Brad Keselowski

Bradley Keselowski
Bradley Keselowski
Born	February 12, 1984 (age 40); Rochester Hills, Michigan
Awards	2008–2010 Nationwide Series Most Popular Driver ; 2010 NASCAR Nationwide Series Champion
NASCAR Cup Series career
Car no., team	2 – Penske Racing
2010 position	25th
Best finish	25th – 2010
First race	2008 Dickies 500 (Texas)
First win	2009 Aaron's 499 (Talladega)
Last win	2011 STP 400 (Kansas)
NASCAR Xfinity Series career
Car no., team	22 – Penske Racing
2010 position	1st
Best finish	1st – 2010
First race	2006 Ameriquest 300 (California)
First win	2008 Federated Auto Parts 300 Presented by Dollar General (Nashville)
Last win	2010 5-Hour Energy 250 (Gateway)
NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series career
Truck no., team	#29 - Brad Keselowski Racing
2010 position	50th
Best finish	21st – 2005
First race	2004 Kroger 250 (Martinsville)
	Statistics current as of June 5, 2011.

Bradley "Brad" Keselowski (born February 12, 1984) (most recently called BKII) is an American auto racing driver currently competing in the #2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger in the Sprint Cup Series and the #22 Discount Tire Company/Ruby Tuesday Dodge Challenger in the Nationwide Series for Penske Racing. He was previously a driver for JR Motorsports from 2007 to 2009 in the Nationwide Series and for Phoenix Racing and Hendrick Motorsports in the Sprint Cup Series. He won his first championship in the 2010 Nationwide Series, the first Championship for both Brad and Penske Racing.

He is the son of Bob Keselowski and the nephew of Ron Keselowski. His older brother Brian competes part-time in the ARCA RE/MAX Series, the Nationwide Series, and the Sprint Cup Series.

NASCAR career

Keselowski began his NASCAR career in the 2004 Craftsman Truck Series season, as the driver of the #29 for his family-owned K Automotive Racing team. He made his debut at Martinsville Speedway, where he started 26th and finished 33rd. He made seven more starts that season, his best finish coming at Mansfield, where he finished 16th.

In 2005, Keselowski began competing in the Truck Series full-time with backing from SUBcrews.com and Samson Stone. He opened the season with a career-best seventh-place finish at the Florida Dodge Dealers 250. Running every race that season, he finished 21st in points. He ran the first two races of 2006 for K-Automotive, finishing sixteenth at California Speedway, before a lack of sponsorship caused the team to temporarily suspend operations. Keselowski then drove a pair of races filling in for the injured Kelly Sutton, where he had a seventh-place start at Memphis Motorsports Park. He returned to the Trucks in August, where he finished 33rd at Bristol Motor Speedway driving the #63 for MB Motorsports.

In 2007, Keselowski began running in the NASCAR Busch series full time and for Rookie of the Year honors with Keith Coleman Racing, but the team suspended operations in July. During the 2007 racing season, Keselowski was tabbed by Germain Racing to replace Ted Musgrave at Memphis Motorsports Park after Musgrave was suspended for an in race scuffle with another driver in Milwaukee. He qualified first for the Saturday night race, and led a majority of the race, but got bumped by Travis Kvapil with about nine laps to go. Keselowski finished 16th. Shortly afterwards, he was called by car owner Dale Earnhardt, Jr to drive his #88 United States Navy Chevrolet for JR Motorsports for the rest of the year in the Busch Series, posting five top-ten finishes.

Keselowski re-signed with JR in 2008, and got his first win came June 7, 2008 at Nashville Superspeedway, overcoming Clint Bowyer after the final caution in the closing laps of the race. His second Nationwide career win came in the same fashion at Bristol Motor Speedway on August 22, 2008. He ended the season third in the points standings, the highest finish by a full-time Nationwide Series-only driver. Late in the season, Keselowski was hired to drive the #25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for two races with Hendrick Motorsports.^{[citation needed]} Keselowski was on stand-by for an ill Jeff Gordon in Kansas and for expectant father Casey Mears at Talladega that season as well. Keselowski made his Cup series debut at Texas after failing to qualify once due to a rainout. He finished the Dickies 500 in 19th position, and 23rd in the season finale at Homestead Miami Speedway.

Keselowski continued driving the 88 for JR in 2009 as well as competing in a limited Cup schedule. He will drive the #25 in seven races, and is scheduled to drive the #09 Phoenix Racing in ten races. He won the Aarons 499 in just his fifth career Cup start.

