Working On My Redneck ™ » brad keselowski

“Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski: Polarizing?

Leon — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:24:27 +0000

(photo courtesy NASCAR)

“Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski, in only 23 races into his Sprint Cup career, has the fans, the media, and the garage area polarized. In just those few races, Keselowski seems to have more of the drivers hoping mad with his aggressive and unapologetic driving style.

Keselowski’s response to that idea of angering his fellow drivers was simple.

“I race the way I would want to watch someone race,” said Keselowski, a 26-year-old Michigan native who in his first fulltime Cup season is No. 27 in the standings (No. 2 in the Nationwide Series). “Racing is still fun for me. To keep it fun, I have to do things that entertain myself.

“Generally, what entertains fans, entertains me. I race hard and I like to push things hard. I like to get the most out of myself and the competitors around me.”

Keselowski certainly has built a substantial fan base (twice picked by fans as the Nationwide Series’ Most Popular Driver) with his sometimes no-holds-barred tactics, and no one denies he is a talented race car driver. He won last year at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway in only his fifth Cup start, coincidentally the same race in which he and “Cousin Carl” Edwards got together on the final lap. The contact resulted in a horrific crash that sent Edwards skyward into the grandstand fencing.

But en route up the NASCAR ladder from Nationwide and Camping World Truck series starts two years ago, Keselowski has angered some drivers, drawing comparisons in some quarters to Ernie Irvan, Dale Earnhardt and Attila the Hun.

“Yes, I’m very aggressive, but I’m also very passionate,” Keselowski said. “Racing is something I want to honor by giving it 100 percent. My passion and aggressiveness comes from the desire I have to win. I want to produce results for those who have helped me.”

But why did Keselowski choose to go to Penske Racing?

“I felt like it was the right place for me,” Keselowski said. “In a way, I use the analogy of a guy buying stocks that got an inside tip. I see a lot of things happening inside this company that are going to make it very strong over the next few years. A lot of inside things are going on from the personnel and resources. Everything is going in the right direction.”

The direction that “Blazingly Bad” Brad is talking about is obviously winning and championships. And one of the best ways to achieve such results, Keselowski insists, is to never settle for anything less on the racetrack, no matter whom he rub the wrong way!

The one things that the race fans can be sure of is, Keselowski will drive the wheels off of the race car each and every weekend for the duration of the Sprint Cup season! Like him or not he will make the race very interesting. We most likely will see some of those moves that another young, aggressive, energetic race car driver showed the world, Have we forgotten that Kyle Busch was and is just as aggressive in his “take no prisoners” racing style?

The question that must be asked:

Is Brad Keselowski as talented as that brazenly arrogant and talented race car driver from Las Vegas, TLVW ( The Las Vegas Weasel), Kyle Busch? That comparison may be a bit too early and a bit of a stretch, as well.

What is your opinion on “Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Feuds, Paybacks, and Other Fun Things!

Leon — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 19:25:00 +0000

(photo courtesy ESPN)

As the racers head into to Bristol, NASCAR’s most challenging and crash-filled track, the media must walk a very tight rope. That tight rope is the difference between being an race car analyst and a circus barker!

That’s the opinion of Dale Jarrett, who will be calling the Saturday’s Nationwide event for ESPN, even as all eyes will be focused on Sunday’s event with “Cousin” Carl Edwards and “Blazingly Bad” Brad Keselowski. “It is a big story that can’t be ignored,” says Jarrett.

We have to do our jobs, describe what’s going on, and call things as we see them. As an analyst I sometimes have to be a little critical, even if the drivers are friends of mine.”

While some complain that the media goes out of its way to over-hype and stir controversy, Jarrett said the Edwards-Keselowski feud is “is something that has to be covered. It’s a story that’s out there.”

Besides, he added, there’s nothing wrong with drivers showing some emotion, and the media reporting on it.

“The passion and emotion of our sport is what makes it so popular,” he said. “I don’t think we want to take that away. If it gets out of control, NASCAR can step in. But I find it a little odd that for awhile we heard complaints about a lack of action in racing, and now we hear complaints because there’s TOO MUCH action.”

Jarrett said “payback has always been part of the sport,” and that the Keselowski incident “probably looked worse than it really was” because his car went airborne. Otherwise it would have gone down as a routine fender-bender.

“Unless you’ve ever been in that situation, it’s impossible to understand the emotions that drivers go through,” Jarrett said. “You have to experience it to understand it.”

Jarrett believes such self-policing is OK, “as long as you don’t overdo it. You have to pick your spot. You never want to get anyone hurt, and there are certain spots on the faster tracks where it’s not a good idea to bump somebody. But by and large these things have a way of getting worked out.”  Jarrett is following in the footsteps of his father Ned, a championship racer who enjoyed a successful second career as a broadcaster.

“My dad taught me a lot about racing and he’s taught me a lot about broadcasting,” Jarrett said. “The most important thing he told me is to just be myself. I’m not someone who knows a lot of big words. I just try to explain what’s going on down on the track. I don’t try to come across as something I’m not.”

