October 23, 2021 | By Lee Spencer

Despite obstacles, Keselowski's drive keeps the No. 2 Penske Ford in the title hunt

Before the elimination race at the Charlotte Roval, Brad Keselowski said it would be a huge accomplishment for Team Penske to qualify all three Cup teams into the Round of 8 of the NASCAR Cup Series Playoff.

His sentiments were understandable. The Penske Fords just simply haven’t had the same level of speed as the Hendrick Chevrolets or the Gibbs Toyotas. 

Through yeoman’s work—or what team owner Roger Penske refers to as “blue-collar days,” the three Penske Cup squads remain in contention. Joe Gibbs Racing is the only other organization with three drivers still vying for the title. 

“We’ve had an ok year but nothing spectacular by any means,” Keselowski said. “We just continue to execute at a really high level. We haven’t shown any race-dominant speed. So to be able to take all three cars to (the Round of 8) is a major accomplishment for us and a testament to the strength of the teams.”

But if there’s a driver who exemplifies that blue-collar work ethic, it would be Keselowski, the third-generation racer who continues to defy the odds. 

Even when his Playoff hopes appeared to be in jeopardy at Charlotte—after spinning off the course twice and sacrificing valuable stage points before finishing 20th—results of seventh at Las Vegas and second at Talladega vaulted Keselowski into the penultimate round of the Playoffs. 

In his 14th season at NASCAR’s top level, Keselowski understands he didn’t progress to this round alone.

“The pit crew has been extraordinary,” Keselowski said. “They have been a huge asset to me this year—very few to no mistakes—just super solid, maybe not the fastest, but always keeping us in contention. I’ve been very proud of that.

“I would say the strategy side has been really strong throughout the Playoffs. We’ve made good calls, good adjustments on the car. I feel like I’ve run some good races, too. With all those pieces coming together, it’s allowed us to excel with the absence of raw, race-dominating speed.”

When the 2012 champion announced he was parting ways with Penske in July, few believed the lame-duck driver would go this deep into the postseason. While favorites such as Kyle Larson and Denny Hamlin built buffers with multiple race and stage wins, the No. 2 team’s sole victory came at Talladega in April. He has two stage wins—the fewest of all the remaining title contenders—and eight playoff points after 33 races. Ultimately, that could be his downfall.

Even after remaining in the top five throughout most of the last Sunday’s race at Texas Motor Speedway and posting a fourth-place finish, Keselowski couldn’t climb out of the bottom four in the Playoff standings. He gained just one point for his effort and remains 15 points behind fourth-place Kyle Busch with two races to determine the Championship round.

“We gained a point but we moved up from eighth to sixth, so that is a nice little win for us and gives us a better pit stall for next week,” Keselowski said. “If we can keep running like that and scoring high 30s or low 40s in points, then I think we will transfer in.”

Keselowski can only hope. His average finish of 8.42 in the postseason is solid. Only Hamlin’s average of 5.14 and Larson’s average of 8.28—bolstered by three wins in his last five starts—are better. The next two races—Kansas and Martinsville—take place at two of Keselowski’s best tracks. He has two wins at each venue and has posted average finishes of 11.3 and 11.2, respectively. In the Jayhawk State, he has finished fourth or better in four of his last five starts. Keselowski’s recent runs at Martinsville include nine top-five results in his last 11 races.

And with the rash of problems that have beset his fellow contenders, whether it’s his own teammate Joey Logano, having an engine failure or Martin Truex Jr., crashing out—as both former champions did last weekend at Texas--Keselowski has been able to capitalize. 

Whether he can make up as much ground as Ryan Blaney did after Hamlin’s late-race tire troubles at Texas to advance to Phoenix remains to be seen. But Keselowski’s blue-collar work ethic is certainly paying dividends when it matters most. 

“We’ve had an ok year but nothing spectacular by any means,” Keselowski said. “We just continue to execute at a really high level. We haven’t shown any race-dominant speed. So to be able to take all three cars to (the Round of 8) is a major accomplishment for us and a testament to the strength of the teams.”