The Black and Yellow Deuce didn’t have elite burst, but Paul Wolfe and Co. were flawless in the pits while BK executed on the track, and together, they strategized their way to a fifth-place finish in the Overton’s 400, allowing the 2 Crew to once again crack the Top 5 in the MENCS standings.

“A strategy day for sure,” BK said, reflecting on the race. “Our Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion was okay, decent speed. I thought we had the best strategy out there, we just needed a little bit more speed.”

The Sunday morning qualifying session sent Brad off from 11th position when the Overton’s 400 went green and it didn’t take long from there for strategy to come into play. The 2 Crew has found its share of success in the past on The Tricky Triangle, a unique 2.5-mile triangular track, by strategizing in ways to put them off sequence with opponents and Wolfe made it clear that would be the plan from the start. The 2 crew chief called Brad in for a green-flag stop at lap 15 to get the Deuce moving in the right direction.

As a result of the call, Brad cycled out near the front of the field and finished Stage 1 in the fourth position, earning seven points. Brain power nearly earned the No. 2 Ford team a Stage win thanks to a fuel-only pit call by Wolfe after an early caution in Stage 2. However, an untimely yellow flag late in the stage forced BK and Co. to settle for second-place at the end of the stage, and a cool nine points.

The beginning of the third stage saw the Alliance Truck Parts machine show its best short-run speed of the day. After restarting 11th, Brad used four fresh tires and a full tank of fuel to power his way back into the Top 5 in just one lap.

The green flag remained out for the entire third stage, just when Brad and Co. were hoping for one final stroke of strategic luck. Kes stayed out as long as possible before making his final pit stop under green, but that crucial caution never came. Fortunately, Brad fought his way back into the Top 5 by the time the checkered flag flew.

Kes recorded his third straight Top 10 finish and his 11th Top 5 finish this year, putting him on pace for a career-best number of finishes in the lead quintet. He leads all Cup Series drivers with 11 Top 5s and 14 Top 10s on the season. He also has now logged five consecutive Top 5 finishes at Pocono Raceway.

Brad spoke after the race about the strength of the Toyotas relative to Fords, admitting that he and his team have work to do with just six races remaining until the playoffs. Kyle Busch picked up his first win of the season as one of six Toyota drivers in the top nine finishers. Three Ford drivers—Kevin Harvick (P2), Brad (P5) and Clint Bowyer (P6)—were the only ones to break up the Toyota party up front.

As the engineers look to make up ground in the shop, Brad will continue to fight for playoff points. He’s currently in a three-way tie for third with Busch and Kyle Larson with 13 playoff points.

Additionally, positions in the final Cup standings will pay off in a big way. The 2 Crew had a great day in that regard, earning 48 points—second only to Busch’s 50—to vault to fifth, which would equate to six playoff points if the season ended today.

However, there are still six more chances for BK and Co. to gain ground and points going into the postseason. The next challenge is the second and final road course on the Cup Series schedule, Watkins Glen International. Brad has made a name as one of the Cup Series’ drivers on the upstate New York road course. He boasts five finishes of seventh or better in seven starts at WGI. He’s also fresh off a third-place finish earlier this season at the series’s other road course, Sonoma Raceway—his best finish ever at the track.

The I LOVE NEW YORK 355 at The Glen is set for a 3 p.m. ET start, Sunday, Aug. 6 on NBC Sports Network.

The post Strategy Earns BK Series-High 11th Top 5 Finish appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

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.

The post 2 Crew Ready for Round 2 at Pocono appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

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The No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion team had a shot at the win late in Sunday’s Monster Energy Cup Series Pocono 400 at The Tricky Triangle. And although they had to settle for a Top 5 finish, it was a welcome outcome after bad luck sent BK home early, wrecked out in consecutive weeks. But it was BK’s protégé Ryan Blaney who scored the Cup win at Pocono, the first victory of his career.

Afterward, who was interviewed by Blaney in Victory Lane on Saturday after his XFINITY Series win, returned the favor, taking Jamie Little’s microphone and headset to interview Blaney after his win.

And seeing Blaney succeed made his own fifth place sit a little better for Brad.

“Congrats to Ryan Blaney and the entire Wood Brothers team. That is one of the iconic teams in NASCAR and to see the mesh of an old school team with a new, young driver like Ryan Blaney is really cool to see,” Brad said. “Ryan has been a part of this sport for a long time, along with his family and they deserve it. It was awesome to interview him in Victory Lane. He’s got a real positive future in front of him.”

