Driving a Sweepstakes replica car around the Irish Hills of Michigan earlier this morning, Brad Keselowski said he “got it up there pretty good.”
Speaking to the media on pit road earlier today, the driver of the No. 2 Team Penske Ford spoke about taking a 1901 Ford Sweepstakes replica car for a drive around the speedway.
“I got it up there pretty good, up to about 50 or 60,” Keselowski said. “I had a rider and Kelli (Stavast) didn’t want to get anyone hurt but we still got it going pretty good. Those cars there are all about horsepower. Now you look at our cars and it is about horsepower and handling and everything that matters to win here on the Cup side. Back then it was about just running. The race that Sweepstakes won, there were 40 entries and only two finished. The others all blew up or broke down and had all kind of issues.”
He also talked about how motorsports “has changed a lot. It changed a lot from there, that’s for sure. It was fun to drive. There are a lot of little things we probably take for granted now as far as amenities are concerned. The sport is building and getting better all the time. The cars we have now are really phenomenal pieces. Under appreciated by me at least.”
He drove the car as part of a pre-race segment for NBC Sports. He, along with his passenger Kelli Stavast of NBC Sports, delivered the Heritage Trophy, which is handed to the winning manufacturer of every NASCAR race at Michigan, to track president Roger Curtis.
Both were dressed up in clothing from the era with Keselowski dressed in a grey suit, bowtie, brown hat and goggles, and Stavast wore a white dress.
Asked about the handling of the car, Keselowski said the car had “the new low, low, low downforce (package). It is good we gave Roger his trophy back, the manufacturer trophy that Ford had from Joey’s win here in the spring. Hopefully, we can get that back here on Sunday. That would be great. I am glad to be in Michigan. Happy to be here.”
