Brad Keselowski, driver of the #2 Miller Lite Ford, is involved in an on-track incident during the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Hollywood Casino 400 at Kansas Speedway on October 16, 2016 in Kansas City, Kansas. – Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images
Brad Keselowski had a terrible day Sunday afternoon at Kansas Speedway, but the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series champion isn’t ready to count himself out of a championship yet.
While running inside the top-ten on lap 189 of Sunday’s Hollywood Casino 400, Keselowski’s No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion drifted up the track and directly in front of fellow Chaser Denny Hamlin, but got loose in the process causing Hamlin to hit him from behind.
The contact sent Keselowski sliding wildly and uncontrollably spinning into the infield grass, where the splitter of his car tore into the sodded grass causing colossal front-end damage to his car.
“I thought I had room – my fault,” Keselowski informed his team over the radio moments after the crash.
Brilliant repairs by his Team Penske team only kept the No. 2 team off the track for 30 laps. When Keselowski returned to the race track, however, his car began billowing smoke from behind igniting the event’s seventh caution for potential fluid, sending Keselowski and the team packing for good.
The rare mistake by the 21-time Sprint Cup winner resulted in his lone DNF (did not finish) through 31 races.
Despite the 38th place finish and finding himself outside the Chase cutoff, Keselowski pledged he would not change the way he races.
“I could have probably raced a little bit less hard, you know I had a big points gap coming in here,” Keselowski said. “With this format, that is probably the smart thing to do.
“But I don’t want to race like that. I want to race for wins. I don’t want to points-race, I don’t care what the damn format is.”
Keselowski entered NASCAR’s Chase for the Sprint Cup tied with the most wins this season (four) with defending series champion Kyle Busch, but now will likely need a win next Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway in order to avoid being eliminated from title contention.
The bright side?
Keselowski won this spring’s race at the 2.66-mile superspeedway and also won the fall event in 2014 – a piece vital to carry him into the Round of 8 the following week at Martinsville Speedway.
“We are going to Talladega. I like Talladega,” added Keselowski. “Talladega has been good to me and I am going to drive my butt off and at the end of the day I have faith that if it is meant to be it is meant to be. We can’t get down. There is a long way to go still.”
Developing a craft for restrictor plate racing, the Rochester Hills, Mich. native is easily a favorite entering the third and final race in the Round of 12, especially winning three of the Sprint Cup Series’ last eight races on restrictor plate-tracks.
Following next Sunday’s Alabama 500, the four Chase drivers lowest in points without a win will be eliminated from championship contention as the field is again sliced from 12 drivers to eighth.
Keselowski is 11th in the standings, just seven points behind the cutoff currently secured by teammate Joey Logano.