It wasn’t a bad day for the No. 2 Crew either. Due to circumstances beyond his or their control, Brad hadn’t run a full MENCS race in nearly a month—a second-place finish on May 13 in Kansas. The All-Star Race followed, and he was caught up and wrecked thanks to other competitors’ issues in each of the last two weeks at Charlotte and Dover.

After finishing 39th and 38th, running just 85 of the last 806 Cup races, the Miller 2 Crew headed to Pocono looking to rebound and earned a sixth-place start at The Tricky Triangle.

BK then used his fast Ford to claim second place on the opening run.

Strategies varied greatly across the field, and Paul Wolfe’s plan kept Brad in contention all day, resulting in a much-needed strong points day. Kes was third and seventh in the first two stages as part of a 44-point day that vaulted him from seventh to fifth in the Cup standings.

And although he started Stage 3 outside of the Top 20, he charged his way to the front, claiming the lead for 11 laps before pitting at lap 140. The day’s fourth and final caution flag then flew while the 2 car was exiting pit road, and when the field reset, Kes was second next to longtime rival Kyle Busch.

Unfortunately, Busch got the best of Brad in this exchange winning the restart. BK settled for a fifth-place finish, but Blaney went on to make the pass of the No. 18 and hold off Kevin Harvick for the win.

“The caution put us in position to get a great finish out of it, which I thought was really good,” Brad said. “We were just off a little bit all day today to run with the best cars. My team called an excellent race and that was good. I just didn’t quite get the launch I needed. I just mistimed it, or didn’t have enough. The Miller Lite Ford was real good and I was real proud of the effort.”

The post Brad and 2 Crew Bounce Back For Top 5 at Pocono appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

Former Brad Keselowski Racing driver Ryan Blaney won the big event on Sunday at Pocono, his first career Cup Series win, in the No. 21 Wood Brothers Racing Motorcraft Ford. And in a little bit of turnabout, Brad found himself in Victory Lane with the young driver.

After his XFINITY Series win Saturday night, Brad was interviewed by Blaney in Victory Lane—and the following day, Kes returned the favor, taking Jamie Little’s microphone and headset to interview his protégé after his first Monster Energy Cup Series win in the Pocono 400.

BK and his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion had their own shot at the win late at The Tricky Triangle, but had to settle for a Top 5 finish, and seeing Blaney succeed made it well worth it to Brad anyway.

“Congrats to Ryan Blaney and the entire Wood Brothers team. That is one of the iconic teams in NASCAR and to see the mesh of an old school team with a new, young driver like Ryan Blaney is really cool to see,” Brad said. “Ryan has been a part of this sport for a long time, along with his family and they deserve it. It was awesome to interview him in Victory Lane. He’s got a real positive future in front of him.”

Blaney drives the No. 21 Ford, the lone Cup Series vehicle for Wood Brothers Racing, which has a technical alliance with Team Penske. Additionally, Blaney is a part of the three-man stable of drivers for Team Penske’s NXS program, alongside Brad and Joey Logano.

The genesis of those partnerships came through BK, who gave Blaney his start as a NASCAR driver in 2012 behind the wheel of one of his Brad Keselowski Racing trucks. The young driver came through with four wins in four years with Team BKR, helping him to vault up the ranks of the elite teams in the Camping World Truck Series. Now 23 years old, and in his second full season in the Cup Series, Blaney spoke after the race about his relationship with Brad and how much it meant to have his mentor in Victory Lane after his first win.

“I wouldn’t be here without Brad, to be honest with you,” Blaney said. “He’s the one that gave me my start in 2012. I started driving his trucks then and it led to the Penske deal, led to the Wood Brothers deal. I would be nothing if it wasn’t for him taking a chance on me. He’s been a huge person I’ve looked up to. For him to do that really, really makes me feel good. It’s really cool to see his support still. He’s a great person.”

It was a similar story with Brad, who was given his first chance by Dale Earnhardt Jr. And just like Kes was for Blaney on Sunday, Dale Jr. was there to congratulate Brad in Victory Lane after his first Cup win at Talladega in 2009.

The post BK Protégé Ryan Blaney Gets First Cup Series Win appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

Brad led a race-high 29 laps in the No. 22 SKF Ford Mustang and crossed first in all three stages to take the checkered flag in Pocono Green 250 on Saturday. The victory marked his first in NASCAR’s second series since November 7, 2015 and was a long time coming for the entire No. 22 crew.

