NASCAR
Brad Keselowski Wins Atlanta 500, Becomes Penske’s All-Time Winningest Driver
After a long and grueling 500 miles of racing in Atlanta, Brad Keselowski took his first victory of the year. Brad battled through in the Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500, as he won in spite of serious stomach flu symptoms throughout the weekend. This win for Keselowski breaks a tie he had with Mark Donohue, to become Team Penske’s all-time winningest driver.
New Rules Package Leaves Many Pre-Race Questions
As the first intermediate track of the season, Atlanta was the partial-debut of the new 2019 aero package for the Cup Series. With no prior race-experience, nobody knew exactly how the Atlanta race would play out. In the end the racing product saw some changes, but is still a topic of controversy among fans. The full debut of the 2019 rules package will be this weekend, at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
Two Drivers Dominate Opening Stages
Despite a drastically new aero package, the pre-race favorite for the Atlanta win was still Kevin Harvick. In the past 6 Atlanta races, Harvick had led 100 or more laps 5 times. However, only 1 of those races turned into a win for Harvick, a season ago. Early on, Harvick appeared to pick up right where he left off in Atlanta. The 4 would charge hard from starting back in 18th.
Up front in Stage 1 however, it was all Kyle Larson leading the way. Larson took the lead for the first time on lap 38, after a competition caution. He did not falter for the rest of the Stage. Larson’s lead to end Stage 1 was over 4 seconds, the largest lead anyone would have all day. Harvick would finish Stage 1 behind Larson in the runner-up spot.
Stage 2 was much of the same, as the 42 and the 4 were the fastest cars on track. Both drivers would swap the lead among themselves multiple times throughout Stage 2, as they led all but 2 of the 85 laps in this stint. The top spot would switch for the final time in Stage 2 on lap 162, when Harvick took over again. Harvick’s first stage win in each of the last 2 seasons has come in Atlanta, as he had a freaky fast car both years.
Harvick Falters To Open Final Stage
With 149 laps remaining in Atlanta, Larson took the lead from Harvick on the restart. The 4 would fall back to 4th, behind Martin Truex Jr. and Kyle Busch. For both JGR drivers, an Atlanta win would be a statement victory. Truex was chasing his first victory on this 1.5 mile track, while Busch wanted to win in his 500th start. Both drivers would play roles in the finish for this race, unfortunately on opposite ends of the running order.
Kyle Busch, who was racing a backup car after a crash in Saturday practice, would hit the wall in turn 2 on lap 222. This would bring out a caution where the tempo of the entire race would change. Race leader Larson was caught speeding in the pits. This turn of events would effectively kill Larson’s chances at the victory after leading a race-high 142 laps. Larson would only recover to finish in 12th at race’s end.
The 42’s misfortunes would hand the lead back over to Harvick. But Harvick’s time out front was brief. On lap 231, Ryan Blaney would lead for the first time all race long. Blaney had a fast car but no track position all day long, and he looked to be in position to steal the win.
Incident on Pit Road for the Second Straight Week
The final cycle of green flag pit stops would begin Clint Bowyer on lap 289. Bowyer would force nearly everyone else into the pits, as a strange accident unfolded. Ryan Preece, who in his first Atlanta start was running in the top 10, clobbered the back of BJ McLeod while exiting. Preece had been looking down at his dash, while McLeod was pitting from the far right lane. Fluid from Preece’s damaged car would bring out a caution on lap 273.
Since this yellow flag fell during green flag pit stops, only 2 drivers were scored on the lead lap, Joey Logano and Kurt Busch. Truex made his way into the pits right as the caution came out, but fell a lap down while getting his service. This stop for Truex was a point of controversy. The 19 was initially called for a penalty. The Pit Road Officiating system said that one of the 19’s crew members was over the wall too soon, but NASCAR recalled the infraction. This allowed Truex to take the free pass and restart 4th.
Tire Issues Plague Contenders Late
Back underway with 43 to go, Joey Logano led, with Kurt Busch to his outside. Logano cleared for the lead after driving it deep into turn 3, but his teammate was coming. Brad Keselowski caught the 22 on lap 293, and went on by for the lead. Team Penske looked to be in store for a potential 1-2-3 finish, but 2 of their cars would hit pit road again. Logano was forced in with a loose wheel with 22 to go. Not long after, the 8 of rookie Daniel Hemric also pitted with a tire failure. Hemric was running inside the top 5 in just his fourth ever Cup Series start.
Truex Rallies Late But Comes Up Short
With Logano’s issues, Keselowski had a several second lead over then-runner-up Truex. Truex took 2nd from Kurt Busch with 20 to go, and set his sights on the 2. Without a doubt, Truex had the fastest car for the last 10 or so laps in Atlanta. In the closing laps, the 19 was within just feet of the 2’s bumper, but was unable to seal the deal. Truex would finish 2nd to Keselowski in Atlanta by 0.218 seconds. Keselowski’s second career victory in Atlanta would have added significance, as he is now Penske’s all-time winningest driver with 60 victories.
After the race, Truex was quick to place blame on why he was unable to catch Brad. “It was just lapped cars. It was a shame we got put in that position on that last restart but that’s the way the caution fell,” Truex said after the race. “Just (Ricky Stenhouse Jr.) rode there in front of us forever and ever running the bottom (lane), and I kept telling him I needed the bottom,” said Truex. “These cars are just so bad in dirty air that he was holding me up really bad. Once I got around him, I got to (Keselowski) in two laps. I just needed one more.”
The top-10 finishers in the Folds of Honor/QuikTrip 500 from Atlanta Motor Speedway were Keselowski, Truex, Kurt Busch, Kevin Harvick, Clint Bowyer, Kyle Busch, Erik Jones, Aric Almirola, Chris Buescher, and Daniel Suarez.
Keselowski’s Win Makes Him All-Time Winningest Driver for Team Penske
In the decade plus that Brad Keselowski has been a Team Penske driver, the Michigan native has now amassed 60 wins across NASCAR’s top 2 series. This win count breaks a tie with Mark Donohue for most wins with the organization. Keselowski is more than eager to take over sole ownership of Penske’s winningest driver title, as he plans to race with a Donohue-tribute helmet next week.
“I think it’s certainly a really big day for us, one that I’ll reflect on for a long time,” said Keselowski. “All wins are special, there’s no wins that don’t mean something, but some just mean more. This one means more, the Team Penske win record is certainly important to me.” Brad’s drive to become Penske’s all-time winningest driver has been a season in the making, ever since he tied Donohue’s win total last season. Brad’s Atlanta win also marks the first ever Cup Series victory for the Ford Mustang.
To add even greater historical significance to Brad Keselowski’s achievement as Penske’s winningest driver, this feat comes just weeks after team owner Roger Penske was inducted into the NASCAR Hall of Fame. By all accounts, Atlanta was certainly a huge day in the long and successful history of Team Penske.
How to Watch the Next Race
Up next for the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series is the Pennzoil 400, from Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Coverage begins on March 3rd at 3:30 PM EST on Fox, PRN, and SiriusXM NASCAR Radio Channel 90. Kevin Harvick is the defending winner, but can someone else cash in on the Vegas strip? Fresh off of becoming Penske’s all-time winningest driver, Brad looks to go back-to-back in Vegas. Can Keselowski score his 4th Vegas win? Tune in Sunday to find out.
