· This Week’s Charger… The No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team will race chassis PRS-741 during Sunday’s Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips at the Glen at Watkins Glen International. This is a brand-new chassis to the No. 2 fleet.
· No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011... After 21 points-paying events, Keselowski and the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger team are ranked 18th in the NASCAR Cup Series (NSCS) driver and owner point standings. The team is coming off its second win of the season in the Good Sam RV Insurance 500 at Pocono Raceway last week. Keselowski now holds the No. 1 wild card position for the 2011 Chase for the Championship.
· Gutting it Out…Needing a win to improve his chances to make the 2011 Chase for the Championship, Keselowski pulled off one of the more gutsy victories in recent sports memory as he took the checkered flag in last weekend’s race at Pocono. Racing with a fractured left ankle and strained back due to an accident last week while testing at Road Atlanta, Keselowski was able to hold off the No. 18 of Kyle Busch over the final laps for his second win of the season.
· Head2Head Knockout… Keselowski is one of 16 drivers remaining in the DIRECTV Head2Head Knockout on ESPN.com beginning this weekend at Pocono. This “March Madness” style bracket challenge will raise money for each driver’s favorite charity. Keselowski will participate on behalf of the Paralyzed Veterans of America.
· Paul Wolfe Homecoming… Crew chief Paul Wolfe will be making a return to his “home” track for the first time as crew chief of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge this weekend. Wolfe grew up 150 miles east of WGI in the town of Milford, NY. He has competed in one Nationwide Series race and four K&N Pro Series East (KNPSE) races at WGI. His best finish of third came in a KNPSE race in 2001.
· Meet Brad… Keselowski will make an appearance at Bleachers located at 413 N. Franklin Street in Watkins Glen, N.Y., on Thursday, August 11 at 8:00 pm ET. .
· Go Right and Choose Light… The featured tag line on the bumper of the “Blue Deuce” this weekend at Watkins Glen International will be “Go Right and Choose Light.” Watkins Glen is one of two road courses on the NSCS schedule where drivers will make both left- and right-hand turns.
· The Rest is History... Roger Penske-owned entries have made a combined 85 starts in 10 different series at WGI, including the Cup Series, Indy car, Formula 1 and Grand-Am. The organization has produced 12 victories over the years at the famed circuit. In the first Cup Series start for Penske Racing at WGI in 1991, Rusty Wallace raced his way from a 20th-place starting position to finish fourth.
Brad Keselowski on Watkins Glen International “Watkins Glen is an extremely fast road course. It’s not nearly as technical as Sonoma and it doesn’t require as much finesse, but you still have to hit your marks. At the Glen you need to concentrate on where you can brake heavily and where you can put the power down when you need to so that you carry big runs down the straightaway. To me, Watkins Glen is more of a stock car driver’s road course. You can throw your car around a little more than Sonoma, especially with the new runoff areas, because you don’t have to worry about getting stuck in the sand traps anymore. I’m still learning how to be a better road course racer, but it’s starting to click with me.
Brad Keselowski on how his injuries are healing “I felt much better on Monday after a good night’s rest. A win is good medicine too. It’s just going to take time to let everything heal properly. Good racecars make it very easy on you when you’re hurt or sick and Paul (Wolfe, crew chief) has been building excellent cars this season. If there is a silver lining to the wreck at Road Atlanta, it’s that we weren’t testing our primary car for Watkins Glen. It’s still in one piece and it’s the same car that we finished inside the top-10 with at Sonoma. It will still be uncomfortable in the car this weekend, but I’ll have to man up one more time because we don’t have time to let injuries get in the way of making the Chase.”
Crew chief Paul Wolfe on preparing a car for Watkins Glen, which is his home track “I’m a big fan of Watkins Glen. Going there brings back a lot of memories from my first visits to the track when I was a kid. I still have some family and friends that are in the area, so it’s good to see them while there. The Glen is a high-speed course that is well-suited for stock cars. There is actually some banking in some of the corners and you don’t have to be as technical as you do at Infineon (Raceway). You really have to pay attention to forward drive throughout the race at the Glen. The goal is to find a balance that will allow you to pit early and also race hard at the end.”
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