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NASCAR Cup
Why Brad Keselowski says he's not among the greats - yet
What defines the greatest race car drivers? Brad Keselowski has a theory and by his own admission, he doesn’t yet qualify.
Jim Utter
Edited: Mar 26, 2019, 2:52 PM
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There is little doubt Keselowski has already amassed a NASCAR resume which puts him among the best.
He has 29 wins in the premier Cup Series, including two victories in the first six races this season, and won the championship in 2012. Keselowski also has 39 wins and a championship in the Xfinity Series and owns one victory in the Truck Series.
So, what would prevent Keselowski from being considered among the greats?
He believes it’s the ability to win on all types of race tracks, something he has come close to mastering but not yet accomplished.
“I always tell people that being a Cup driver to me kind of feels like being like a Deion Sanders or some kind of football player like that because even though the field stays the same, the game stays the same, when we go to different tracks, it’s like lining up in different positions on a football team. It’s like lining up as a kick returner or cornerback or sometimes even a quarterback or wide receiver,” Keselowski said.
“With that in mind, what happens is you have to be good at all these different skill sets to be able to win at all the different tracks. So what makes a great wide receiver or cornerback or quarterback doesn’t necessarily make a great athlete. It’s the ability to be versatile and play multiple positions that’s really, really impressive.
“To be able to win at all the different genres of race tracks, to me, requires some unique disciplines, so it’s something I take a lot of pride in. It’s part of what irks me that I haven’t won on a road course and I think I’ve finished second or third like five or six times at least.”
No road course win just yet
To date in the Cup Series, Keselowski has won on superspeedways, short tracks, intermediate tracks and 2-mile tracks. He’s also won on unique tracks like Darlington and Pocono. But he remains 0-for-18 on road courses in the Cup series.
“I want to be at able to win at every race track because I think if you’re going to define a great driver, great drivers in this sport win at all the different genres of tracks,” he said.
“I don’t really get caught up in such-and-such is a driver’s track as much as I would say that I get caught up in can you win at every type of race track. That, to me, defines a great driver in this sport.”
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