A Confident Keselowski Stays Hot in Opening Round of 2014 NASCAR Chase

Rarely at a loss for words, Brad Keselowski found himself speechless in Victory Lane on Sunday.

“I am not really sure what to say. I don’t really know what happened I just know we got to the lead,” he told a live television audience.

His pass for the lead left the rest of us speechless, too. It was a daring, bold move between two drivers in the heat of battle for the top spot.

“I just saw a hole, and I went for it,” explained Keslowski in the post-race press conference. “The 4 (Kevin Harvick) and the 42 (Kyle Larson) were racing really hard, doing all the things they needed to do. It just opened a hole. I didn't know if my car would stick or not, but I knew I'd regret it if I didn't try it. I tried it."

The move put Keselowski out front, and despite a late-race restart with six laps to go, he stayed there to take the checkered flag. 

It was the kind of performance you find yourself easily describing as “championship-caliber,” and you’d be right. Keselowski’s win in the opening round of the 10-race Chase for the Sprint Cup was a bold reminder that, despite what the oddsmakers say (according to Racer.com, they have picked Harvick to win the title), Keselowski is indeed the man to beat for the 2014 title.

In 2012, when he beat Jimmie Johnson for the top spot, his was a young unit, driving over other teams' heads and taking on the best in the business and winning. The combination of him and crew chief Paul Wolfe clicked, winning five races in an incredible season that ended up with the championship.

Keselowski wasn’t supposed to win it all in 2012. Now, he is.

He shared his excitement via Twitter:

It’s easy now to forget that last season he and his team struggled. Was it because the previous year was a fluke? Could they not repeat? After winning five races in 2012, Keselowski won only once in 2013—at Charlotte. Even then, it was late in the season.

And while many were top fives, nine of them in fact, the wins weren’t there, and the season ended in a disappointment for Keselowski. He knew he could win races, yet he just couldn’t get the job done.

At the end of 2013, Keselowski was written off as a one-hit wonder, capable of landing that one punch that could knock out the champ. But he was not seen as the driver who could seriously challenge the domination of the sport by Johnson. He was instead characterized as just another young, outspoken driver whose mouth often got him into trouble.

That all would change this season, as his win at Las Vegas in just the third race planted the seeds of confidence in Keselowski. It’s those seeds that have produced five wins, with several (Loudon, Kentucky and last week at Richmond) coming in dominant fashion, making him the obvious favorite for the title.

History is on the side of the race winner of the first round. Since the Chase opener was moved to Chicagoland Speedway in 2011, three of the last four race victors have gone on to win the title. Matt Kenseth in 2013 is the exception, finishing second in the championship to Johnson.

However, this is just a first step on a long journey that ends in Homestead.

“Today was about as much of a statement as you can make on a Week 1 with 10 weeks to go,” said Keselowski in the post-race press conference. “I don't want to understate it but certainly don't want to overstate it. It's a hard balance.”

Asked earlier in the week, if he felt more confident this year entering the Chase, Keselowski replied, “Yeah, I definitely feel more confident this year than in 2012. I have another two years of hopefully wisdom, and we have had dominant performances to win three of our four races. I think those are some great reasons to be more confident.”

The Keselowski of two years ago wouldn’t have had the patience and focus it took to come from the back of the field—twice. The first was because the field was set by practice speeds, and he started 25th. The second was because of a pit-road miscue, which forced him back onto pit road and a restart at the tail end of the field. His poise at every restart, when it’s easy to spin your tires and lose track position, was obvious.

It was his final restart that won the race.

“The outside groove was very, very difficult to get a good restart without wheel spin,” said Keselowski in the post-race press conference. “Then we had a great one there the last one. We just put it all together, and that was very, very special.”

So, while all the other teams in the Chase are figuring out a way to win next weekend at New Hampshire, Wolfe has a very different agenda. 

“Not having stress so much over the next two races, we can put a little more focus on how we can be better at the three races in Round 2, maybe that helps us a little bit,” said Wolfe in the post-race press conference.

“We're going to continue to work hard. We're not going to go on vacation here for the next two weeks. We're going to continue to try to make our race cars better and be prepared really well for Round 2.”

For the next two weekends, his team gets a reprieve from having to win. 

Except in NASCAR, you’re always racing for a win.

All quotes are taken from official NASCAR, team and manufacturer media releases unless otherwise stated.

Bob Margolis is a member of the National Motorsports Press Association and has covered NASCAR, IndyCar, the NHRA and Sports Cars for more than two decades as a writer, television producer and on-air talent. 

On Twitter: @BobMargolis