Keselowski pulled off an upset and earned his first Sprint Cup win during the 2009 Aaron's 499 at Talladega. In the pass through the tri-oval, Brad went high to try and fake Carl Edwards out. When Edwards went high to block, Brad went low to pass. Edwards went to block. However, Keselowski made contact with Edwards left rear quarterpanel, making him lose control of his car in a crash that sent Edwards back into the path of Ryan Newman. Edwards' car bounced off of Ryan Newman's hood and then up into the catch fence, injuring seven fans. Brad Keselowski did not go down below the yellow line due to the circumstances at the race last year involving Regan Smith and the yellow line (Smith passed Tony Stewart below the yellow line to finish first, but lost the win, even when there was controversey over whether he was forced to move below the yellow line). Keselowski won in his fifth career start (third start in 2009) and led his first career Sprint Cup lap, Lap 188 (in fact the only lap he led the entire race). It was the first time since May 2007 a driver had won his first career win in a major, and the first win in the Aaron's 499 by a first-time driver since Phil Parsons in 1988. It was also the first time a driver's first ever lap led was to win the race.

It appears that his win in Talladega has earned him more seat time in the James Finch-owned Chevy. Originally scheduled to appear next in the 18th race of the season, at Daytona International Speedway, is now scheduled to appear in the upcoming race at Richmond International Raceway. Keselowski will now race the Sprint All-Star Race as well.^{[citation needed]} He was forced to pull out of the Richmond race due to commitments to his Nationwide series team.

Keselowski got his third Nationwide victory at Dover. Kyle Busch cut a tire on the restart, second-place Joey Logano rammed Busch and Keselowski passed them both.

After taking a gamble and staying out past his "pit-window," Keselowski garnered his fourth win at the first ever Nationwide race at Iowa Speedway after battling Kyle Busch to take over and maintain first position. Keselowski finishing first over Kyle Busch made Busch tie his record of nine consecutive top 2 finishes.

Brian Vickers and Kyle Busch dominated Michigan, but Keselowski came on top when momentum broke between the two, allowing Keselowski to pick up a victory in his home state.

In 2010, Keselowski joined Penske Racing in the NNS (NASCAR Nationwide Series) and NSCS (NASCAR Sprint Cup Series). Keselowski scored his first win in the NNS in 2010 at Talladega on April 25 and then went on to win five more races at Richmond, Nashville, Michigan, Charlotte, and Gateway. He also collected five poles, 26 top 5s, and 29 top 10s. With the 26 top 5s, he beaten Kyle Busch's record with 25 top 5s. With crew chief Paul Wolfe, Keselowski won his first ever NASCAR Nationwide Series title. But in the NSCS it was a different story. Keselowski finished 25th in the final Sprint Cup standings and recorded one pole, zero wins, 0 top 5s, and 2 top 10s.

In 2011, Keselowski will drive the #2 Miller Lite Dodge. Keselowski's current #12 Dodge team will become the #2 Miller Lite Dodge team. Kurt Busch and the current #2 team will become the #22 Shell Penzoil Dodge for 2011. Shell as a stipulation of sponsorship wanted Kurt Busch as their driver feeling that he is more established then Brad Keselowski. Paul Wolfe will replace Jay Guy as crew chief of Brad Keselowski's #2 Miller Lite Dodge. Todd Gordon will be Keselowski's crew chief in the NASCAR Nationwide Series. He won the pole for the 2011 Coca Cola 600, and the following week, he was able to get the lead with 9 laps to go and hold off a charging Dale Earnhardt, Jr. to win the 2011 STP 400 at Kansas Motor Speedway. During his victory celebration, he ran out of fuel.

Controversy

In the 2009 AMP Energy 500, Brad was pushed into future teammate Kurt Busch by Brian Vickers on the last lap causing Mark Martin to flip over.

In the Phoenix Nationwide race, he spun Denny Hamlin in response to Hamlin making hard contact with Keselowski the previous lap.

A week later, Hamlin returned the favor by spinning Keselowski at Homestead in the Nationwide race. Keselowski was able to keep his car off of the wall and continue with the aid of an extra set of tires granted by NASCAR due to the incident being not of Keselowski's own doing.

Keselowski left JR Motorsports and Phoenix Racing after the 2009 season to drive full time for the #12 Dodge for Penske Racing in 2010.

At the 2010 Kobalt Tools 500 in Atlanta, Brad Keselowski and Carl Edwards were involved in an incident on lap 40 when Edwards tried to force his way in front of Keselowski, taking himself out of the race after hitting the wall. After leaving the infield care center, Edwards stating that "I tried to take something there, but Brad wouldn't give it [the position] to me".

Edwards' crew repaired the car and with four laps to go, and being 150 laps down, Edwards tried to turn Keselowski [who was running 6th at the time] into the outside wall at 190 mph. Failing at his first attempt to wreck Brad for not giving him the spot, Edwards tried again and succeeded in sending Keselowski's car airborne.

