Spike
Team Owner
What happened to the rumors of Phoenix Racing becoming a full satellite of Hendrick and running Keselowski full time in 2010?
mike honcho
Knuckleheads
Guess it's not going to happen.
S
SST55
Guest
Fast forward a couple of years:
This reporter spoke briefly withformer cup driver Brad Keselowski. when asked what happened after he left JR Motorsports and joined Penske he replied " I dunno, you want fries with that?"
This reporter spoke briefly withformer cup driver Brad Keselowski. when asked what happened after he left JR Motorsports and joined Penske he replied " I dunno, you want fries with that?"
C
Curves
Guest
C
Curves
Guest
Dale Jr. looking for Brad K's replacement: JR Motorsports President Kelley Earnhardt confirmed that Kelly Bires is on the list of possible replacements for Brad Keselowski should the company and the driver part ways. Many in the garage have called Bires, who turns 25 Tuesday, the front-runner for the #88 Nationwide Series ride.(FoxSports)(8-24-2009)
Spike
Team Owner
Chase Austin. Yea, I said it.
I'd take Kelly over Chase.
I wouldn't let Chase Austin drive the pace car.
Spike
Team Owner
mike honcho
Knuckleheads
WTF???????I guess I don't know the definition of racist????????????????
Spike
Team Owner
It was a joke, no malice behind it.
mike honcho
Knuckleheads
Sorry I just don't see the humor in calling somebody a racist?????????? Just my opinion
F
foehammer111
Guest
Sorry I just don't see the humor in calling somebody a racist?????????? Just my opinion
Spike
Team Owner
I wasnt really calling him a racist. If I honestly thought that, I wouldnt of used that picture. I really just use any excuse(in this case, saying he wouldnt even let Austin, whos black, drive the pace car) to post that picture because I find it humorous.Sorry I just don't see the humor in calling somebody a racist?????????? Just my opinion
mike honcho
Knuckleheads
That's the good thing about humor it comes in many forms.
C
Curves
Guest
Back on topic
Penske still courting Keseloski? Reports surfaced last week in Bristol that Brad Keselowski was set to replace #12-David Stremme in the three-car Penske Racing Sprint Cup stable next year. ESPN reported on its race telecast Stremme was informing people in the garage area he was out of the ride and looking for employment next season. However Stremme insists he never made those statements and that no one from the network bothered to ask him directly about his future. Stremme told Sirius NASCAR Radio's The Morning Drive he "feels good about his future and will discuss his plans when the time allows." Keselowski and his current Sprint Cup and Nationwide team owners Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have also declined to comment on what lies ahead for the Michigan driver.(CBS Sports) for earlier information on Keselowski replacing Stremme, see my #12 team page(8-27-2009)
Penske still courting Keseloski? Reports surfaced last week in Bristol that Brad Keselowski was set to replace #12-David Stremme in the three-car Penske Racing Sprint Cup stable next year. ESPN reported on its race telecast Stremme was informing people in the garage area he was out of the ride and looking for employment next season. However Stremme insists he never made those statements and that no one from the network bothered to ask him directly about his future. Stremme told Sirius NASCAR Radio's The Morning Drive he "feels good about his future and will discuss his plans when the time allows." Keselowski and his current Sprint Cup and Nationwide team owners Rick Hendrick and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have also declined to comment on what lies ahead for the Michigan driver.(CBS Sports) for earlier information on Keselowski replacing Stremme, see my #12 team page(8-27-2009)
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SST55
Guest
Keselowski needs to take a deep breath and stay with JR another year or two in nnw until either Jr or Hendrick can move him up into a cup ride.
If he jumps to Penske in a few years he really will be saying 'want fries with that'.
Patience grasshopper, patience.
If he jumps to Penske in a few years he really will be saying 'want fries with that'.
Patience grasshopper, patience.
Spike
Team Owner
If GoDaddy.com sponsorship followed him he could have a full season, sponsored, with Phoenix Racing. Miccosukee has really upped their Cup participation(18 races out of 24 so far), and could still run Hendrick equipment.
HoneyBadger
I love short track racing (Taylor's Version)
Spike
Team Owner
You cant argue that Hendrick is a superior program to Penske.
Kurt Busch, while good this year, and was good in 2007, was mediocre in 2006 and 2008 with Penske. Ryan Newman finished 18th, 13th, and 17th in the standings his last 3 years at Penske.
Kurt Busch, while good this year, and was good in 2007, was mediocre in 2006 and 2008 with Penske. Ryan Newman finished 18th, 13th, and 17th in the standings his last 3 years at Penske.
