Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A win for all the ages
Young Keselowski, veteran Penske find racing summit
HOMESTEAD — NASCAR’s future and its old guard etched their way into NASCAR history Sunday with a dash of champagne, a trickle of tears and a little bit of a beer buzz.
Brad Keselowski, a 28-year-old who rose from the abyss of a family bankruptcy, and owner Roger Penske, a 75-year-old motor sports icon, rose together as NASCAR’s wonderful odd couple.
A kid who feels naked without his cell phone, who tweets incessantly, coupled with a man who has spent a good portion of his life on a rotary phone. Who knew? Together, they dialed up the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup title, easily running away from a perennial champion while embracing all the demands that fall on the guy running at the head of the pack on the last race of the season.
“We did it,” Keselowski said during a live interview on “SportsCenter,” holding a large glass of Miller Lite and admittedly feeling a bit of a buzz. “Why make it any more complicated than that?”
To his point, itwas easy peasy. Jimmie Johnson had to make up 20 points on Keselowski, and looked like he might have a shot at it until a loose lug nut began the quirky events that denied a fabulous finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Johnson, a five-time champion, ended his day in the garage, with his team frantically trying to put his No. 48 Chevy back in racing shape after a gear fail- ure sent him to the garage with 40 laps to go.
That was preceded by a loose lug nut during a pit stop with 54 laps to go — and a one-lap penalty— the first shot to the heart that essentially destroyed Johnson’s day.
“It all unraveled pretty quickly,” Johnson said. “I don’t know why or when the gear failed; I knew it was going to be fatal.”
“When Jimmie lost that lug nut, it gave us four aces in our hand,” Penske said. Game over. Keselowski finished 15th to easily capture the title by 39 points over Bowyer and 40 over Johnson.
Jeff Gordon, Johnson’s Hendrick Motorsports teammate, won the race, followed by his contentious sparring partner, Clint Bowyer. There were no incidents between the drivers, despite the drama that unfolded at Phoenix last week.
Keselowski celebrated first NASCAR Cup victory, to go along with his Nationwide title in 2010.
There was an obviously sentimental twist beyond Keselowski’s story of perseverance.
Penske has a distinguished history in motor sports— his IndyCar teams have won 15 Indianapolis 500s and12 championships — but this marked his first NASCAR title.