What do you think about this situation now that the “Cousin Carl”-”Blazingly Bad Brad” incident has had a couple of weeks to cool off?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Atlanta Refections

Leon — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:06:44 +0000

(photo courtesy Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Things overlooked in Atlanta Sunday in light of “The Wreck”:

1. Kurt Busch wins the Kobalt Tools 500 for Penske Racing.

2. Matt Kenseth finished second for Roush-Fenway Racing.

3. Kasey Kahne led the most laps, but finished fourth for Richard Petty Motorsports.

4. Paul Menard, also an RPM driver finished fifth!

5. A. J. Almendinger,(THE DINGER), finished sixth, again an RPM driver!

6. Scott Speed finished 10th for Red Bull Racing

7. Dale Earnhardt, Jr. started on the pole and finished 15th!

Most interesting quote from the race:

8. Steve Addington, the crew chief no longer good enough for Kyle Busch at Joe Gibbs Racing, took the older Busch, Kurt, back to Victory Lane at the same track where he got his first victory in 2008 with Kyle Busch. “It is a good feeling to know that your driver wants you to go to work for him,” Addington said in a statement that showed a lot of class but made a strong point.

9. The Atlanta Motor Speedway folks were probably extremely pleased that the amount of empty seats was not a big topic of conversation with the media!

10. Brad Keselowski is probably glad to have an off week to recuperate from the Edwards “Cheap Shot”! He also will need to reload and prepare for some of the other drivers who, no doubt, are lining up for their shot at him!

NOTE TO ROGER PENSKE:

Have plenty of haulers at the tracks with back cars onboard for the #12 for the remainder of the the 2010 season, you may need them!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

“Have At It Boys”??

Leon — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:09:18 +0000

(photo courtesy Joe Sebo/AP)

“HAVE AT IT BOYS!”

That is what NASCAR told the drivers before the start of the 2010 season. That was their plan anyway.

Fast forward to Atlanta on Sunday when the driver of the Roush-Fenway #99 Scott’s Ford, Carl Edwards, got into the action. After an on track accident, early in the race, that involved Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, and Joey Logano, that put Edwards in the garage for about 150 laps for repairs to his race car. However, once Edwards returned to the race track it did not take him long to find Keselowski and extract his retribution!

In fact it only took Edwards three tries as he tailed Keselowski through turns 3 and 4 to loosen him up and set the Penske #12 Dodge spinning. Unfortunately for Keselowski, as the back end of the car spun around it lifted off of the race track and grabbed some “big air”! The roof flaps did their job, slammed the car back to the ground, however not before the car had gotten inverted, and simultaneously, the roof met the outside retaining wall in a very violent crash!

NASCAR immediately parked the #99 car for the remainder of the race and requested his presence in “the big red trailor” for a meeting after the culmination of the race!

The announcement today is that Carl Edwards will be on probation for three races because of his actions!

“We made it very clear to him that these actions were not acceptable and did go beyond what we said back in January about putting the driving back in the hands of the drivers,” Helton said of the hauler chat. “We believe the driver of the 99 (Edwards) understands our position at this point.”

Helton said that NASCAR officials met with the owners of both cars – Jack Roush and Roger Penske – this week and decided probation was the appropriate response. Helton said that another meeting between NASCAR officials, the drivers and the owners involved will meet again “to get this matter resolved between the two drivers. Clean the slate, if you will, so they can both go back to some hard, competitive, side-by-side racing that is NASCAR.”

Helton called the most serious part of the incident was the fact that Keselowski’s car went airborne. He called that “a very serious issue”.

“It’s important for all of us to step back and separate the issue of what happened with the 99 and the 12 (Keselowski) on the race track and the fact that the 12 car went airborne,” Helton said. “We had not seen a car get airborne much on a mile and a half race track and that’s something that is very important to us and we’re going to study very closely and figure out things we can do to help prevent this very quickly and in the future. This is a very important element of all this.”

In January of this year, NASCAR announced a policy of allowing drivers to mix it up more on the tracks. The policy has since become known as, “Have at it, boys”.

Helton said Tuesday that that did not mean all is considered acceptable during races.

“There is a line you can cross and we will step in to maintain law and order when we think that line has been line has been crossed,” he said.

What are your thoughts regarding Carl Edward’s actions Sunday at the Kobalt Tools 500? Is a three race probation punishment that fits the crime? What if their were injuries to the driver or the spectators, is the punishment fitting? What do you think?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Logano Wins NNS At California

Leon — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:06:59 +0000

In a post race altercation Logano’s father Tom Logano walked up to Biffle’s car on pit road and had a verbal altercation with the driver that included calling the Roush driver “number one,” via a hand gesture – if you get my drift.

As a result the elder Logano’s credentials have been pulled and NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Tom Logano was meeting with officials to talk about the incident.

The Nationwide Series race Saturday at the Auto Club Speedway in Fontana, CA was won by the JGR #20 Game Stop Toyota driven by Joey Logano for his 5th victory of the 2009 season.

