Brad Keselowski is no stranger to adversity. He practically built his career on it. This weekend at Phoenix he will try to put it all behind him in order secure one of the four coveted spots that will race for the Sprint Cup at Homestead in just over a week. Fans and drivers love to hate Keselowski but why?
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It all started way back in 2009 at Talladega. Brad and Carl Edwards were fighting for the win coming through the tri-oval on the final lap. Brad held his line and when Edwards came down, it caused him to spin and fly into the catch fence. A horrible crash. On that day Keselowski became the bad guy for not lifting and holding his line coming to the checkers. Any driver in his position would have done exactly the same thing.
Throughout the next couple of years Edwards and Keselowski would remain bitter rivals. In 2010 Edwards retaliated at Atlanta after feeling like he had been wronged by Kes once again. Keselowski ending up on his roof in a scary crash that almost put him hard into the catch fence. Then in the Nationwide race at Gateway, Edwards intentionally dumped Keselowski racing for the win turning him sideways in front of the field resulting in a terrible crash where Keselowski was hit hard in the driver’s door.
By 2012 Keselowski survived these and numerous other incidents unscathed to claim his first Sprint Cup Series championship. The celebration afterwards was epic. The whole evening Keselowski enjoyed an oversized glass of Miller Lite as he was interviewed by the various TV outlets. He had achieved the ultimate goal of any NASCAR driver and he made the most of the celebration. Refreshing for fans in
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the world of political correctness that NASCAR lives in today.
What is not to like about Brad Keselowski?
Kes says what he thinks and does what he needs to on the track in order to win. Always giving 110 percent every time he straps into a racecar. The man is also a student of the game. In 2012 at Talladega, Keselowski pushed Kyle Busch out to a huge lead in the final laps which was not usually the norm of tandem drafting in the closing laps. In turn three Keselowski pushed Kyle into the corner high and drove to the bottom of the track. He screamed past Busch using a move never seen before to win the race.
Last weekend at Texas Jeff Gordon left an opening and it was Keselowski’s job to fill it and do what he could to win the race. This is no different than what he did in the first race of the chase at Chicagoland when he made the bold move to split Kyle Larson and Kevin Harvick.
But all those races are in the past. We are onto Phoenix and eight drivers have a chance to position themselves in the top four that will advance to Homestead. After the adversity at Charlotte last month Keselowski came back the next week and won at Talladega. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the same happen on Sunday. Keselowski is rock solid and has been in this situation many times in his career. He will have his eye on the prize and won’t be concentrated on getting even with Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick, or any other driver in the garage.
The only task for each of the eight chase drivers is to take home the checkered flag at Phoenix. Brad Keselowski thrives in high pressure situations and will do whatever it takes to get the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford in victory lane on Sunday afternoon. As a racing fan I don’t know what else you could ask from a driver.
Aaron Hale is a Staff Writer for BeyondTheFlag.com on the FanSided Network. Follow us on Twitter @Beyond_The_Flag and “Like” us on Facebook.