Saturday. May 21, 2011
Charlotte Motor Speedway
Dodge Motorsports PR
Sprint Showdown Post-Race Quotes
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) Finished Second In Sprint Showdown “I was just trying to pass David (Ragan) on that restart, but David spun his tires and I had the opportunity to capitalize on that and made a run for it. That’s what this is all about, doing all you can to transfer. David, by far, had the best car. I think he’s the guy to beat tonight (in the All-Star Race). I’m happy that we were able to get our Miller Lite Dodge into the next show. We’ll work on it and see if we can’t have something for those boys in this next race.
“I wasn’t just going to let him by me; he drove by me. I didn’t let him by. He had the faster car. He’s got the car to beat tonight.
“Our goal was to transfer, but we wanted to win the Showdown too. David was really, really strong. I honestly think he’s the car to beat tonight from what I saw. He ran the fastest lap in qualifying trim of the whole field. His car turns in the middle so well. I’m happy for everybody at Penske. We have both cars in the All-Star Race with Kurt’s (Busch) Shell/Pennzoil Dodge and my Miller Lite Dodge. I’m happy to make it to the big show; this is my third year to be in it. We just need a little more speed and we can win these things. I got lucky, made the right move on the restart and didn’t wreck. I just wish I had a little more speed to keep the lead.
“We weren’t quite as good as we were hoping, but hung in there and made sure we were there at the end. We made the right move on the restart to get the lead. From there, we were trying to run away with it with the clean air, but quite honestly, David was just hauling. He was definitely the car to beat. We’re on the cusp of getting things going really well for everybody at Penske. We’re starting to capitalize on some momentum. We know we need more speed, but we’re executing. We executed tonight with perhaps not the fastest car, but as a team and we got it done.”
TALK ABOUT THE THREE-WIDE MOVE; DID YOU THINK YOU HAD WON THE RACE THERE? “No, I didn’t think I had won the race, not then. I thought I had won the race on the last restart when I had the clean air and was really shocked to see David run that much faster. I thought I had it won on that last restart, but the other one, you knew there would be more restarts. I just knew I had made the move to give myself a shot. It worked out. At this race, you either make it into the next race, or you might as well not even come. So it’s worth taking chances. Took a big chance going three wide on the restart and I’m rewarded by being here right now. I went through the grass to do it. That’s what you’ve got to do; you’ve got to take chances. I felt like I could execute it as long as the 6 (Ragan) and 27 (Paul Menard) didn’t run me down (in the grass). They did a little, but it wasn’t quite enough. It worked out. Got a little doughnut on the side of the car, but that’s what this race is all about.”
