprint Cup start was slated for spring 2009, and he seemed like a sure lock in the field driving Rick Hendrick’s fifth car, the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. However, qualifying didn’t go how Brad hoped, and he was left on the outside looking in on Sunday. However, the next day in a Green-White-Checkered XFINITY race finish, roles reversed as contact from the leaders parted the way for Brad to slip right on through. Holding off then-Joe Gibbs Racing driver Joey Logano for two laps wasn’t easy, but BK managed to claim his first series win of the year

“I have to thank everyone at GoDaddy.com, because I missed the show yesterday. I just flat out missed it. I felt terrible yesterday,” BK said after his NXS win at Dover. “I felt terrible for them, so I got to put them in Victory Lane, I hope they’re happy about that.”

And just three years later, Keselowski’s fuel stretching excellence led to his only Cup level triumph at the Monster Mile in 2012, similar to his Kansas win just a year prior. While the win wasn’t stolen from the competition like Kansas was, Brad ran well inside of the Top 5 for a majority of the race, but only led 14 laps in the process: the last 14.

“We ran up front all day. We might not have been in the lead, we hung around that Top 5 and kept creeping around,” BK said. “When you do that, you put yourself in position for great things to happen.”

Both 2014 Sprint Cup events saw BK wind up as the runner-up, but the spring race became the pedestal for him to set the track qualifying record. Laying down a blazing lap of 21.892 seconds at 164.44 mph, his record has stood since then, and with the 2017 aero configuration, it’s likely to remain.

Piloting the Wurth Fusion for the second time this season, the red and white scheme will be fitted with an Autism Awareness puzzle piece on the C-pillar in recognition of Autism Delaware. After being collected in an early wreck in the Coca-Cola 600, Kes is looking for redemption at The Monster Mile. See if he can pull it off on Sunday, June 4 at 1 p.m. ET, live on FOX Sports 1.

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Brad started on the pole and spent the entire afternoon in the Top 10 before striking late to finish fourth. He now leads the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series with 15 Top 5 finishes on the season. His sixth consecutive Top 10 finish was enough to send him through the Round of 16 with a 51-point cushion on 13th place.

“We just had a smooth, top-five to maybe seventh or eighth-place day – nothing really flashy,” Brad said. “The Miller Lite Ford was really consistent with great pit stops and execution, so kind of a fun day.  It wasn’t as fun as if you led every lap and won the race, but fun to get out there and compete and race real hard and be in a spot to move forward to the next round.”

Coors Light Pole qualifying was washed out, and the field was set on points. Sitting at No. 1 on the board, Kes claimed the pole and paced the field for the first five laps before Martin Truex Jr. sailed by to claim the lead. While his Miller Lite Ford Fusion had some pace to it, the potent Toyota drivers flexed their muscles early as Kyle Busch passed on lap 12.

On lap 25, Kevin Harvick quickly closed on Brad, as he waved the No. 4 along, just eight laps before the 2014 Champion suffered from a blown tire, bringing out the first yellow of the day. Deemed as the competition caution, crew chief Paul Wolfe called his driver to the pits to replace the four Goodyear Eagles and to fill the tank with Sunoco racing fuel. The 2 Crew’s trend of excellent pit work continued as they gained a spot, setting BK up for a P2 restart on lap 40.

Dropping a spot to Truex on the restart, and another to Matt Kenseth two laps later, Brad settled in the fourth position for 20 laps. Six-time champion Jimmie Johnson passed Kes on lap 62, teammate Joey Logano passed on lap 75, and Denny Hamlin followed through, putting the Deuce seventh on the board as Brad drove conservatively around The Monster Mile.

The second caution of the afternoon came on lap 104 when the Team Penske affiliated Ryan Blaney blew a tire and made hard contact with the outside wall. Pitting once again for a fresh set of rubber and fuel, the pit crew’s fast work picked up another position. Taking the green flag on the 111th lap, Brad gave the spot back to Denny Hamlin. Three laps later, Chase Elliott passed the No. 2, before trading the rank back on lap 159. Brad had settled back into eighth when the third yellow flag of the day flew on lap 181 for Chase hopeful Kyle Larson’s blown tire flew.

Pitting again for four tires and fuel, the 2 Crew gained another two positions, setting their driver up for a lap 190 P6 restart. Instantly passing Logano and Hamlin, Brad jumped up to fourth. Three circuits after going green, it transitioned back to yellow as Jamie McMurray’s motor expired on the frontstretch, ending the championship hopes for both Chip Ganassi Racing drivers.

After restarting from on lap 199 from fourth, the No. 2 passed Kyle Busch for third, just to trade the spot back 10 laps later. Radioing in that his car is slightly on the loose side, he made a scheduled green-flag stop on lap 279 for sticker tires and fuel. When the cycle completed, Brad found himself up a position as race leader Jimmie Johnson encountered his second pit road violation in this round of the Chase.

Kes visited pit road for the final time on lap 365 under green, where Wolfe put another set of new Eagles on the car, while giving enough fuel to make the distance. Cycling out P4 behind Chase Elliott, the Michigan native ended his day there.

“We had a decent day. We wanted to be just a little bit faster, but we’re just kind of gnawing away with these top-fives here these first three races, which is good,” he said.

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The No. 29 Cooper Standard Ford F-150 driver pushed his truck all the way to Victory Lane, and Daniel Hemric wasn’t far behind, bringing his No. 19 Blue Gate Bank Ford home in second for Brad Keselowski racing’s first one-two finish.

“All the guys on the Cooper Standard team did a heck of a job all weekend long,” he said. “I really enjoy coming out to Las Vegas and I really enjoy the atmosphere. In the past, it wasn’t one of my favorite racetracks, but our Cooper Standard Ford F-150 was great.”

The 2015 Camping World Truck Series runner-up missed the inaugural field of their Chase this season, but didn’t let it take away from his shot to put his No. 29 F-150 in the winner’s circle.

Starting the race from P16, Reddick had his work cut out to move to the front. Following the completion of the first lap, he advanced inside the Top 10, and by lap 12, made it inside of the Top 5. On the 33rd lap, the California Kid drove past leader Ben Kennedy to claim the top spot. His ability to slice through the field under green was more impressive than anything, as the first caution flew on lap 39 when the timer ended.

Pitting under yellow under the direction of veteran crew chief Doug Randolph, the Cooper Standard crew changed all four Goodyear tires and filled the tank with Sunoco racing fuel. Once racing resumed, he reclaimed the lead from Kennedy, and swapped the top spot with Hemric before driving away from the field on lap 102.

“We were able to get up there and run up front pretty much all day long,” Reddick said. “We didn’t qualify like I thought we were going to. The wind was moving around quite a bit this afternoon and it was just kind of gusting the wrong way for us. Qualifying kind of put us back there but, honestly, it wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. We had an idea early on when we were around other trucks of what we had. We were able to drive our way to the front there early on while some people, I think, were still fighting some balance changes as the track cooled down. We were spot-on from the drop of the green to the end of the race.”

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