Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Dodge, sits in his car during practice for the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway on November 16, 2012
Photo – Tom Pennington/Getty Images

Impressed with Keselowski‘s championship run throughout the Chase last year?

The champ is still focused as he starts this season giving his competition notice of his intention to contend for another Sprint Cup trophy with perhaps, an even more impressive run this season. Four races into the season, the reigning NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion has assumed the points lead, over Dale Earnhardt Jr. by nine points entering Sunday’s Auto Club 400 at Auto Club Speedway.

Should the competition fear the Keselowski?

It appears so, as he continues to set the bar within the Sprint Cup Series ranks. While the 29-year-old Keselowski hasn’t won – yet, he’s done the next best thing. Recognizing the potential of putting yourself in position to win, Keselowski has certainly positioned himself well, in the first four races of the season.

Keselowski is the only driver to finish among the top-five in the season’s four opening races. A third-place finish in last Sunday’s Food City 500 follows a third-place in Las Vegas and fourths at Phoenix and in the Daytona 500.

He’s also the only leader of all four races.

Keselowski’s start is the best in the series since Jimmie Johnson’s performance in 2005. A fifth consecutive top-five would be the first time that feat was accomplished since NASCAR Hall of Famer Rusty Wallace’s 1998 start, which also came in a No. 2 Miller Ford. Fellow Hall of Famer Cale Yarborough holds the all-time season start mark of nine in 1974.

“Obviously, we’re off to my best start ever. That’s really cool. I’m happy for my team and all that stuff,” said Keselowski, who stood 14th in last year’s standings after four races. “We can’t keep our feet still. We know that Kyle [Busch] and Jimmie [Johnson] are going to continue to make their cars better. We have to keep digging and push on our stuff, too. I think we got a pretty good feel on the 2 team.”

Daytona 500 winner Johnson had been the points leader until Sunday, when an accident resulted in a finish of 22nd. Kyle Busch has top-five finishes in the past two races.

While it seems Auto Club Speedway remains a question mark for Keselowski, with a career best finish – in just four races – of 18th in last year’s weather-shortened event, many fans will recall, Keselowski has a way of erasing poor finishes. In 2012, he matched or exceeded his earlier performance at 16 different tracks, while winning five times. Three of Keselowski’s victories – Chicagoland, Dover and Kentucky – came at tracks where he had never won.

The Sprint Cup Series season continues this weekend and fans are anticipating another impressive run as Keselowski’s competition continue to challenge the series’ defending champion.