Team Penske | Drivers | Brad Keselowski

Birth Date: Feb, 12, 1984
Height: 6' 0"
Birth Place: Rochester Hills, Mich.
Weight: 170 lbs.
Residence: Mooresville, NC
Twitter: @keselowski
Facebook: @BradKeselowski
Car: Ford Mustang (MENCS)
Ford Mustang (NXS)
Crew Chief: Paul Wolfe (MENCS)
Brian Wilson (NXS)
Primary Sponsor: Discount Tire, Miller Lite, Wurth, Alliance Truck Parts, Autotrader, REESE/Draw-Tite, Wabash, Snap-on (MENCS)
Discount Tire, REV, Snap-on (NXS)

Biography

The 2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) season marks Brad Keselowski’s 10th full season driving for Roger Penske. With his first victory of the year, the Rochester Hills, Michigan native will surpass Mark Donohue as the all-time winningest driver in the history of Team Penske.

While those accomplishments are certainly impressive, Keselowski is more focused on delivering another MENCS championship for the Mooresville, N.C.-based organization.

During the 2018 season, Keselowski’s accomplishments certainly placed him in serious title contention. He scored three dramatic wins and earned a trip to the NASCAR Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season. Keselowski advanced to the Round of 8 before misfortune in three consecutive races derailed his championship hopes, as he completed the season ranked eighth in the final driver standings.

All three of Keselowski’s MENCS victories in 2018 had historical significance for Team Penske. His first win of the season came in the Bojangles’ Southern 500 on Labor Day weekend at historic Darlington Raceway. The victory was Keselowski’s first in 10 races at Darlington and was the first for Team Penske at the historic 1.366 mile South Carolina speedway since Bobby Allison swept both races in 1975.

The second victory came just eight days later at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Keselowski grabbed the lead with two laps to go and steadily pulled away over the final five miles, giving Roger Penske and the team its first Cup Series win at the legendary 2.5-mile speedway since stock cars began racing there in 1994.

Biography

While those accomplishments are certainly impressive, Keselowski is more focused on delivering another MENCS championship for the Mooresville, N.C.-based organization.

Just six days later Keselowski scored one of the biggest wins of his NASCAR career at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 2 Ford Fusion produced Team Penske’s 500^th all-time win and with the victory Keselowski tied Donohue, a true racing legend, for the most triumphs in team history. The performance also propelled Keselowski into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Unfortunately, Keselowski was eliminated from the Playoffs after the October race at Kansas Speedway but he finished the season with an impressive 12 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes while he led 705 total laps in the No. 2 Ford Fusion.

In addition to his MENCS accomplishments in 2018, Keselowski continued to deliver for Team Penske’s NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) team. The 2010 NXS champ earned a series win for the 10th time in his last 11 seasons. He produced a remarkable three wins and two poles in just five NXS races for the team.

In 2017, Keselowski entered the MENCS season as one of the pre-season favorites to take home his second career series championship, to go along with 2012 Cup Series title. Keselowski and the No. 2 Crew did not disappoint as they advanced to the Championship 4 during Ford Championship Weekend at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Along the way, the team won three races, scored 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes. Keselowski also won two poles, including the first of his career at Michigan International Speedway – his home track.

Although the Cup Series championship eluded Team Penske in 2017, Keselowski was part of an all-star cast of drivers that contributed to the organization winning its fourth NASCAR XFINITY Series Owner Championship for Roger Penske.

For the 2019 season, Paul Wolfe returns for his ninth year as crew chief for the No. 2 Ford team, with a new challenge of adapting to much-anticipated new Ford Mustang in MENCS competition. The Keselowski-Wolfe duo is now the longest tenured driver-crew chief pairing in NASCAR’s premiere series. For the second consecutive season, Discount Tire returns a primary sponsor for the No. 2 Ford. Discount Tire and Keselowski have a winning history together as the company was the primary partner of the driver’s NXS championship-winning entry in 2010. Discount Tire has continued as a primary sponsor of the No. 22 Ford Mustang in the NXS over the last several seasons, winning four Owner Championships with Team Penske.

