They might as well go ahead and rename that Kentucky track Kesetucky. That boy dominated Saturday night’s race from start to finish. Sure, he let team mate Joey Logano, a ninth place finisher, run shotgun for a lot of the race, got the lad some camera time to make the sponsors happy. Kyle Busch got the honors of finishing runner-up, but no one was betting he was going to do better than that. This was Brad Keselowski’s race, he led three-quarters of the laps, and if you were hoping for a challenge, it had to come from watching a channel that was all Brad, all the time. He simply owned it.
It was win number 12 for the 30-year old former champ, his second of the season and his second in three years on this particular circuit. The win moves Keselowski among the elite on the year, one of six drivers with at least two victories, and the best in points among those not working for Rick Hendrick. Jeff Gordon, who was sixth Saturday, continues to lead the way, with three-race winner Jimmie Johnson (10th) and Dale Earnhardt Jr (fifth) just behind, as Keselowski is ahead of Matt Kenseth (fourth).
The worst day was had by Denny Hamlin, who spent 90 percent of this one as a spectator after a tire issue introduced him to the outside fence. Kyle Larson lasted a bit longer, finishing 40th, after the same fate awaited him. As they counted down the laps, a failing tire was about the only thing the rest could hope for if they had any aspirations of beating Brad out. In fact, the only thing that got him that day was a breaking champagne bottle that left him in stitches, but it seems not enough to affect him at Daytona this weekend. He probably should have stuck with beer…in a can.
While Kevin Havick, Kasey Kahne, Tony Stewart, and Kurt Busch were good enough to be among the top dozen, the best of our “have nots” was Reed Sorenson. Thirty third in the standings, he was 27th on the tower at Kentucky. Unfortunately, even if he wins this weekend he still would not be in a Chase place as he currently sits 69 points beyond 30th.
Beyond us is the summer return to Daytona and the Firecracker 400 (amongst us traditionalists) on Saturday night. A dozen current drivers, not including Michael Waltrip and Jeff Burton, have won there before. Gordon has six, Stewart four, and Johnson and Earnhardt have three wins apiece. Keselowski is still without after 10 starts, but has a pair of Top Fives in the past two Daytona 500’s. Still, it might be a bit early to refer to it as Daytonalowski just yet.
SWEET SIXTEEN
1 – Jimmie Johnson – 594 points – 3 wins
2 – Dale Earnhardt, Jr. – 594 – 2
3 – Brad Keselowski – 560 – 2
4 – Carl Edwards – 536 – 2
5 – Joey Logano – 519 – 2
6 – Kevin Harvick – 509 – 2
7 – Jeff Gordon – 618 – 1
8 – Kyle Busch – 508 – 1
9 – Denny Hamlin – 455 – 1
10 – Kurt Busch – 379 – 1
11 – Matt Kenseth – 555
12 – Ryan Newman – 514
13 – Paul Menard – 488
14 – Kyle Larson – 474
15 – Greg Biffle – 474
16 – Clint Bowyer – 473
CONTENDERS & PRETENDERS
17 – Kasey Kahne – 465
18 – Tony Stewart – 460
19 – Austin Dillon – 455
20 – Brian Vickers – 442
21 – Marcos Ambrose – 438
22 – Jamie McMurray – 432
23 – A.J. Allmendinger – 413
24 – Aric Almirola – 405
25 – Casey Mears – 397
26 – Martin Truex, Jr. – 385
27 – Ricky Stenhouse, Jr. – 339
28 – Danica Patrick – 322
29 – Justin Allgaier – 300
30 – Michael Annett – 275
31 – David Gilliland – 246
32 – Cole Whitt – 244