Done Deal
Keselowski to join Penske, drive Cup and Nationwide
By Team Release
September 1, 2009
08:22 AM EDT
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Penske Racing on Tuesday announced that Brad Keselowski will compete for the team full-time, beginning with the 2010 NASCAR season.
Keselowski, 25, will drive the No. 12 Penske Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series and also will run a full-season schedule in the Nationwide Series.
"We are very excited to welcome Brad to the Penske Racing family," team owner Roger Penske said. "Brad has shown terrific success on track the past several years and has quickly established himself as one of the top young stars in racing. He comes from an impressive family background in motorsports. He is a proven winner and a welcome addition to our team."
A third-generation driver, Keselowski has won at every level in which he has competed. He is third in the Nationwide Series standings, with three wins including a dramatic victory in August at his home track at Michigan. Keselowski also scored his first Cup Series win earlier this year at Talladega and he has three top-10 finishes in eight Cup Series starts this season.
"Penske Racing is one of the top teams in all of motorsports and I am honored to join Roger Penske's organization and compete for wins with his Cup and Nationwide Series teams," Keselowski said. "This is a great opportunity for me to continue competing in the Nationwide Series and to run my first full season in the Cup Series with a strong and experienced team."
Growing up working for his family's team, K Automotive Motorsports, Keselowski followed in the footsteps of his father Bob, a 23-year veteran driver who won more than 50 races and the 1989 ARCA Series championship. The younger Keselowski joined NASCAR in 2004, racing for his family's team in the Truck Series. Expanding to Nationwide Series competition in 2006, Keselowski's career began to blossom.
He finished third in the 2008 Nationwide Series championship, the highest standing for a regular series racer, earning two wins while also being named the Most Popular Driver in the Nationwide Series.
Keselowski to join Penske, drive Cup and Nationwide
By Team Release
September 1, 2009
08:22 AM EDT
MOORESVILLE, N.C. -- Penske Racing on Tuesday announced that Brad Keselowski will compete for the team full-time, beginning with the 2010 NASCAR season.
Keselowski, 25, will drive the No. 12 Penske Dodge in the Sprint Cup Series and also will run a full-season schedule in the Nationwide Series.
"We are very excited to welcome Brad to the Penske Racing family," team owner Roger Penske said. "Brad has shown terrific success on track the past several years and has quickly established himself as one of the top young stars in racing. He comes from an impressive family background in motorsports. He is a proven winner and a welcome addition to our team."
A third-generation driver, Keselowski has won at every level in which he has competed. He is third in the Nationwide Series standings, with three wins including a dramatic victory in August at his home track at Michigan. Keselowski also scored his first Cup Series win earlier this year at Talladega and he has three top-10 finishes in eight Cup Series starts this season.
"Penske Racing is one of the top teams in all of motorsports and I am honored to join Roger Penske's organization and compete for wins with his Cup and Nationwide Series teams," Keselowski said. "This is a great opportunity for me to continue competing in the Nationwide Series and to run my first full season in the Cup Series with a strong and experienced team."
Growing up working for his family's team, K Automotive Motorsports, Keselowski followed in the footsteps of his father Bob, a 23-year veteran driver who won more than 50 races and the 1989 ARCA Series championship. The younger Keselowski joined NASCAR in 2004, racing for his family's team in the Truck Series. Expanding to Nationwide Series competition in 2006, Keselowski's career began to blossom.
He finished third in the 2008 Nationwide Series championship, the highest standing for a regular series racer, earning two wins while also being named the Most Popular Driver in the Nationwide Series.
Spike
Team Owner
What a colossol mistake. Go from the best equipment in NASCAR to a team that cant even consistently give Kurt Busch good rides and a team that let Ryan Newman become an afterthought his final 4 years there.
Earnhardt's advice helped Keselowski join Penske
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
September 1, 2009
03:25 PM EDT
Brad Keselowski will admit, it was the hardest decision he's ever had to make. But having the blessing of Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it a little easier.
Keselowski, the sought-after NASCAR phenom who won a Sprint Cup race at Talladega earlier this season in a part-time car, has signed a multi-year contract to compete for Penske Racing, beginning in 2010.
The deal puts Keselowski in Roger Penske's No. 12 Sprint Cup car, where he will replace current driver David Stremme, as well as in a new, full-time Nationwide Series ride where he will compete as a teammate to Justin Allgaier.
"I want to be the guy that comes to Penske Racing and gets them their first NASCAR championship. I want to be that guy," Keselowski said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "For everything that's been accomplished here, that's the one thing that's missing, and I want to be the guy that gets it done."
