Brad Keselowski's hot streak continued at Bristol Motor Speedway on Saturday night. The hottest driver on the track Keselowski in his last four races has a first, second, third and first place finishes and average finish of 1.75.
In this same time span he has moved from 25th to 11th in the standings.
If Tony Stewart has any problems in the next two weeks, Keselowski could break into the top 10. Stewart’s struggles have opened the door for Keselowski but he is not taking any of it for granted.
“He's pretty good at Atlanta and Richmond. Richmond we really struggled at in the spring, so I'm really not sure what to expect going back. 21 points is still a lot of points. That means you've got to beat the guy by over 10 positions over the course of two races. Beating Tony Stewart by an average of 10 positions over two races, that's going to be pretty tough to be honest.”
We are seeing what Dale Earnhardt, Jr. and Rick Hendrick both have said about Keselowski and why Roger Penske signed him in 2010 at Penske Racing.
The kid can drive and now his peers are talking about Keselowski the biggest sleeper and surprise to come along in the Chase’s history.
Jeff Gordon said this about the 2 team following his third place finish at BMS, “They're strong and you put them in position at the end of the race and they're going to pull off the wins. They're, to me, as strong of a team out there that there is right now. I think it's really ironic that he had the issue at Road Atlanta, and ever since then he's been on fire. I think he proved to all of us he's tougher than we thought he was, and we always knew he was a good race car driver, but he's stepping it up, and that whole team, so you've got to give him a lot of credit.”
Still, there is work to be done for Keselowski who very well could race his way into the top 10 in the next two weeks.
The question for this team is can they sustain this for the next 12 weeks? Even though Keselowski has won a title in the Nationwide series; the Sprint Cup series title run is much different.
There are no guarantees and while right now he is prime position to charge into the Chase, it will be a totally different experience when he gets there.
The Chase changes everything. Those 12 drivers who are running for the title the adrenaline is racing harder. Every lap could decide who wins the title and a mistake whether it’s on the track or on pit road could determine a champion.
So those early season gremlins that hampered this team might not be prevalent now but wait till the other 11 drivers come in with new cars, new setups and suddenly those three wins feel distant.
Ask Kyle Busch about entering the Chase with multiple wins only to fall short quickly. Success in the regular season doesn’t always equate to success in the Chase.
In the Chase, it is not only about winning races but consistency. While recently this team has excelled at this they will have to find a way to do in the 10 races that count.
The changes at Penske have more than helped Keselowski and turned around his season in a way nobody expected.
In his post race interview he talked about their expectations early this season but things can change.
“At the start of the year it was certainly one of our goals. And to come in on a high note is just great. Past success does not guarantee future success, and I'm a big believer in that, but it sure as hell doesn't hurt. That's why we run the races. We could run the races on paper and in our head all day long and say that such-and-such is going to win, but you just never know. So we'll just have to see. But we're on the right path.”
Yes, they are on the right path and if they continue to turn in results like we have seen the last month then they could not only challenge for the title they could win it.
They are a lock for the Chase but they'll need to keep up this level of performance in the Chase. Which is easier said then done. Anything can happen and one his title hopes can be gone quicker than they arrived.
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