10 steps to a crowning achievement
Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012
AP
Driver Brad Keselowski, second from right, joins team owner Roger Penske, second from left and crew chief Paul Wolf and others celebrating the NASCAR championship tittle trophy at Homestead-Miami Speedway Sunday, Nov. 18, 2012 in Homestead, Fla. (AP Photo/Terry Renna)
Getty Images for NASCAR
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, drives in front of Jimmie Johnson, driver of the #48 Lowe's Chevrolet, during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2012 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Getty Images for NASCAR
HOMESTEAD, FL - NOVEMBER 18: Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, celebrates with a burnout after winning the series championship and finishing in fifteenth place for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 18, 2012 in Homestead, Florida. (Photo by John Harrelson/Getty Images for NASCAR)
Brad Keselowski will officially be crowned the 2012 Sprint Cup Series champion Friday night at the Wynn Las Vegas.
His journey to collecting his trophy and the big check that accompanies was much longer than just the 2012 season. And it was longer than just the three-plus seasons in which Keselowski has competed full time in the Cup series.
In fact, his journey to the top of NASCAR didn’t begin in NASCAR at all. It began with a wrench rather than a steering wheel in his hand and the rest – as they say – is history.
A look at 10 pivotal moments that have shaped Brad Keselowski's career:
No. 10: THE 1998 SEASON – Turning wheels, not wrenches
Having mostly worked for his family’s race team, K Automotive, Keselowski begins his driving career, competing in the Senior Honda 120 Quarter Midget division.
No. 9: APRIL 17, 2004 – The Truck series race, Martinsville
Keselowski makes his first NASCAR start, qualifying 26th and finishing 33rd in the No. 29 Ford owned by his father, Bob.
No. 8: JULY 14, 2007 – Joining JR Motorsports
Keselowski had made the most of the sub-par equipment he'd been using and that drew the attention of Dale Earnhardt Jr., who was looking for a new driver for his Nationwide Series team. Keselowski replaced Shane Huffman.
No. 7: JUNE 7, 2008 – First NASCAR victory
In his first full season with JR Motorsports, Keselowski finds Victory Lane for the first time in Nashville. The win was just the second recorded by JRM.
No. 6: NOV. 2, 2008 – First Cup start
At Texas, Keselowski makes his debut in NASCAR's top series, driving the No. 25 Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. He starts 37th and finishes 19th. Weeks later, he finishes 23rd in his second start in Homestead, Fla.
No. 5: APRIL 25, 2009 – First Cup win
Driving a partial Cup schedule for owner James Finch, Keselowski wins his first race in his fifth series start, at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway. The race ends with Keselowski in Victory Lane, Carl Edwards’ car in the fence and Ryan Newman with yet another wrecked superspeedway car.
No. 4: SEPT. 1, 2009 – The move to Penske
With no Cup ride available at Hendrick, Keselowski signs with Penske Racing to run full Cup and Nationwide schedules beginning in 2010.
No. 4: NOV. 6, 2010 – A Nationwide title
Keselowski finishes third at Texas and clinches the 2010 Nationwide Series championship with two races left in the season. It’s the first NASCAR title for Keselowski and for Penske.
No. 2: SEPT. 16, 2012 – A win at Chicagoland
Beginning just his second Chase, Keselowski and crew chief Paul Wolfe earn an impressive win in the Chase opener on a 1.5-mile track. The victory is key to a title run as five of the 10 Chase races are on similar tracks.
No. 1: NOV. 18, 2012 – Claiming the Cup title
Keselowski’s only remaining competition for the championship, Jimmie Johnson, has an uncharacteristically bad race. A missing lug nut on a pit stop costs him valuable time and position. Mechanical problems ultimately send him to the garage.
Keselowski’s 15th-place finish is more than enough for his first Cup championship and the first for iconic owner Roger Penske, who has fielded entries in 29 Cup seasons.
Want to watch?
The 2012 Sprint Cup Series Awards will be televised on Speed Channel at 8 p.m. Eastern on Friday. The awards will honor the 2012 champion along with the rest of the top 10 drivers in the final Chase for the Cup standings.
More racing news, blogs, photos and more at www.ThatsRacin.com.
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