And yet, the decision to take the Penske offer was far from a simple one for Keselowski, who's been tied to Earnhardt's JR Motorsports Nationwide team -- and, by extension, Rick Hendrick's juggernaut Cup Series operation -- for most of his career at NASCAR's national levels. Keselowski talked with Hendrick about potentially finding a place at Hendrick Motorsports, something that would allow him to continue to compete for JR Motorsports, but eventually became impossible given the four-car limit NASCAR has placed on organizations in its premier division.
Penske's courtship of Keselowski, a fellow Michigander, was no secret. But after Keselowski's stock rose following his victory at Talladega in April, Hendrick asked for a few months to try to find a place for him. Given his existing relationship with the Hendrick camp, Keselowski obliged, and said Penske fully understood. Within the last month, though, it became clear that Hendrick wouldn't have room, and Keselowski accepted the Penske offer.
"He worked as hard as he could," Keselowski said of Hendrick. "He told me something that I thought was pretty interesting, that he worked much harder on my deal than he ever had to work on Jimmie [Johnson's] or Jeff [Gordon's] or any of them trying to find a way to keep me in the camp. It became obvious that it just wasn't in the cards. Too many things were going against us with the team limit and so forth, and this opportunity [with Penske] was sitting there."
Keselowski will replace Stremme, who hasn't finished better than 13th this season. Keselowski, a third-generation driver, has three Nationwide victories this year in addition to his Cup Series triumph. He is also currently third in Nationwide points driving for JR Motorsports, the Earnhardt-owned organization that gave him his big break when it hired Keselowski for what began as a three-race tryout in 2007. They've won five races together since.
"Without a doubt, the hardest part was leaving JR Motorsports," Keselowski said. "But what made it easier for me was to have Dale's blessing to do it. Without it, it would have been much harder to do. And Dale, make no mistake, was the catalyst for my career, the one who called me up and said he believed in me even though other people within his company didn't. He's the one who took the risk, financially and with his reputation, to put me in that car, and I'm eternally grateful to him for that."
In the end, it was Earnhardt who encouraged Keselowski to take the Penske opportunity. The two drivers recently had a conversation in which Earnhardt advised Keselowski to go where he had the opportunity to grow.
"He was actually one of the people who pushed me fairly hard to take this deal," Keselowski said. "As surprising as that might be to some of the people or the fans or the media, he brought up one of the good points that stuck with me when I made this decision, which was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life. And that was, when you have the opportunity to grow, and take on new challenge, and you're capable of conquering those challenges, you need to take it. You need to grow when you have the opportunity to grow, not only in your career but as a person. This is a great opportunity for me to grow."
And now, that the decision has finally been made?
"I feel like a lot of weight has been lifted off my shoulders," he said. "It's been a lot to carry around for the last couple of months. ... I feel a huge relief. I'm ready to dig my hands in deep in the dirt and get it going."
By David Caraviello, NASCAR.COM
September 1, 2009
03:25 PM EDT
Brad Keselowski will admit, it was the hardest decision he's ever had to make. But having the blessing of Dale Earnhardt Jr. made it a little easier.
Keselowski, the sought-after NASCAR phenom who won a Sprint Cup race at Talladega earlier this season in a part-time car, has signed a multi-year contract to compete for Penske Racing, beginning in 2010.
The deal puts Keselowski in Roger Penske's No. 12 Sprint Cup car, where he will replace current driver David Stremme, as well as in a new, full-time Nationwide Series ride where he will compete as a teammate to Justin Allgaier.
"I want to be the guy that comes to Penske Racing and gets them their first NASCAR championship. I want to be that guy," Keselowski said Tuesday in a conference call with reporters. "For everything that's been accomplished here, that's the one thing that's missing, and I want to be the guy that gets it done."
And yet, the decision to take the Penske offer was far from a simple one for Keselowski, who's been tied to Earnhardt's JR Motorsports Nationwide team -- and, by extension, Rick Hendrick's juggernaut Cup Series operation -- for most of his career at NASCAR's national levels. Keselowski talked with Hendrick about potentially finding a place at Hendrick Motorsports, something that would allow him to continue to compete for JR Motorsports, but eventually became impossible given the four-car limit NASCAR has placed on organizations in its premier division.
Penske's courtship of Keselowski, a fellow Michigander, was no secret. But after Keselowski's stock rose following his victory at Talladega in April, Hendrick asked for a few months to try to find a place for him. Given his existing relationship with the Hendrick camp, Keselowski obliged, and said Penske fully understood. Within the last month, though, it became clear that Hendrick wouldn't have room, and Keselowski accepted the Penske offer.
"He worked as hard as he could," Keselowski said of Hendrick. "He told me something that I thought was pretty interesting, that he worked much harder on my deal than he ever had to work on Jimmie [Johnson's] or Jeff [Gordon's] or any of them trying to find a way to keep me in the camp. It became obvious that it just wasn't in the cards. Too many things were going against us with the team limit and so forth, and this opportunity [with Penske] was sitting there."