Miller Lite will return to Team Penske for its 29th season on the No. 2 car, a partnership that dates back to 1991 with NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace. Wurth, Alliance Truck Parts, AutoTrader, Wabash, REESE/Draw-Tite and Snap-on will also serve as primary sponsors on the No. 2 Ford with Keselowski behind the wheel this season.

Keselowski will also continue to compete in select NXS races for Team Penske in 2019.

Having been raised in a racing family, Keselowski embodies the “Effort Equals Results” mentality that is a common theme throughout the Team Penske organization. The former Cup Series champ worked full-time for his family’s NASCAR Camping World Truck Series team while managing his own short track career racing Factory Stocks and Limited and Super Late Models.

The first big break of Keselowski’s young career came in 2007 when he competed for Germain Racing at Memphis Motorsports Park. He won the pole and led 62 laps, a performance that ultimately landed him a ride in Dale Earnhardt Jr.’s No. 88 NXS full-time entry just two weeks later. In 2008, Keselowski won two races for JR Motorsports and in 2009 he claimed his first MENCS victory driving for James Finch at Talladega Superspeedway. Keselowski caught the eye of team owner Roger Penske, who hired him to compete full-time for his team in 2010. Since joining Team Penske, Keselowski has won a remarkable 53 races (combined in MENCS and NXS competition), the team’s first MENCS championship, an NXS Driver title and four NXS Owner Championships.

Away from the racetrack, Keselowski married his longtime girlfriend Paige White in February of 2017 and the two live in North Carolina with their daughter Scarlett. Both Brad and Paige are active with Brad Keselowski’s Checkered Flag Foundation, which honors and assists those who have sacrificed greatly for our country. Since 2010, the foundation has supported over 50 organizations and individuals in order to help veterans and first responders during their road to recovery.

Keselowski Key Accomplishments

2012 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Champion
2010 NASCAR XFINITY Series Champion
Qualified for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs seven out of the last eight years
Produced Team Penske’s 500^th all-time victory in September 2018 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway
Scored the first Brickyard 400 victory for Roger Penske at Indianapolis Motor Speedway (25 starts) in 2018
Won the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway in 2018 for Team Penske’s first Darlington victory since Bobby Allison’s wins in 1975.
Winningest active Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series driver on restrictor plate tracks (six victories)
27 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Victories entering 2019
Earned Team Penske’s 100^th Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series victory in 2016
Helped win four NASCAR XFINITY Series Owner Championships for Team Penske
Has led over 11,000 laps in NASCAR’s three national touring series
Three-time NASCAR XFINITY Series Most Popular Driver as voted by fans

Career Highlights

2018 - Captures three of the biggest races of the season in consecutive weeks including the Southern 500 at Darlington Raceway, the Brickyard 400 at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the inaugural September race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Darlington win represents his first in one of NASCAR's crown jewel events and was the first at Darlington for Team Penske since Bobby Allison's triumphs in 1976. The Brickyard 400 victory was Roger Penske's first since NASCAR began competing at the 2.5-mile speedway in 1994. Records the 500th victory for Team Penske with the Las Vegas win while vaulting into the Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. Qualifies for the NASCAR Playoffs for the fifth consecutive season and finishes eighth in the championship by claiming 12 top-five and 20 top-10 finishes while leading 705 laps. Earns three wins in just five NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) starts with victories at ISM Raceway, Charlotte and Darlington. Scores three poles and five top-10 finishes in five NXS races.

2017 - Makes fourth consecutive appearance in the NASCAR Playoffs after posting two wins (Atlanta and Martinsville) in the regular season. Adds a victory at Talladega Superspeedway in the Playoffs and ultimately earns a spot in the Championship 4 at Homestead-Miami Speedway. Completes the season fourth in the series standings. In addition to three wins, posts 15 top-five and 21 top-10 finishes, claims two pole positions and leads 778 laps in the No. 2 Miller Lite/Alliance Truck Parts/Wurth/AutoTrader/Fitzgerald Glider Kits Ford Fusion. Competes in nine NASCAR XFINITY Series races, producing two wins (Pocono and Richmond) and nine top-10 finishes while contributing to Team Penske’s fourth Owner Championship in the series.

