Friday, Nov. 11, 2011
Phoenix International Raceway
Dodge Motorsports PR
Kobalt Tools 500
NASCAR Sprint Cup Series
Brad Keselowski Open Interview
BRAD KESELOWSKI (No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T) WHAT DID YOU LEARN TODAY IN PRACTICE? WAS THERE ANY DIFFERENCE FROM THE FIRST PRACTICE TO THE SECOND? “Sure, I mean, the track just keeps changing every time we run out. It’ll be interesting to see come race time. It just keeps changing.”
DO YOU FEEL COMFORTABLE? “I mean, if you’re driving right, you’re not supposed to be all that comfortable, you know? (smiles). We’re supposed to be on the edge and we’re certainly on the edge.”
NEXT YEAR, WHO IS THE ONE NON-CHASER TO WATCH? “That’s a tough question. (AJ Allmendinger has been right on the hinge of it, I guess he would be one. But I would say the biggest one would be Kasey (Kahne). I think he’ll fire off in that 5 car pretty strong like Dale (Earnhardt Jr.) when he went over there. He’ll be tough.”
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOMESTEAD? “I like going to Homestead. One of the coolest things about that track is just how wide it is. I think it’s really a racy track. I like how you can run the top, middle and bottom. It’s kind of got a Michigan feel, so to speak, and it’s a good race.”
YOU WERE UPSET AT THE END OF THE RACE LAST WEEK WITH RYAN NEWMAN. WHAT WERE YOUR THOUGHTS AFTERWARDS ABOUT THAT SITUATION? “I mean, I felt like if you look at it, the way the pit order was selected, I didn’t think there was a very good reason for the 39 (Newman) to pick the pit stall that he did. I think that Ryan didn’t make an effort to leave me an exit. Even if he had made an effort, it would have been really tough for me to get out. I thought those were two crummy moves. It just irks me because it’s the same people that talk respect every week that don’t give it to anyone else. I hate Hippocrates.”
HOW HAS THE TRACK CHANGED SINCE YOU TESTED HERE? HAS IT CHANGED MUCH? “Oh yeah. The big difference has come on multiple levels. I think if you look at the test the first time, the track was in really bad condition. The second time, it was not in great condition, but it was getting better. When we came back here yesterday for Nationwide practice, I thought that the track made huge, huge gains. I think the track made huge gains when they took the school cars out there and ran around it. I think that it made huge gains when the West cars came out there and ran with the bias-ply tires. So we’ve seen huge progress every time that someone comes out and runs, except us. The actual Cup cars themselves don’t do too much to help the track. The other series that come out here have really helped.”
IS THAT BECAUSE OF THE TIRE? “I’m not a tire scientist, but it seems like common sense that’s the reason.”
DO YOU THINK THAT THE NATIONWIDE CHAMPIONSHIP HAS LOST A BIT WITH DRIVERS HAVING TO CHOOSE WHICH CHAMPIONSHIP THAT THEY WERE COMPETING FOR? “That’s a tough call. It certainly doesn’t require the same performance as it did in year’s past to win the championship on the Nationwide side. It’s really not for me to judge; It’s for the fans and media. All that I can go off of is the stats. It would take six wins and an average finish of 6.3 and that was year’s past. It looks like this year’s champion only needs to win one or two races and finish 10th or better on average. Obviously, that number is one of those telltale signs. It’s for everyone else to draw a conclusion on.”
