Tag Archives: Brad Keselowski

Fords Find the Answer to Toyota Dominance

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Photo – Matt Sullivan/Getty Images

Four Joe Gibbs Racing Toyotas settled into the first four positions after a restart on lap 65 of 75 in Sunday’s Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona, but Ford drivers found a way to break the Camry chain in the closing laps.

When Brad Keselowski hooked up with Team Penske teammate and eventual race winner Joey Logano, as well as newly minted Ford driver Kevin Harvick, the Fords were able to side-draft the Toyotas, break their momentum and pick them off one by one.

Keselowski had a huge run through the first two corners on the final lap, and race leader Denny Hamlin was powerless to keep his JGR Camry out front. Ultimately, contact between Keselowski’s Ford and Hamlin’s Toyota opened the door for Logano.

A rueful Hamlin described the action in the closing laps.

“There’s really not much I can do differently at the end,” he said. “Perhaps staying in the middle lane there through (Turns) 1 and 2 and trying to side-draft. (Keselowski) had help from the 22 (Logano). I was in a bad spot there. He was just coming so much faster than what I was.

“There’s not much that I could have done to defend. We lined up so well as Toyota teammates throughout the race that once those guys started breaking that up and leap frogging, he (Keselowski) had commitment from the 22 and the 4 (Harvick) and when they were able to back up there that really put us at a speed differential.

“The 2 (Keselowski) was coming with a huge run, and I tried to do everything I could to block and cover the bottom before he got there, but he was coming at such a higher rate of speed, I probably didn’t get there in time.”

Opportunistic Logano claims victory in wild Clash at Daytona

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When Brad Keselowski and Denny Hamlin collided in turn two on the final lap of Sunday’s rain-delayed Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona International Speedway, Joey Logano was there to seize the moment.

Charging to the outside and grabbing the lead near the entry to the Superstretch at the 2.5-mile speedway, Logano took the checkered flag 1.121 seconds ahead of runner-up Kyle Busch, who beat third-place finisher Alex Bowman to the stripe by 0.018 seconds.

Danica Patrick dodged the turn two mêlée to surge from tenth to fourth on the final lap to post her first top-five finish in any Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race, though the result is not official because the Clash is an exhibition event with a limited field. Continue reading →

Rain Forces Postponement of Daytona Clash to Sunday

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Photo – Getty Images

Persistent rain on Saturday night forced postponement of the Advance Auto Parts Clash at Daytona.

The race has been rescheduled for Sunday morning, with green flag at 11:35 a.m., broadcast on FS1. The Clash will precede Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series qualifying for the Daytona 500, which will take place at 3 p.m. Sunday at Daytona International Speedway.

With starting positions drawn by lot, Brad Keselowski will lead the field to the green flag in the Clash. Denny Hamlin, the defending winner of the exhibition race that signals the start of the NASCAR season, will start on the outside of the front row. Continue reading →

Ford Looks Fast in Opening Daytona 500 Practice

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Joey Logano, driver of the #22 Shell Pennzoil Ford, stands in the garage area during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series 59th Annual DAYTONA 500 at Daytona International Speedway on February 18, 2017 in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Jerry Markland/Getty Images

Clint Bowyer, who is back in a competitive car at Stewart-Haas Racing, was tenth fastest on Saturday. With SHR switching to Ford from Chevrolet this season, the Ford armada has grown substantially, potentially to the point of challenging the Toyota gang that dominated Speedweeks last year.

In fact, Fords posted the two fastest times in Saturday’s marathon practice session, with Joey Logano (193.116 mph), Aric Almirola (193.054 mph) and Brad Keselowski (193.046 mph) topping the speed chart.

“In all honesty, I’ve never been that fast in qualifying here in Daytona in my whole career,” Logano said after the session. “I feel like I’ve never had a shot at it, but now I feel like I’m closer than ever.

“I feel like I’m kind of in new territory, plus I think some of these other guys sandbag a lot, so tomorrow will be the telltale sign.”

Déjà vu Would be Just Fine with Denny Hamlin

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DAYTONA BEACH, FL – FEBRUARY 17: A detail of the #11 FedEx Express Toyota, driven by Denny Hamlin during practice for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Advance Auto Parts Clash on February 17, 2017 at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida.
Photo – Getty Images

Denny Hamlin wouldn’t mind at all if history repeated itself during Speedweeks at Daytona International Speedway.

Hamlin won the Advance Auto Parts Clash, and eight days later, the driver of the No. 11 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota followed up with his first Daytona 500 victory, a breathtaking affair that saw Hamlin beat fellow Camry driver Martin Truex Jr. to the finish line by 0.010 seconds, a margin of roughly six inches.

Hamlin is well aware that winning The Great American Race back-to-back is one of the toughest feats in motorsports, so tough that only three drivers have accomplished the feat: Richard Petty (1973-1974), Cale Yarborough (1983-1984) and Sterling Marlin (1994-1995). Continue reading →