NSCS: Brad Keselowski Overcomes Penalty for Fifth Place Finish

Despite having a loose wheel and being penalized with 75 laps to go on pit road, Brad Keselowski was able to fight back to a fifth place finish on Saturday night at Texas Motor Speedway.

“We had a really strong car,” he commented. “It’s just that the 4 (Kevin Harvick), the 48 (Jimmie Johnson) and at times the 88 (Dale Earnhardt Jr.) was just a little bit stronger than both Joey and I. We did everything we could. We threw everything we could at them and just weren’t close enough speed-wise to get what we wanted out of it, but it was still a great day for the Miller Lite Ford and a lot to be proud of.”

Keselowski put himself into the top-five early on in the race, but was forced to make an unscheduled pit stop at lap 66 for a loose wheel. He would catch a break, though, as the field cycled through their green flag stops with a caution coming out at lap 109 before he had to return to pit road for fuel. The leaders also came down pit road when he did, so it allowed him to return to the same pit cycle, running back within the top-five.

Keselowski continued to run up front and keep himself in position, leading up to a crucial round of stops with 75 laps to go. Trying to decide whether to pit or not, Keselowski made his decision too late to stay out, crossing the commitment line before diving away from pit road. As a result, he would have to restart at the back of the field for the restart.

“Sorry, I didn’t see it,” he told the team on the radio afterwards. “I couldn’t see it quick enough. Sorry about that.”

He then worked his way back up through the field, using the last series of restarts to keep caught up and passing cars en route to the top-five finish.

For the Michigan native, it keeps his positive season so far going as he has a win, three top-fives and six top-10s in the seven races this season, having the previous champion sitting seventh in points.

With a win already to lock himself into the Chase, he’s going to be one of the drivers to watch over the course of the rest of the season.