Logano took the lead from the pole only to be overhauled on lap 3 by, a rather ill feeling, Kyle Busch. At the first yellow flag, Kyle Busch relinquished the lead and his driver’s seat of his JGR #18 Nos Enery Drink Toyota to relief driver, Denny Hamlin. Hamlin resumed the race after a pit stop that relegated him to restart from the 20th position.

During this run Logano was racing for the lead with Greg Biffle. Oddly enough, the two were racing down the back straight-away when Biffle appeared to run Logano into wall. The damage that Logano’s car received pancaked his car’s entire left side and he fell back to 20th position.

As the race progressed towards the end, it became obvious that it would boil down to a five man race, Greg Biffle, Brad Keselowski, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano, and Denny Hamlin. Yes that same Logano that got “stuffed into the fence” on the back stretch by Greg Biffle!

With 11 laps to go, Keselowski was racing Hamlin for the lead. As they were exiting turn 4 Keselowski was making a move down low on Hamlin for the lead, when Greg Biffle made a run on both of them up high. The only problem for Biffle was that there was not enough room between Hamlin’s car( he was in the middle), Biffle’s car, and the fence. Biffle’s run on the outside for the lead, only resulted in his car and Hamlin’s car getting waded up and wrecking. That wreck increased the number of cars that Biffle put into the fence to 2!

The Biffle/Hamlin wreck and the ensuing restart allowed Joey Logano to race for, and take, the lead for his 5th victory off 2009 in the Nationwide Series.

In a post race altercation Logano’s father, Tom Logano, walked up to Biffle’s car on pit road and had a verbal altercation with the driver that included calling the Roush driver “number one,” via a hand gesture – if you get my drift.

As a result the elder Logano’s credentials have been pulled and NASCAR spokesman Ramsey Poston said Tom Logano was meeting with officials to talk about the incident.

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Hamlin Is Still Hot!

Leon — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 06:17:00 +0000

(photo courtesy of NASCAR)

The driver of the Joe Gibbs Racing #11 FedEx Toyota, Denny Hamlin, still has not forgiven Brad Keselowsi for their on-track skirmish nearly two weeks ago in the Nationwide race at Dover! Hamlin hasn’t put that incident on the back burner, brushed it aside, hasn’t swept it under the carpet, no matter how you cut it he definitely hasn’t forgotten about it! Hamlin is still issuing very unflattering remarks about Keselowski’s driving talents.

When asked if he and Keselowski have talked about the incident, Hamlin just shook his head from side to side signifying the negative. “No haven’t talked to him at all”, Hamlin replied. ” I don’ think he’s man enough to call me face-to face. Just don’t think it’s his style”.

What Hamlin believes is Keselowski’s style is to sometimes- often times- drive beyond his capabilities. “How he uses his talent to me is questionable,” Hamlin continues.

However to be fair, Dale Earnhardt, Jr. thought enough of Brad Keselowski’s talents two years ago to hire him to drive for his Nationwide Series team. Additionally, The Captain, Roger Penske has just signed Keselowsi to drive his #12 Verizon Dodge for the 2010 season! It would appear that such support speaks volumes for Mr. Keselowsi’s racing talents!

Just don’t ask Denny Hamlin for any endorsement!

What is your take on this issue?

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!

Martin On The Pole For Kansas!

Leon — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 22:42:03 +0000

(photo courtesy of Leon Hammack)

Stop the presses!

Qualifying for the Sunday Sprint Cup race at Kansas has just concluded. When the dust settled, it was the 50 year old Mark Martin who sits atop the pole, and will be leading the cars to the Green Flag!

At 50 years old, the driver of the HMS #5 Kellogg’s/Carquest Chevy is living the dream!! Martin sits atop the points lead for the 2009 championship. This may be the year that Mark Martin finally wins a championship! After all he has finished second in points in 1990, 1994, 1998, and 2002. Additionally, Martin finished third in 1989, 1993, 1997, and 1999. His resume is outstanding with only one item missing, a Sprint cup Championship. Could this be the year that he finally accomplishes that feat?

Additionally, Hendrick Motorsports, and its affiliate teams are filling out six of the fastest ten qualifying spots for the Kansas race Sunday! Mark Martin in the #5 Kellogg’s/Carquest Chevy is on the pole. The HMS #88 National Guard/ AMP Chevy qualified second fastest. The HMS #25 GoDaddy.com Chevy driven by Brad Keselowski sits in third for the start of the race. Tony Stewart driving the Stewart-Haas Chevy #14 Office Depot/Old Spice (Hendrick engines and chassis) was fifth fastest in qualifying. Jeff Gordon driving the HMS #24 Dupont Chevy starts from the eighth position. The three-time Cup champion, Jimmie Johnson, driving the HMS #48 Lowe’s Chevy starts from the tenth spot Sunday.

The pressure is beginning to ratchet up a few notches for the teams that are sitting in spots 5-10. IT IS TIME TO GO!

TIL NEXT TIME, I AM STILL WORKING ON MY REDNECK!