“Hell of a race. Really happy for the 22 team,” Brad said. “It’s been a while. I think it’s been well documented that they haven’t been in victory lane. Discount Tire has been a part of this program for a long time. They deserve it. Without them, I probably wouldn’t have a career in NASCAR. They’re on the car today…SKF…proud of them guys. It’s good for Ford and everybody. It feels good for me, the team. They deserve it.”

Brad had made six trips to Victory Lane in the Cup series since his last NXS win, but he ended the drought in convincing fashion. Starting from eight position, it took just 22 laps for the No. 22 to take the top spot and swipe the Stage 1 win after 25 laps of competition. The SKF Ford was outstanding and required no adjustments from crew chief Greg Erwin throughout the day.

Kes went on to grab the lead back seven laps into the second stage and held on for another stage win.

While Erwin didn’t utilize any adjustments, he used some interesting strategy to help Brad grab his 35th NXS win and his 59th across NASCAR’s three series. Erwin kept Brad out on track to start the third series and brought him in under green at lap 64. The move paid off, as a yellow flag at lap 79 allowed BK to claim second place—and an opportunity for victory.

It didn’t come easily, though, as Brad was incidentally pushed out of the groove and back to 13th with 15 laps to go. But just when it looked like another NXS win would escape the 2010 series champion, he persevered and charged his way to the front, passing Kyle Larson for the win on the final lap—the first win in 46 races for the No. 22 team.

The post Brad Ends 22 Team’s NXS Drought With W appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

Great video from @keselowski's Huntsman Shootout to benefit @FisherHouseFdtn. Thanks to @joeylogano @Blaney @CoachJim4UM for joining us! pic.twitter.com/NdkpIX9sGb

— Checkered Flag Fdn (@BKCFF) June 16, 2017

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. The Ann Arbor facility will benefit families of veterans that are in the care of the local VA hospital near the University of Michigan campus.

“What a phenomenal day we had at The Huntsman Shootout to benefit the building of a Fisher House in Ann Arbor,” Keselowski said. “When the Checkered Flag Foundation (CFF) began looking for a new partner to continue to benefit our nation’s veterans we were lucky to have been led to the great people at the Fisher House Foundation. They put .93 cents of every dollar raised back into the foundation and are rated as an A+ charity. This is the most successful fundraiser conducted by the CFF since its inception in 2010, and knowing that most of the money raised is going directly to the building of the Ann Arbor house is very humbling.”

Over 125 guests took part in several events at the beautiful facility, including sporting clays, skeet shooting, archery, dog demonstrations and off-road driving in Ford F-150 and Ford Raptor trucks. In addition to Keselowski, Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney also competed in the various activities to provide a unique experience. University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was also in attendance to lend his support and rounded out a star-studded day.

Photo by Dana Jo Photography

Unique items and one-of-a-kind experiences were available during the live and silent auctions throughout the day, featuring:

* A helmet signed by all 33 drivers that participated in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016
* VIP trip to the 2018 Masters golf tournament
* Two exclusive ticket packages to University of Michigan football games this fall
* Skydiving experience with Fisher House Foundation board member Mark “Ranger” Jones, an Army Ranger veteran who has over 9,000 jumps and who accompanied former United States President George H.W. Bush on his 90th birthday jump

“While we are still putting the wraps on the first annual Huntsman Shootout, we are already looking at ways to make it even better in 2018,” Keselowski said. “We want this event to be something not to be missed by anyone who supports our nation’s military. Freedom is not free and there is a lot of work to be done to take care of those that sacrifice so much for us.”

ABOUT FISHER HOUSE

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veterans’ families an estimated $320 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.

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 CFF Hosts Successful Fisher House Fundraiser appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

The 14th points race of the season takes the Monster Energy Cup Series to an oddly shaped raceway tucked into the Pennsylvania mountains. Known as The Tricky Triangle, Pocono provides a different style of racing that will demand 110 percent from both BK and his No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion.

But the all-out challenge suits BK just fine.

“It is a very unique track – it is almost like a mix of an oval and a road course,” he says. “The track is also uniquely situated geographically. Most race tracks on the Cup circuit are relatively close to a large city.”

The demanding race is a 400-mile venture that will strain the motor, brakes, and transmission. But ever the optimist, Brad looks at some of the things that make Pocono so challenging as positives for his team.

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

That August 2011 victory at Pocono was a triumph on a few levels. It was BK’s third career victory and second behind the wheel of the Deuce, one that all but locked him into his first playoff. Additionally, it was the first race that the Michigan native had won on pure speed.

