Keselowski dominates Martinsville
Team Penske driver racks up 2nd 2019 Cup win
MARTINSVILLE, Va. – Brad Keselowski delivered a totally dominating and near-perfect performance at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday, winning his second Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race this season.
With a stellar outing that made for a slightly boring race, the No. 2 Ford driver led 446 laps and took the checkered flag in the STP 500. That’s the most laps led by a Martinsville winner in the sport’s modern era.
“The stats make it look a little bit more dominant than I think it really was,” Keselowski said at his news conference.
Chase Elliott stole the lead from Keselowski during the third stage of the race and held it for 49 laps. But Keselowski took it back with 127 laps remaining after winning the battle off pit road during a caution and never gave it up.
“I thought Chase was probably the best car for most of the day today,” Keselowski continued. “He passed me there with (175) to go, and thought that might be the end of our day. But I was able to learn a few things from him and dissect the strengths and weaknesses and make some adjustments of our own.”
Elliott, in the No. 9 Chevrolet, spent the final laps riding Keselowski’s bumper trying to make a move. But with two to go, the No. 2 Ford pulled ahead by 3 car lengths and about half a second.
“I felt like we were about as even with (Keselowski) as we could be,” said Elliott, who earned his first top-5 finish along with his first laps out front this season. “When I did get the lead, I felt like there was a little advantage to being out front and being able to work traffic your way and play off it and whatnot.
“But, yeah, I tried to move up there at the end, and I don’t know if I could have got to him. Maybe if I moved up a little sooner — maybe.”
All six 2019 races have been won by either Team Penske or Joe Gibbs Racing drivers. Keselowski also won at Atlanta Motor Speedway in February, a victory that automatically qualified him for the 16-driver, 10-race playoffs in the fall.
After winning the last two Cup races, Kyle Busch came in third and was followed by Ryan Blaney, Denny Hamlin, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Martin Truex Jr., Aric Almirola and Daniel Suarez to close out the top 10.
With Keselowski’s commanding performance for his 29th career Cup Series win, he helped Team Penske prove that as of late, it’s the team to beat at Martinsville. In the last five races at the .526-mile paperclip-shaped short track, Keselowski has led for 712 (almost 24 percent) of 3,005 total laps, which included winning the 2017 spring race and taking home his first grandfather clock trophy. The 35-year-old driver has finished in the top 10 in seven consecutive Martinsville races going back to the 2016 fall race.
“Tough day — it’s hard to be good here for 500 laps,” the No. 2 Ford crew chief Paul Wolfe said. “And pit road was a big part of it. The guys on pit road were flawless all day, were able to keep the lead when we came in and able to come off strong.”
Team Penske has won the last two Martinsville races with reigning Cup Series champion Joey Logano taking the checkered flag at the playoff race in October. He and his No. 22 Ford team started on the pole Sunday and ultimately finished 19th.
“Pit road, spotter, driver, crew chief, and all that stuff: It all comes together, and it’s a special feeling when it does,” Keselowski said. “It really is a team sport. I get probably 90 percent of the glory on the days like today, but sometimes, I feel like I only do 10 percent of the work.”