Brad Keselowski, driver of the #22 Penske Racing Dodge, clinched the NASCAR Nationwide Series title on Saturday, November 6th at Texas Motor Speedway in Ft. Worth. After finishing third in the O’Reilly Auto Parts Challenge, Keselowski has a 465-point lead on second-place driver Carl Edwards.
Keselowski, who also drives full-time in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series for Penske Racing, won’t officially become champion until after the November 20th race at Homestead-Miami (FL) Speedway. If he earns two more top five finishes in the last two races of the 2010 season, he will set a record for top fives in a single season in the Nationwide Series.
First Championship for Keselowski and Penske
This was Keselowski’s first NASCAR championship; it was also the first NASCAR championship for team owner Roger Penske. Penske, most notably a championship car owner in open-wheel racing’s IndyCar series, has been fielding cars in NASCAR for nearly 40 years; he has won 15 Indianapolis 500 titles in that same time span.
Keselowski Started in the Truck Series
Keselowski got his start in NASCAR in 2004 in the Truck Series, then sponsored by Craftsman. His family-owned team ran the full season in 2005, finishing 21st in points; the team suspended operations early in 2006 due to lack of sponsorship. He continued racing periodically in the Truck Series for the rest of 2006 as a fill-in driver, and in 2007 moved up to the Nationwide Series, ending the season with Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s JR Motorsports.
Keselowski raced a limited schedule in the Sprint Cup Series in 2009, pulling off an upset victory at Talladega (AL) Superspeedway in his fifth ever Cup Series start. On the last lap of the race, Keselowski and Carl Edwards got together, sending Edwards airborne after he got into fellow competitor Ryan Newman. Edwards’ car got into the frontstretch catch fence and debris injured many people in the grandstands.
Keselowski drives the #12 Penske Racing Dodge sponsored by Verizon Wireless in the Sprint Cup Series this year. In 2011, Keselowski will drive the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, currently driven by Kurt Busch; Busch will be moving to the #22 Shell Dodge for Penske Racing.
Racing is a Family Business for Keselowski
Keselowski is a second-generation racer: his father Bob competed in the Truck Series and in the ARCA Racing Series, and uncle Ron competed in the Cup Series in the early 1970s. His brother Brian competes in the Nationwide Series for the family’s team, K Automotive Racing.
Paula Thompson - Paula is a freelance writer who has been published on Yahoo! Sports, Associated Content, and Examiner.com among other sites. Her passion ...
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