NASCAR’s Keselowski still learning but in line to drive Penske’s Blue Deuce
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A pending sponsorship change announced Wednesday means NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski, now in his first full season in the Sprint Cup Series, will drive the well-known No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge next season for owner Roger Penske.
The car currently is driven by Penske’s Kurt Busch, the 2004 Cup champion who will move to a No. 22 Dodge next season with new sponsorship from the Shell oil company. Busch had taken over the No. 2 car, dubbed the Blue Deuce, from now retired Rusty Wallace, another former title winner.
But the changes are next year, and right now Keselowski, 26, faces plenty of challenges driving Penske’s No. 12 Dodge in stock-car racing’s premier series.
Through eight Cup races this season, Keselowski is 25th in the standings and the only driver in the top 25 who has failed to finish in the top 10.
He does have one Cup series win, however, which came at the Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway a year ago after he made contact on the last lap with Carl Edwards, with Edwards’ car ultimately going airborne in a spectacular crash.
Keselowski was driving a car owned by James Finch in that race, which came before he was hired by Penske. Keselowski also races in NASCAR’s second-tier Nationwide Series.
The Cup series returns to Talladega Sunday, and Keselowski told reporters on a conference call Wednesday that ‘we have been racing pretty well’ with a ‘lot of consistency lately.’
‘We want to get better and we want to be in contention for winning and for wins, but those are coming, and right now we are making those baby steps but we have come to Talladega feeling like we can win,’ he said.
Shell, meanwhile, will be moving its sponsorship next year from Richard Childress Racing where it currently sponsors the No. 29 Chevrolet driven by Kevin Harvick.
-- Jim Peltz
Top photo: NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski, right, talks with team owner Roger Penske during practice March 20 at Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway. Credit: Chuck Burton / Associated Press