Keselowski Contends Again But Ending Different

Keselowski Contends Again But Ending Different

All good things come to an end, as Brad Keselowski learned on Sunday at Auto Club Speedway.
Starting from the rear of the Auto Club 400 field because of an engine change, Keselowski quickly charged to the top 15, slapped a barrier while sliding in another competitor’s fluid and later served a pit road penalty, but still stood fifth on the race’s final restart.
The Yo-yo-esque afternoon, however, ended with his No. 2 Penske Racing Ford limping to a 23rd-place finish, the victim of overheating. Gone was Keselowski’s four-race, top-five streak in which he led every race and held the NASCAR Sprint Cup standings lead.
Crew chief Paul Wolfe was philosophical.
Asked if his team was capable of starting another streak – perhaps on April 7 at Martinsville Speedway – Wolfe smiled and said, "Absolutely."
Keselowski’s last two trips to Martinsville produced track-best finishes: ninth in the spring and sixth last October.
Keselowski knows there will be weeks when things don’t go your way. The competitiveness of the series – from potential winner to out of the top 20 in just 10 laps – means you get up, dust yourself off and regroup.
"It was a great streak," the reigning series champion said. "We had a shot at winning the race if the 32 car (of Timmy Hill) doesn't blow up in front of us. But eventually they're going to throw circumstances at you that you just can't control. That happens to everybody."

Busch Brothers Say Don’t Forget About Us

Double trouble – again. Brothers Kyle and Kurt Busch head into Easter week as legitimate championship contenders following seasons each would rather forget.
Kyle Busch broke a 31-race winless drought at Auto Club Speedway on Sunday. After missing the Chase a year ago, he ranks a solid sixth in points.
"We worked so hard last year, and we missed the Chase by three points. And then it sort of defines your season as missing the Chase," said Busch, who recently extended his contract with Joe Gibbs Racing. "And then we go off and rattle off great finishes throughout the Chase but we never win."
The current season appeared to be more of the same as the No. 18 Toyota team boasted strong cars at Daytona and Phoenix, where circumstances led to finishes outside the top 20. Busch then rebounded to fourth in Las Vegas and second in Bristol before Sunday’s win.
Elder sibling Kurt Busch fashioned back-to-back top-five finishes for the first time since September 2011 as the fortunes of single-car Furniture Row Racing continue on an upswing. The consecutive top fives are unprecedented for the Denver, Colo.-based team owned by Barney Visser.
The 2004 NASCAR Sprint Cup champion has climbed to 13th in the standings, eight points out of the top 10.
Busch, who overcame a pit road infraction to go door-to-door for the lead with his younger brother, credits the tight-knit management of Furniture Row Racing for rebooting his career. It begins, he said, with general manager Joe Garone and extends to former NASCAR touring series champion Rick Carelli, the spotter that guided him through Sunday’s final-laps mayhem.
"It's an amazing feeling to have somebody you respect, somebody that you looked up to as a legend helping you, telling you, ‘Hey, you're a legend.,’" said Busch of Carelli. "I'm like, ‘No, I'm just Kurt driving around in circles.’ The chemistry between us is awesome."