In a 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.

Though in full health entering this weekend’s Tricky event, Kes will look to repeat that performance. In recent Pennsylvania runs, the No. 2 has all but scored a victory. The last three results for the 2 Crew at Pocono have seen them come up second, third, and second again, a string of success they’d like to cap with a victory on Sunday. And Paul Wolfe & Co. believe they can obtain a win on pure speed or strategy.

Historically, the newly paved tracks don’t mesh well for the 2 Crew, but the wheelman said it didn’t take long for this particular  2.5-mile track to come back into their wheelhouse.

“There has been a handful of tracks, maybe Pocono, Homestead and a few others that I might have left out that have used an aggregate in their asphalt where the track has aged very quickly and has kind of hit a sweet spot to where I think the racing has been phenomenal and the groove has widened out and the track is predictable.”

Needing to best his most recent Pocono finish by one spot to leave with a trophy, we’ll see if that can happen in the Pocono 400 on Sunday, June 11th at 3 p.m. ET, live on FOX Sports 1.

The post BK Looks to Get Back on Track at Tricky Triangle appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

The post Pocono 400 appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.

Great video from @keselowski's Huntsman Shootout to benefit @FisherHouseFdtn. Thanks to @joeylogano @Blaney @CoachJim4UM for joining us! pic.twitter.com/NdkpIX9sGb

— Checkered Flag Fdn (@BKCFF) June 16, 2017

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. The Ann Arbor facility will benefit families of veterans that are in the care of the local VA hospital near the University of Michigan campus.

“What a phenomenal day we had at The Huntsman Shootout to benefit the building of a Fisher House in Ann Arbor,” Keselowski said. “When the Checkered Flag Foundation (CFF) began looking for a new partner to continue to benefit our nation’s veterans we were lucky to have been led to the great people at the Fisher House Foundation. They put .93 cents of every dollar raised back into the foundation and are rated as an A+ charity. This is the most successful fundraiser conducted by the CFF since its inception in 2010, and knowing that most of the money raised is going directly to the building of the Ann Arbor house is very humbling.”

Over 125 guests took part in several events at the beautiful facility, including sporting clays, skeet shooting, archery, dog demonstrations and off-road driving in Ford F-150 and Ford Raptor trucks. In addition to Keselowski, Team Penske drivers Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney also competed in the various activities to provide a unique experience. University of Michigan football coach Jim Harbaugh was also in attendance to lend his support and rounded out a star-studded day.

Photo by Dana Jo Photography

Unique items and one-of-a-kind experiences were available during the live and silent auctions throughout the day, featuring:

* A helmet signed by all 33 drivers that participated in the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 in 2016
* VIP trip to the 2018 Masters golf tournament
* Two exclusive ticket packages to University of Michigan football games this fall
* Skydiving experience with Fisher House Foundation board member Mark “Ranger” Jones, an Army Ranger veteran who has over 9,000 jumps and who accompanied former United States President George H.W. Bush on his 90th birthday jump

“While we are still putting the wraps on the first annual Huntsman Shootout, we are already looking at ways to make it even better in 2018,” Keselowski said. “We want this event to be something not to be missed by anyone who supports our nation’s military. Freedom is not free and there is a lot of work to be done to take care of those that sacrifice so much for us.”

ABOUT FISHER HOUSE

Fisher House Foundation is best known for a network of comfort homes where military and veterans’ families can stay at no cost while a loved one is receiving treatment. These homes are located at major military and VA medical centers nationwide, and in Europe, close to the medical center or hospital it serves. Fisher Houses have up to 21 suites, with private bedrooms and baths. Families share a common kitchen, laundry facilities, a warm dining room and an inviting living room. Fisher House Foundation ensures that there is never a lodging fee. Since inception, the program has saved military and veterans’ families an estimated $320 million in out of pocket costs for lodging and transportation.

Fisher House Foundation also operates the Hero Miles Program, using donated frequent flyer miles to bring family members to the bedside of injured service members as well as the Hotels for Heroes program using donated hotel points to allow family members to stay at hotels near medical centers without charge. The Foundation also manages a grant program that supports other military charities and scholarship funds for military children, spouses and children of fallen and disabled veterans.

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 CFF Hosts Successful Fisher House Fundraiser appeared first on BradRacing.com | The Official Web Site of Brad Keselowski www.bk30beta.www.bk30beta.bradracing.com.