The latest auto news, reviews, prices, product and vehicle releases. May
7th
Stay connected Subscribe to our RSS feed
The sitting duck is dead; at least for Brad Keselowski at Talladega.
Using a maneuver based on “geometry” he pulled away from Kyle Busch after the final restart for his second victory at the 2.66 mile oval.
In the third turn (on the second green white checkered attempt to the checkered flag) on the last lap, the final his Dodge pulled away from Busch's Toyota to for an unchallenged win, Roger Penske's first at the high banked track.
His secret was to “run high and turn down about half a lane. It was just enough to break apart. I've been planning that move for a year and a half,” Keselowski said. He added that he was a student of the late seven-time champion, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Noting that he watched videos of the Intimidator who was a master of the restrictor plate tracks.
Busch had helped Keselowski break away from the Roush Fenway Racing duo of Daytona 500 winner, Matt Kenseth, and Greg Biffle. “ I didn't think we got connected soon enough,” Busch said at first. But they didn't stay. His problem was that he couldn't stick with Keselowski on the final lap. “Somehow driving into turn three if he did anything he was pretty smart,” Busch added “I must have screwed something up, because we got to turn three and come unhooked. Just gave the win away over there. Not sure exactly what happened.”
Kenseth who finished third in a Ford blamed himself for not paying close enough attention and losing contact with Biffle which “just cost us a shot at the win, cost Greg a shot at the win. Just didn't do a very good job of managing where he was on that last restart.”
In some ways it was a typical Talladega race with a nine-car crash on lap 141 when Aric Almirola was slowing to pit, but, he moved up the track into Dave Blaney hitting Juan Pablo Montoya.
And earlier in the race there were a number of engine failures due to overheating caused by NASCAR rules to discourage last year's tandem draft.
Jeff Gordon, who was involved in that wreck not of his making, said “I want to laugh about it, but I want to cry, too. It's just ridiculous we can't catch a break."
On lap 175 Casey Mears blew a left front tire causing another multicar wreck. On the restart, on lap 184, Denny Hamlin who was directly behind Keselowski's teammate, AJ Allmendinger saw an opening between the double-file lines of cars.
Allmendinger went to block but started another wreck. Allmendinger later said “I tried to block, if Denny (Hamlin) was already there, my apology.”
After the race Keselowski also apologized to former teammate, Kurt Busch, who he turned on a restart near the end of the race.
Using a maneuver based on “geometry” he pulled away from Kyle Busch after the final restart for his second victory at the 2.66 mile oval.
In the third turn (on the second green white checkered attempt to the checkered flag) on the last lap, the final his Dodge pulled away from Busch's Toyota to for an unchallenged win, Roger Penske's first at the high banked track.
 |
| Brad Keselowski. (Photo: NASCAR) |
His secret was to “run high and turn down about half a lane. It was just enough to break apart. I've been planning that move for a year and a half,” Keselowski said. He added that he was a student of the late seven-time champion, Dale Earnhardt Sr. Noting that he watched videos of the Intimidator who was a master of the restrictor plate tracks.
Busch had helped Keselowski break away from the Roush Fenway Racing duo of Daytona 500 winner, Matt Kenseth, and Greg Biffle. “ I didn't think we got connected soon enough,” Busch said at first. But they didn't stay. His problem was that he couldn't stick with Keselowski on the final lap. “Somehow driving into turn three if he did anything he was pretty smart,” Busch added “I must have screwed something up, because we got to turn three and come unhooked. Just gave the win away over there. Not sure exactly what happened.”
Kenseth who finished third in a Ford blamed himself for not paying close enough attention and losing contact with Biffle which “just cost us a shot at the win, cost Greg a shot at the win. Just didn't do a very good job of managing where he was on that last restart.”
In some ways it was a typical Talladega race with a nine-car crash on lap 141 when Aric Almirola was slowing to pit, but, he moved up the track into Dave Blaney hitting Juan Pablo Montoya.
 |
| Photo: NASCAR |
And earlier in the race there were a number of engine failures due to overheating caused by NASCAR rules to discourage last year's tandem draft.
Jeff Gordon, who was involved in that wreck not of his making, said “I want to laugh about it, but I want to cry, too. It's just ridiculous we can't catch a break."
On lap 175 Casey Mears blew a left front tire causing another multicar wreck. On the restart, on lap 184, Denny Hamlin who was directly behind Keselowski's teammate, AJ Allmendinger saw an opening between the double-file lines of cars.
Allmendinger went to block but started another wreck. Allmendinger later said “I tried to block, if Denny (Hamlin) was already there, my apology.”
After the race Keselowski also apologized to former teammate, Kurt Busch, who he turned on a restart near the end of the race.