‘Lifeblood’ of racing keeps Keselowski moving
BROOKLYN >> Brad Keselowski might be tuned into the economics of NASCAR as much as any driver.
The Rochester Hills native certainly has a background that educated him about the business side of racing.
Keselowski’s father and uncle were racers and car owners. Brad drove at the grassroots level of the sport, and he owned a NASCAR truck team.
So, uneventful as it might have been for the average fan, Keselowski chalked this up as a good week with the announcement that Discount Tire and Team Penske agreed to continue their sponsorship agreement for the No. 2 Ford in the Cup series.
“It is the lifeblood of the team,” Keselowski, 35, said of sponsorship, forever a staple in racing. “It determines winners and losers before the race has even started.
“If you don’t have a fast car, you are not going to win in this sport.”
Discount Tire, based in Ann Arbor, agreed to be the primary
sponsor on Keselowski’s car for 15 races, five more than its previous deal called for, including the 2020 Daytona 500 and the Brickyard 400, two of NASCAR’s signature events.
“Their willingness to continue to commit means to me, personally, that I will continue to have those opportunities and blessings to continue to have cars that can win races,” said Keselowski, who will start from the pole position in the Consumers Energy 400 at Michigan International Speedway on Sunday.
An avid user of social media, who once tweeted from inside his car during a Daytona 500 that was under red flag conditions, Keselowski keeps current on NASCAR rumors, feuds and news.
The playoff-bound driver admitted that sponsorship
announcements don’t grab his attention they way they should.
“I see a press release that so-and-so’s sponsor has reupped, (and) I just click and move away,” Keselowski said. “I am so caught up in the headlines and performances and who bumped who, and who is leading the points and has the most wins.
“The reality is that it all connects. The sponsorship announcements are telling you the future.”
Sponsorship deals come in all sizes and dollar amounts.
“It might be pennies for a few races or mega-bucks for decades,” Keselowski said. “It is hard to get a scale of those things, but the scale determines your ability to engineer and develop in the sport.”
The status of Miller Lite, another primary sponsor of Keselowski cars, is unclear for 2020.
“I would fully expect
them to be on the car next year,” Keselowski said.
Keselowski is winless in 20 Cup starts at MIS. He has six top-five finishes on the 2-mile oval.
“I thought we were more than capable of winning,” Keselowski said, recalling the June race when he finished sixth and teammate Joey Logano won. “We had a pit road issue very close to the end when we were in a position to grab the lead and take control of the race. That was really frustrating.
“This race track means a lot to me for a lot of reasons. With family and friends and being my home track, closest to my home, you just want to impress. You want to do a good job in front of your family. You want to kind of show them what you are made of and make them proud.”
Erik Jones, another Michigan racer, posted a lap of 189.843 mph Saturday. That was the fastest in the final practice.
Alex Bowman in the No. 88 Chevrolet, Kevin Harvick (No. 4 Ford), Austin Dillon (No. 3 Chevy) and Daniel Saurez (No. 41 Ford) completed the top five.
Keselowski was 13th at 188.077.
Jones, a Byron native, flipped the script from qualifying. His No. 20 Toyota was 16th in time trials Friday. Denny Hamlin in the No. 11 was 14th, the best qualifying performance of any Toyota.
“Everything has to fall your way and you have to execute as well, but that didn’t happen for us here (in June) and it hasn’t happened for us,” Keselowski said.
The Consumers Energy 400 will be televised by NBCSN at 3 p.m.