CUP: Keselowski Wants To Set Tone

Brad Keselowski wants to work on his leadership skills this year...

Tom Jensen | Posted February 05, 2012 Charlotte, NC

Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge, speaks with the media during the 2012 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Media Tour hosted by Charlotte Motor Speedway on January 26, 2012 in Concord, North Carolina. (Photo: Getty Images)

The New England Patriots and New York Giants made it to Super Bowl 46 largely on the backs of their respective quarterbacks, Tom Brady and Eli Manning. It’s a fact not lost on Brad Keselowski, a huge football fan and a rising star on the NASCAR Sprint Cup circuit.

Keselowski had a breakout season at Penske Racing in 2011, winning three races and finishing fifth in points after being mired in 28th place in points nine races into NASCAR’s 26-race regular season.

But Penske Racing’s 2011 season was tarnished by the caustic comments that frequently flew from the mouth of Keselowski’s then-teammate Kurt Busch, who regularly ripped the crew, the team’s cars and even the Penske leadership, something that you don’t do in a button-down organization like Roger Penske runs.

Busch’s crew chief, Steve Addington, left at the end of the season to join Stewart-Haas Racing and Busch himself departed after one final ugly incident at Homestead-Miami Speedway.

For Keselowski, the practical repercussions are that while he began 2011 as the team’s unquestioned No. 2 driver to Busch, he’s now the team leader, with new hire AJ Allmendinger his understudy.

And that means Keselowski needs to not only get up on the wheel, he needs to set an example and lead, just as Brady and Manning have. Especially if he is to deliver Penske his first Cup championship, something he believes is possible this season.

“It takes more than talent to win a championship,” said Keselowski. “This is a big, big ship at Penske Racing. There’s more than 300 employees. The words of three or four people set the path for 300 and some employees. As a driver, you’re one of those three or four people. And that path is so important.”

Keselowski likened the leadership responsibility of a NASCAR driver to what Tim Tebow was able to accomplish this year with the Denver Broncos. “Tim Tebow is not the most talented quarterback in the league, but he has the belief of his players,” said Keselowski. “I think there’s a lot of power behind that. A lot of power.

“At the NASCAR level, it is not good enough to be the most talented driver,” Keselowski said. “You have to be a motivator, you have to be team player. Sometimes you have to step up and do things and it’s not because I necessarily enjoy it, but it’s because it’s what we need to be successful.”

Keselowski, crew chief Paul Wolfe and sponsor Miller Brewing Co. all signed contract extensions last month to keep them with the No. 2 Penske Dodge through 2015. Keselowski thinks that will an advantage for the team.

“We have that platform now — by re-signing our sponsors and re-signing myself and Paul — to offer something that very few other teams do. And that puts us in an elite category,” said Keselowski.

As for the other key players, they’re solidly in Keselowski’s corner.

“With him being as involved as he is, he just helps to push and motivate everyone on the team,” said crew chief Wolfe of Keselowski. “There’s that bit of trust and respect that we have, because we’ve shown each other, if you give me what I want, we’ll get the results. He believes in me because I’ve shown him it works.”

Team owner Penske said the organization as a whole is poised to make a run at the championship.

“I feel good about our cars,” Penske said. “We’ve got new cars. They’re light. I think we have more engine power. We certainly are understanding the handling of these cars better than we did a year ago. And I think with the two crew chiefs who have worked with Brad coming up, we’ve got guys who are going to work together. We don’t have these little kingdoms in different parts of the shop.”

Tom Jensen is the Editor in Chief of SPEED.com, Senior NASCAR Editor at RACER and a contributing Editor for TruckSeries.com. You can follow him online at twitter.com/tomjensen100.

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Tom Jensen

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