Early in his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series career, Brad Keselowski was offered some wisdom from former driver and owner, current NASCAR of Fox broadcaster, Phil Parsons. It’s what Keselowski called upon when RACER asked him to sum up making it to 300 career starts in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series.
“He said, ‘Brad, you want to know when you’ve had a successful career? You’re not going to believe me, but it’s when you’ve hit the wall at every track,’” said Keselowski, who of course brushed the idea off. “He said, ‘No, no. This is the deal: If you hit the wall at every track you’ve been around a long time, because I guarantee you’re racing at the edge.’
“So, when you hit the wall at every racetrack, you know you’ve had a successful career because nobody fired you. I’ve hit the wall at every track, by the way. Some more than once.”
Whether it’s a wall scrape or crash, they all readily come to mind for Keselowski. What wasn’t as easy for Brad to believe is that he is indeed making his 300th start this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway, nearly nine years after his first.
Laughing at this revelation, Keselowski asked if that was right. Assured the math was correct, Keselowski said getting to this point is like aging. Some days you feel younger, some days you feel older.
It was Nov. 2, 2008 when Keselowski climbed behind the wheel of the No. 25 Chevrolet for Rick Hendrick. He had been scheduled to make his first start a few weeks prior at Charlotte, but when rain washed out qualifying Keselowski was left without a spot on the grid.
In Texas, the 24-year-old’s first Cup Series qualifying attempt wasn’t a highlight as he clocked in 37th. But Keselowski was in the field for the first time and knew he had a car capable of running much better.
“You know what, I remember taking a picture with Rick Hendrick in front of the car,” Keselowski said. “I remember the car was dirty, which kind of embarrassed me; I felt bad for him. And I remember running the race and thinking I’m in way over my head.”
However, his showing wasn’t terrible. Keselowski finished 19th, besting the likes of Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kasey Kahne, Ryan Newman and even future teammate Joey Logano.
“I remember the car was really good – it was better than I was and I was really proud of that,” he said. “It was a good start to my Cup career.”
To end the season, Keselowski ran in the season finale at Homestead, finishing 23rd. The following year things started to pick up. Still running a limited schedule, Keselowski split time between competing for Hendrick and James Finch, who used Hendrick equipment.
In his fifth career start – third of the 2009 season – Keselowski pulled off the upset at, ironically enough, Talladega. Tandem drafting with Carl Edwards coming to the checked flag, Keselowski tried high, was blocked and then dived to the inside of Edwards. When Edwards tried to come back down in the tri-oval, it was too late. The two made contact. Edwards crashed wildly, and Keselowski crossed the line for his first career win.
“I thought my first win would come a lot later,” Keselowski said of being just as surprised as everyone else. “I thought my second win would come a lot sooner. So, I guess it averaged out.”
A career of highlights
For 2010, Keselowski left the Hendrick system to take a full-time deal with Team Penske. It’s safe to say his first year was nothing like the Keselowski performance we are used to seeing now. The team struggled to two top-10 finishes and Keselowski finished 25th in points. His rivalry with Edwards was a central topic, escalating at Atlanta when the two made contact early in the race. Edwards returned to the track and retaliated, sending Keselowski into a flip on the frontstretch (below).
Looking back, Keselowski admits he wasn’t sure he had actually flipped and needed someone to confirm it for him. While his eyes were partially closed, he said he doesn’t think he wanted to believe it.
“Then it kind of sank in what happened, and it’s like, ‘Whoa.’ That was one for the memory books, for sure,” he said. “I remember all of it. I just didn’t believe I flipped. In a stock car. At a mile-and-a-half. In the air.”
The controversy with Edwards was nothing but foreshadowing. Keselowski has made a career of being as noteworthy on the track with his success and run-ins as he has been off it for his open and honest opinions. In 299 starts, Keselowski has already experienced a career full of accomplishments and highlights.
Twenty-three wins, 87 top fives, and 143 top-10 finishes make up Keselowski’s resume in addition to 14 poles and 5,477 laps led. Aside from his first full season, Keselowski has finished no worse than 14th in points.
Keselowski has raced with family, pushing his brother, Brian, into the 2011 Daytona 500. There was that time he raced at Pocono (also 2011) with a broken ankle suffered earlier in the week during a testing crash. Yes, he won that race. Along the way, he’s perfected fuel mileage races and won when his back was against the wall in the playoffs (see Talladega, 2014).
The Michigan native also knows what it’s like to be atop the NASCAR mountain. It took just three years, but in 2012 Keselowski won five races and the series championship. At the time, he was 28 years old and had just nine career wins. It seemed improbable not just because team owner Roger Penske had never won a stock car championship, but the timing of it all.
It had to have been an are-you-kidding-me? moment for Keselowski, as well.
“It felt really good. I never thought I’d have the opportunity to drive for great teams and so forth and I was, of course, just thrilled to have that,” Keselowski said. “And to be able to win like that. It felt really good.
“But I’m kind of stuck in this spot now where it’s like, one is good, two is better. Maybe I’m being greedy. But I wouldn’t trade it for anything.”
That drive is what has pushed Keselowski to reach 300 starts this weekend, and it will continue to push him going forward. Realizing that has come with the time Keselowski has put in at this level, which will hit its 10-year anniversary in the near future.
When asked how he’s changed as a driver, Keselowski says he has more confidence now than he did back in Texas on that November day. Endurance is another thing Keselowski thinks about – 500-mile races no longer faze him.
Keselowski the person? Well, 300 starts have played a part there, too.
“Gosh. Probably just a little more happier and comfortable in my shoes,” Keselowski said, “as everyone gets when they grow up.”