2016 - Qualifies for his third consecutive Playoffs – and the fifth in six years – finishing 12th in the final Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series (MENCS) standings. Ties for second in the MENCS with four wins on the year. Wins his first career race at Daytona International Speedway – the 100th Cup Series win for Team Penske – in July. Also scores wins at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Talladega Superspeedway and Kentucky Speedway. Finishes with five top-five and 12 top-10 results in 15 NASCAR XFINITY Series starts helping the No. 22 Ford Mustang team race their way to the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway with a shot to win a fourth consecutive NXS Owner Championship. Gets engaged to long-time girlfriend, Paige White after the season.

2015 - Earns a spot in the Playoffs for the fourth time in five years. Earns Coors Light Pole Awards at Darlington, Kansas and Texas. Leads the final lap at Fontana's Auto Club Speedway for his 17th Sprint Cup Series career win. Produces an average starting spot of 10.0 and an average finishing position of 11.1 (second best in his career). Posts five runner-up finishes. Scores single-season career-high 25 top-10 results. Makes second consecutive Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Playoffs where he is knocked out in the Eliminator Round. Runs at the finish of 35 races and is on the lead lap in a career-best 31 events. Leads 1,185 laps - the second-highest single season total of his career. Captures nine top-eight finishes among his nine NASCAR XFINITY Series starts, including eight top-fives and victories at Texas and Kentucky. Helps the No. 22 team earn its third consecutive NXS Owner Championship. Moves to fourth on the all-time NXS win list with 34 career victories.

Career Highlights

2014 - Produces a series-leading six victories piloting the No. 2 Miller Lite/Alliance Truck Parts/Wurth Ford Fusion. Captures a single season career-high five pole positions. Earns a spot in the Cup Series Playoffs and finishes fifth in the final series standings. Sweeps both the NASCAR XFINITY Series and Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race weekends at Las Vegas and New Hampshire. Wins back-to-back races at Richmond and Chicagoland. Produces Team Penske's 400 all-time race win with victory at Richmond. Helps the No. 22 Discount Tire/Hertz Ford team earn its second-consecutive NASCAR XFINITY Series Owner Championship with a team-leading five victories and five poles. Moves into fifth on the NXS all-time wins list with 32 career victories.

2013 - Completes third season behind the wheel of the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion. Scores one win at Charlotte Motor Speedway and one pole at New Hampshire Motor Speedway. Finishes 14th in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series standings. Helps No. 22 Discount Tire/Hertz Ford Mustang team win the first NASCAR XFINITY Series (NXS) owner’s title for Team Penske with six wins in 15 starts. Adds an additional win when he captures the checkered flag in the final NXS race of the year at Homestead-Miami Speedway in the No. 48 Discount Tire Ford, his first start in that car. Moves into seventh place on the NXS all-time wins list with 27 career victories.

2012 - Wins Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series championship in the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, the first in the history of Penske Racing. Posts wins at Bristol, Talladega and Kentucky in the regular season and Chicago and Dover during the Chase for a career best five Cup Series wins. Also establishes career highs with 13 top-five and 23 top-10 finishes and 735 laps led. Earns the top-spot in the Playoffs after securing nine top-10 finishes in the 10 races leading up to the postseason. Also competes in 21 XFINITY Series races in the No. 22 Discount Tire/Snap-on Dodge with wins at Charlotte, Loudon and the inaugural series race at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

2011 - Takes over the reins of the iconic No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in the NASCAR Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and still competes in the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge in the NASCAR XFINITY Series. Produces three wins, 10 top-five finishes and one pole award to secure a spot in the 2011 Cup Series Playoffs. Finishes fifth in the final Cup Series standings. Earns five NXS wins to give him a total of 11 over the last two seasons. Helps secure a fifth-place finish in the NXS owner points standings for the No. 22 Dodge. Wins the Dale Earnhardt Tough Driver Award from The Sporting News for racing, and winning, following a broken ankle suffered in a testing incident at Road Atlanta in August.

