2011 Daytona 500: Brian Keselowski Could Be NASCAR's Greatest Underdog

If you found yourself wondering where Brian Keselowski came from to finish fifth in the second Gatorade 150 Duel, you weren't alone.

The 29-year-old brother of the No. 2 Miller Lite car's Brad Keselowski, has yet to compete in a Sprint Cup Series event. Over the last five years, he has raced in 60 Nationwide Events and only once finished in the top-10. 

Combine those stats with the fact that he's driving a four-year-old Dodge Charger, had only two crew members and one set of tires, and you'd think Brian had no business being at Daytona this week.

But after Thursday's finish in the Duel, you would be alone if you weren't rooting for this amazing underdog.

Brian described the last few laps of the race by saying, "I couldn't see, I was crying in the car."  

Instantly, Brian Keselowski became the feel-good story of the week and the rest of the NASCAR garage wanted to show their support. Penske Racing offered him a new race motor, only to find that it wouldn't fit because Keselowski's car is from 2006.

Evernham Motorsports has helped him out with his tire situation, and he's patching together a pit-crew from various other crews. The previously unsponsored car will now be sporting a Discount Tire logo across its hood when it takes the green flag on Sunday.

Brian has managed to earn a lot of respect in the garage quickly because he's a mechanic/crewman/driver all in one, a throwback to how things once were in NASCAR.

Had Brian not qualified for the Daytona 500, there was a good chance that his team wouldn't have made it to next week's race in Phoenix. However, now that he's in the race, he's guaranteed at least $243,000 to help pay the bills and keep his race team alive.

While the odds are against Brian Keselowski being one of the serious contenders at Sunday's Daytona 500, we have seen unheralded drivers come out of nowhere to win this race before, remember Derrick Cope?

So while you'll likely be watching the Jimmie Johnson's and Kurt Busch's battle it out at the front of the pack on Sunday, keep an eye out for a white No. 92 car driven by Brian Keselowski because everyone loves a good underdog story.