Keselowski cleans competitors' clocks at Martinsville

MARTINSVILLE, Va.— Brad Keselowski collected his second Martinsville clock on Sunday. 

 

The driver of the Team Penske No. 2 Mustang dominated the STP 500, leading twice for a total of 446 laps en route to his second win in five races at the half-mile track. 

 

Keselowski credited his pit crew’s performance enabling him to claim his second win in 2019 and the 29th of his career.  

 

“The car was really good – this Ford Mustang,” Keselowski said. “Ford worked really hard in the off-season to build these cars and make them really strong and so far, so good.  

 

“It’s just a great day for our team, awesome execution on pit road and big credit to Doug Yates (engine builder) and all the engine guys. Those guys work really hard and it’s just one of those days you dream of as a race car driver, where you’ve got a great car.”

 

 

Keselowski held off Chase Elliott at the finish by .594-seconds. Kyle Busch, Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola and Daniel Suarez rounded out the top 10. 

 

Keselowski executed flawlessly and accumulated maximum points by winning the first two stages and the race. Although his teammate Joey Logano started on the pole and led the first five laps, Keselowski came third to the lead on Lap 6 and held the point over the first 260 laps. 

 

Keselowski retained the lead out of the pits for the start of the third stage on Lap 272 with Elliott, Bowyer, Truex, Almirola, Blaney, Kyle Busch, Suarez, Hamlin and Erik Jones in tow. The fifth caution was called on Lap 311 following contact between Ty Dillon and William Byron in Turn 4. When the leaders pitted on Lap 314, Bowyer, who was running third, was busted for the speeding in section 10. He was forced to drop from the longest line and restarted 21st.

 

The No. 2 Reese/Draw Tite Ford led the field back to green followed by Elliott, Kyle Busch, Truex, Blaney, Harvick, Almirola and Logano on Lap 320. Five laps later, Elliott passed Keselowski for the lead on the backstretch. Elliott’s 49 laps led were his first time at the point all season. His lead ended in the pits after Matt Tifft spun in Turn 2 on Lap 373. 

 

Keselowski regained the lead on Lap 374 with Elliott and Busch battling for second when the race returned to green on Lap 380. 

 

“It was really tough,” said Elliott after his first top-five finish of 2019. “Our NAPA Camaro was good. I felt like we were about as even with him as we could be. When I did get the lead, I felt like there was a little advantage to being out front and being able to work traffic your way and play off it and whatnot. 

 

“But, yeah, I tried to move up there at the end and I don’t know if I could have got to him. Maybe if I moved up a little sooner, maybe. But, I tried to get to him there in (Turn) 3, but maybe next time.”

 

Elliott had his shot. When Ross Chastain wrecked in Turn 1 to trigger the seventh and final caution, he exited pit road third—directly behind Keselowski—with 45 laps remaining. Kyle Busch was second at the start and drew close to the No. 2 Ford, but Elliott nudged him out of the way for position entering Turn 1 three laps later.

 

After the leaders cleared traffic, Elliott closed to within .659-seconds with five laps to go but couldn’t track down Keselowski. 

 

“I don’t know if we were as good as the 9, Chase Elliott,” Keselowski said. “He was really strong. He passed me there with about 200 to go and I watched him and studied him and kind of broke it down. I knew what I had to do to hold him off with that fast of a car and we were able to pull it off that last run with the Reese/Draw Tite Ford.”

 

Kyle Busch remains the points leader with a 21-point advantage over Hamlin. Keselowski remains fifth in the point standings and second in Playoff standings behind Busch.