2010 - Competes in his first full season in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series, as well as his first full season with Team Penske. Races in both the Cup Series and NASCAR XFINITY Series. Produces six wins, five poles and a series-record 26 top-five finishes on his way to the XFINITY Series championship in the No. 22 Discount Tire/Ruby Tuesday Dodge. Wins third-consecutive NXS Most Popular Driver award. Earns two top-10 finishes and his first career Cup Series pole award driving the No. 12 Penske Dodge. Selected to drive the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge in 2011.

2009 - Joins Team Penske in September and is named to drive the No.12 Penske Dodge Charger in the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series and the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge in the NASCAR XFINITY Series beginning in 2010. Returns to the seat of the No. 88 entry for JR. Motorsports in the NXS. Produces four wins, two poles, 22 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes while leading over 380 laps. Posts victories at Dover, Iowa, Michigan and Memphis. For second consecutive year, finishes third in XFINITY Series point standings – the highest-ranked driver not competing full-time in the NASCAR Cup Series. Wins series’ Most Popular Driver award for the second consecutive year. Captures his first Cup Series win at Talladega Superspeedway in April. Makes 15 Cup Series starts in all and records four top-10 finishes. Teams up with Team Penske for the final three races of the Cup Series schedule driving the No. 12 Penske Dodge and earns top result of 25th at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

2008 - Competes with a full-season entry in the NASCAR XFINITY Series driving the No. 88 car for JR Motorsports. Earns his first series victory in June at Nashville Superspeedway. Posts second win of the season at the half-mile Bristol Motor Speedway in late August. In 35 starts, records two wins, 11 top-five, and 20 top-10 results, finishing third in the final series standings Makes his Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series debut at Texas Motor Speedway; starts 37th and finishes 19th. Named the Most Popular Driver in the XFINITY Series, an award voted on by the fans.

2007 - Begins the season racing the No. 23 machine in the XFINITY Series until the team suspends operations in June. Later that month, is asked to drive the No. 9 NASCAR Camping World Truck Series entry at Memphis Motorsports Park. Keselowski wins the pole, leads four times throughout the race and contends for the win. The performance catches the eye of Dale Earnhardt Jr. as Keselowski is hired by Earnhardt’s JR Motorsports team and debuts in the No. 88 entry at Chicagoland Speedway in July. In 14 starts behind the wheel of the No. 88 machine, scores five top-10 finishes for the team.

2006 - Races part-time in both the Camping World Truck Series and the XFINITY Series. Runs the first two races of the season for his family-owned K Automotive Motorsports team, before a lack of sponsorship causes the team to temporarily suspend operations. Fills in for the injured Kelly Sutton for two Truck Series races. Captures the 11th-place starting position behind the wheel of the Keith Coleman NXS entry at the season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

2005 - Competes in his first full-season in the Camping World Truck Series for his family’s K Automotive Motorsports squad. Posts one top-10 finish – at the season-opening event at Daytona International Speedway. Captures five top-15 results driving the No. 29 machine. Ranks 21st in the season-ending Truck Series driver standings.

2004 - Makes NASCAR debut driving the No. 29 K Automotive Motorsports machine in the Camping World Truck Series. His first race is at Martinsville Speedway, where he starts 26th and finishes in 33rd place. Makes seven more starts with his best finish coming at Mansfield, where he crossed the finish line in the 16th position.

2001 - 2003 - Races in Limited Late Model and Super Late Model on a limited basis. Earns earned five fast qualifier positions to go along with one feature win and five top-five finishes in 2001. Collects 11 fast qualifier positions, two Super Late Model wins, two Limited Late Model wins and nine top-five finishes over the 2002-03 seasons.