When the car landed on its roof. Edwards was parked for the last few laps. There was much debate, especially in regards to NASCAR's new policy of "Boys, Have at It," as to what, if any penalties Edwards should have received. He ended up being put on probation for 3 races. In July, the feud returned when in the last lap of the Nationwide race at Gateway, Keselowski bumped Edwards in turn 1 and got him loose but Edwards was able to save it and maintain speed. The 2 drivers entered turn 3, they raced cleanly side by side and Brad took the lead coming out of turn 4. Edwards turned hard left and hooked Keselowski into the outside wall as pay back for the contact in turn one so he could win the race and Brad could not "steal" it from him.

With the car completely out of control after the spin and impact, Keselowski slid into the inside wall where his car was struck by 2 other competitors at over 130 mph, completing obliterating the back and front of the car. Edwards won the race. Edwards was again put on probation, received a $25,000 fine, and in an attempt by NASCAR to 'put things back to where they were before the race, they docked Edwards 60 Nationwide points. In what some believe was a move designed to prohibit Keselowski from retaliating against Edwards during a Cup race, where Edwards holds out hope of making the chase, NASCAR also placed Keselowski on probation. When given the opportunity to clearly state that Keselowski was put on probation for making contact in turn one, and not to protect Edwards' Cup hopes, NASCAR failed to do so.

This year with problems between Brad and Carl Edwards, Brad's father Bob said in an interview that he will "put his driving suit back on and take care of this." He also said during the interview that "Carl isn't going to kill my boy". Some teams have offered him a chance to drive but he must compete in three truck races to get his Nationwide license.

For the 2011 Daytona 500, Brad will have written on his bumper: "Have at it, Brad!" which also is similar to NASCARs remark of "Boys, have at it".

Most controversy has been put of the hands of three separate drivers, Denny Hamlin, Kyle Busch, and Carl Edwards, and earning Keselowski the new nickname of "Crashlowski".

Complete Sprint Cup Series results

Note:This list does not include exhibition races. (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position)

Year	Team	No.	Sponsors	Make	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	31	32	33	34	35	36	NSCC	Points
2008	Hendrick Motorsports	25	GoDaddy.com	Chevrolet	DAY	CAL	LSV	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX	PHO	TAL	RIC	DAR	LOW	DOV	POC	MIC	INF	NHA	DY2	CHI	IND	PO2	GLN	MI2	BR2	CA2	RI2	NH2	DV2	KAN	TL2	LO2 DNQ	MA2	AT2	TX2 19	PH2	HOM 23	57th	200
2009	HMS / PhR / PR	25 / 09 / 12	GoDaddy.com / Miccosukee / Penske	Chevrolet / Dodge	DAY DNQ	CAL	LSV 38	ATL	BRI	MAR	TEX 23	PHO	TAL 1	RIC	DAR 7	LOW	DOV	POC	MIC	INF	NHA 6	DY2 24	CHI 32	IND	PO2	GLN	MI2 24	BR2	AT2	RI2 38	NH2	DV2	KAN 13	CA2	LO2 12	MA2	TL2 8	TX2 35	PH2 37	HOM 25	38th	1528
2010	Penske Racing	12	Penske Racing/Verizon Wireless	Dodge	DAY 36	CAL 21	LSV 26	ATL 36	BRI 13	MAR 12	PHO 16	TEX 14	TAL 34	RIC 14	DAR 12	DOV 18	CHA 20	POC 21	MIC 27	INF 35	NHA 26	DY2 30	CHI 18	IND 19	PO2 20	GLN 20	MI2 34	BR2 19	AT2 25	RI2 15	NH2 18	DV2 22	KAN 23	CA2 26	CH2 27	MA2 10	TL2 10	TX2 33	PH2 42	HOM 13	25th	'3485
2011	Penske Racing	2	Miller Lite	Dodge	DAY 29	PHO 15	LSV 26	BRI 18	CAL 26	MAR 19	TEX 18	TAL 33	RIC 26	DAR	DOV	CHA	KAN 1	POC	MIC	INF	DY2	KEN	NHA	IND	PO2	GLN	MI2	BR2	ATL	RI2	CHI	NH2	DV2	KA2	CH2	TL2	MA2	TX2	PH2	HOM	27th	171

Brad Keselowski Racing

Keselowski formed his own race team in 2007. The team began competing in the Truck Series in 2008. Brad drove the #29 Chevy himself and earned the team's first Top 10 finish.

In 2011, Brad will have young prospect Parker Kligerman drive his #29 Dodge Ram for 8 races.