Getty Brad Keselowski releases a farewell video to Team Penske.
Brad Keselowski is bidding farewell to Team Penske as he prepares to cap off the 2021 season and a run with the organization that began in 2010. He has released an emotional video looking back on his time with Team Penske and the role that owner Roger Penske played in his championship-winning career.
The clip featured Keselowski sitting between two of his stock cars and the trophies that they helped him secure. He had the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge on his right and the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge on his left. Keselowski explained how he knew about Penske and his pedigree before he started his racing career, and then he dove deep into how they turned the NASCAR organization into a championship contender.
I feel incredibly blessed to be a part of something that makes saying goodbye so hard. I will forever be thankful for what we were able to accomplish together these last 12 years. It’s been an incredible ride, @Team_Penske.
“The first year or two, what stands out to me is how well things were going on the Xfinity side and how poorly things were going on the Cup side,” Keselowski said in the video. “It was such an interesting time in my life because I would race the preliminary races and feel on top of the world and race the Cup races and feel like nothing. Roger Penske’s willingness to work with me through that process was really pivotal to our success, and I’ll never forget that time.”
Keselowski spent a considerable time talking about the “close to 500 people” that work for Team Penske. He explained that they all played a major role in his fast stock cars, which helped him secure a multitude of wins and turn the organization into a contender.
Keselowski Won at Least One Race Every Season Since 2011
GettyBrad Keselowski has won several races during his championship career.
While the veteran driver won the Nationwide Series — now Xfinity Series — championship in 2010 by winning six races and posting 26 top-five finishes, he did not achieve immediate success in the Cup Series. He went winless his first season at the top level and only posted two top-10 finishes.
The situation changed in 2011. Keselowski turned a major corner and became a championship contender. He won three races for Team Penske and ended the season fifth overall in the points standings while Tony Stewart took home the title.
The 2012 season was Keselowski’s best. He locked up five wins — tied for the most in the series with Jimmie Johnson and Denny Hamlin — along with 23 top-10 finishes and 13 top-fives. He locked up his title at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a 15th-place finish while fellow contender Johnson ended the race 36th with gear failure.
Since locking up his first win for Team Penske in 2011, Keselowski has won at least one race each season. According to a list provided by NASCAR, Keselowski sits in a tie with Kevin Harvick for the second-most consecutive seasons with a win among active drivers. Both men have 11 consecutive seasons with wins while two-time Cup Series champion Kyle Busch sits atop the list with at least one win in 17 consecutive seasons, which he extended by winning the Buschy McBusch Race 400 at Kansas Speedway on May 2.
With Keselowski’s win at Talladega Superspeedway on April 25, he kept his streak alive. He will have an opportunity to take sole possession of second place on the all-time list once the November 7 race at Phoenix comes to an end. Harvick has yet to win in 2021, so his streak will come to an end at 11 seasons.
Keselowski Has More To Accomplish in His Career
Brad Keselowski earned his first career Coca-Cola 600 victory.
The driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford Mustang has accomplished a considerable amount in his career. He ended the 2012 season as a champion, raced for a prestigious organization, and added multiple Crown Jewels to his collection.
Keselowski has won some of the biggest races on the NASCAR schedule. He captured the Coca-Cola 600 in 2020, the Brickyard 400 in 2018, and the Southern 500 in 2018. All three races are considered Crown Jewels along with the Daytona 500.
Once Keselowski joins Roush Fenway Racing and takes over the No. 6 Ford Mustang, he will have another opportunity to accomplish even more. The biggest trophy he has yet to add to his collection is the one that the winner of the Daytona 500 takes home. He has come close to achieving this goal multiple times in his Cup Series career, finishing fourth in 2013 and third in 2014.
READ NEXT: Jack Wood Lands New Sponsor for Phoenix Race
Comments
Brad Keselowski Bids Farewell to Team Penske in Emotional Video