2000 - Begins racing stock cars in the Factory Stock division. Produces nine feature wins and earns Rookie-of-the-Year honors at two Michigan tracks – Auto City Speedway and Dixie Motor Speedway.

1998 - 1999 - Begins the transition to racing after working for his family’s team – K Automotive Motorsports. Competes in the Senior Honda 120 Quarter Midget division. Scores six feature wins in his first season in 1998. Graduates to the Senior Honda 160 Quarter Midget division in 1999 and wins eight feature races and the championship.

2019 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Season Statistics

Date	Event	Start	Finish	Points (Behind)	Rank (+/-)
2/17/19	Daytona 500	35	12	32 (-20)	11 (--)
2/24/19	Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500	19	1	72 (-15)	6 (+5)
3/3/19	Pennzoil 400 presented by Jiffy Lube	19	2	115 (-18)	5 (+1)
3/10/19	TicketGuardian 500	5	19	133 (-44)	8 (-3)
3/17/19	Auto Club 400	13	3	176 (-61)	5 (+3)
3/24/19	STP 500	3	1	236 (-37)	5 (--)
3/31/19	O'Reilly Auto Parts 500	12	36	237 (-73)	6 (-1)
4/7/19	Food City 500	12	18	271 (-90)	5 (+1)
4/13/19	Toyota Owners 400	8	7	313 (-87)	5 (--)
4/28/19	GEICO 500	4	13	337 (-93)	5 (--)
5/5/19	Gander RV 400	9	12	377 (-83)	6 (-1)
5/11/19	Digital Ally 400	4	1	421 (-57)	5 (+1)
5/18/19	Monster Energy NASCAR All-Star Race	14	11	NA	NA
5/26/19	Coca-Cola 600	21	19	459 (-69)	5 (--)
6/2/19	Pocono 400	5	2	509 (-59)	4 (+1)
6/10/19	FireKeepers Casino 400	8	6	541 (-73)	3 (+1)
6/23/19	Toyota / Save Mart 350	22	18	569 (-74)	4 (-1)
6/30/19	Camping World 400	12	5	610 (-67)	3 (+1)
7/6/19	Coke Zero Sugar 400	3	39	613 (-87)	4 (-1)
7/13/19	Quaker State 400 Presented by Walmart	3	20	630 (-116)	4 (--)
7/21/19	Foxwoods Resort Casino 301	1	10	663 (-120)	5 (-1)
7/28/19	Gander Outdoors 400	11	8	695 (-129)	6 (-1)
8/4/19	GoBowling at The Glen	10	9	728 (-123)	6 (--)
8/11/19	Consumers Energy 400	1	19	754 (-138)	6 (--)
8/17/19	Bass Pro Shops NRA Night Race	13	3	794 (-138)	6 (--)
9/1/19	Bojangles' Southern 500	2	5	832 (-151)	6 (--)
9/8/19	Big Machine Vodka 400 at the Brickyard	6	38	2024 (-21)	6 (--)
9/15/19	South Point 400	18	3	2058 (-24)	5 (+1)
9/21/19	Federated Auto Parts 400	1	4	2106 (-35)	4 (+1)
9/29/19	Bank of America Roval 400	11	5	3024 (-22)	7 (-3)
10/6/19	Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at Dover	16	11	3052 (-43)	6 (+1)
10/13/19	1000Bulbs.com 500	6	25	3078 (-36)	5 (+1)
10/20/19	Hollywood Casino 400	4	19	2229 (-1817)	9 (-4)
10/27/19	First Data 500	15	3	2264 (-1838)	9 (--)
11/3/19	AAA Texas 500	8	39	2265 (-1868)	9 (--)
11/10/19	Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series at ISM Raceway	12	10	2299 (-2701)	8 (+1)
11/17/19	Ford EcoBoost 400	8	18	2318 (--)	8 (--)