Keselowski will replace Stremme, who hasn't finished better than 13th this season. Keselowski, a third-generation driver, has three Nationwide victories this year in addition to his Cup Series triumph. He is also currently third in Nationwide points driving for JR Motorsports, the Earnhardt-owned organization that gave him his big break when it hired Keselowski for what began as a three-race tryout in 2007. They've won five races together since.
"Without a doubt, the hardest part was leaving JR Motorsports," Keselowski said. "But what made it easier for me was to have Dale's blessing to do it. Without it, it would have been much harder to do. And Dale, make no mistake, was the catalyst for my career, the one who called me up and said he believed in me even though other people within his company didn't. He's the one who took the risk, financially and with his reputation, to put me in that car, and I'm eternally grateful to him for that."
In the end, it was Earnhardt who encouraged Keselowski to take the Penske opportunity. The two drivers recently had a conversation in which Earnhardt advised Keselowski to go where he had the opportunity to grow.
"He was actually one of the people who pushed me fairly hard to take this deal," Keselowski said. "As surprising as that might be to some of the people or the fans or the media, he brought up one of the good points that stuck with me when I made this decision, which was the hardest decision I've ever had to make in my life. And that was, when you have the opportunity to grow, and take on new challenge, and you're capable of conquering those challenges, you need to take it. You need to grow when you have the opportunity to grow, not only in your career but as a person. This is a great opportunity for me to grow."
And now, that the decision has finally been made?
"I feel like a lot of weight has been lifted off my shoulders," he said. "It's been a lot to carry around for the last couple of months. ... I feel a huge relief. I'm ready to dig my hands in deep in the dirt and get it going."
Spike
Team Owner
What are peoples opinions on this?
S
SST55
Guest
Big, BIG mistake. He should have stayed in nnw until a Hendrick, Jr or even a Tony ride opened up.
I think he's right at the limit that if he races in cup anymore he won't be able to run for rookie o' the year when he does move up full time. That's what he really wants it seems.
In 5 years, or less, it'll be "Brad who?"
I think he's right at the limit that if he races in cup anymore he won't be able to run for rookie o' the year when he does move up full time. That's what he really wants it seems.
In 5 years, or less, it'll be "Brad who?"
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Yeah...these talented drivers want to be in cup so bad that they will take any ride thats open....I honestly think he will do good.
dpkimmel2001
Team Owner
I really thought that he'd wait for that Hendrick ride with one organization or another but money talks.
C
carsntunes
Guest
Like I said earlier, at least Stremme has cleared the lot of old cars by wrecking them, leaving all new cars for Brad. Wonder what will happen with Allgaier?
wilson89
Team Owner
I think its a good move, lets face it Hendrick wont evet get rid of Johnson or Gordon because of the there talent and chemistry. I also serious seriously doubt he will ever get rid of Jr no matter how bad he performs because Hendrick is going to get a big pay day from the sponsors. That only leaves one person that could leave and thats Mark Martin, who was supposedly going to retire 5 years ago but is still around and is having one of the best seasons of his career. Lets face it Hendricks team is set, 3 of the 4 are still pretty young and Martin will drive the rest of his life if he has a car that good.
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
Take Sams place??? or a 4th car
Spike
Team Owner
I still think the #09 running Hendrick engines would of been the best decision.
HoneyBadger
I love short track racing (Taylor's Version)
It's been reported for weeks. They reported at Bristol that Stremme needed good runs and was racing for a ride -- and sure enough, he goes out and wrecks somebody instead of being smart.
Spike
Team Owner
I would like to see Chase Austin get the #88 ride for JR Motorsports.
S
steveluvs3
Guest
I know if he does become sucessful (which i doubt) and makes the chase I think kurt busch is not gonna be very happy.
Tennessee Racing
Formerly Stewart Fan
I don't really understand this move. I mean he has ties with Hendrick, couldn't he just wait one more year or so?
Bucky Badger
Go Kyle Go
You know theses young kids...greed, money, and fame....
S
SST55
Guest
They don't want to "work their way up the ladder" like Sr, Mark, Rusty,etc did.
Those guys had years of experience before entering cup and were in their mid to late 20's or even older when they did. They built and worked on their own cars. They knew what to do to make a car handle.
Today we have "drivers" who have never built a car, so young they can't buy a beer and are selling shaving gear when they're still using the old 'cream and let the cat lick it off' method.
Seems like waiting and paying your dues is something that doesn't happen anymore. It has to be RIGHT NOW!
Spike
Team Owner
I wouldn't put Keselowski in that group. He drove for his family team until he was what...22? 23?