Getty NASCAR driver Brad Keselowski
Team Penske’s Brad Keselowski added another top-five finish on Sunday, finishing third behind Kyle Busch and Kevin Harvick. This race marked his fifth top-five, continuing a strong season. However, Keselowski said that his team is still searching for that “dominant speed.”
The driver of the No. 2 Ford Mustang met with NASCAR media members on Sunday evening to reflect on the Buschy McBusch Race 400. Keselowski explained that it wasn’t his strongest race and that his car needed a little “more punch” to reach Victory Lane. He told reporters that the No. 2 team has been a “fringe top-five” all year but that they haven’t quite showcased race-winning speed.
“I think maybe Richmond we were close there, but Vegas we were kind of that second to fifth-place car,” Keselowski said during his availability. “And I think you look at Daytona we ran pretty well, but kind of still in that second to fifth-place car range. Just haven’t had that breakthrough of dominant speed, and if we can put that with some execution on our good weeks, then we’ll be in good shape, but this week I felt like we executed fairly well and just needed a little bit more speed to be able to bring it home.”
Keselowski pulled within reach of Busch on the final lap for a brief moment
GettyThe Buschy McBusch Race 400
When the green flag waved on the final restart, Busch jumped to the front of the pack in the No. 18 Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota Camry. The other drivers fought for position and a final opportunity to steal the win. Keselowski, in particular, jumped into second place on the final lap. However, he slid up the race track on slightly worn tires while Harvick overtook him on the bottom lane.
Keselowski explained to the media members that there wasn’t much he could do on the final restart to maintain his hold on second place or even fight for the win. “Each restart was just so chaotic,” he added. “Kevin had the newest tires and the yellows came out and pretty much nullified the advantage that I had and handed it back to the guys behind us. Just kind of stuck there.”
Despite the late slide up the track, Keselowski still maintained his advantage over other drivers in the field. He took third place and added 48 points to his total. This finish kept him locked into the playoff picture and just behind teammates Joey Logano and Ryan Blaney in the points standings.
Keselowski is nowhere near satisfied with his top-five finish
While the 2012 Cup Series champion added more points to his 2021 total, he did not walk away satisfied with the third-place finish. His goal was to take the win at Kansas, which would have been his second consecutive trip to Victory Lane after the Geico 500.
GettyBrad Keselowski prepares for a race
“Yeah, I try to be grateful, but satisfied is not a good word,” Keselowski told reporters. “Satisfied would be winning. But grateful that the day could have been a lot worse and grateful for my team and the effort they’ve put in to put us in a position to have a day like today where — like I said — we scored a lot of points and we go home with not a trophy but another top-five with quite a few laps led and quite a few stage points scored.”
Keselowski and the No. 2 team will now move forward with their sights set on Darlington Raceway, a track where he previously won once. The Cup Series season continues with the Goodyear 400 on Sunday, which will take place on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. ET. FS1 will provide coverage for the race.
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