Keselowski outplays, outlasts at Kentucky

As if there wasn’t already enough change going on for NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers at Kentucky Speedway, they had a freshly repaved racing surface heaped into their collective mental notebooks.
By the time they raced 267 laps at the Quaker State 400 on Saturday night, a familiar sight ended up in Victory Lane and proved that fuel mileage isn’t the easiest art form to master.
Brad Keselowski certainly found a way, stretching out his fuel to the absolute maximum and barely holding off Carl Edwards at the line to earn his second win in a row and fourth of the 2016 season.
And when we say barely, the No. 2 Miller Lite Ford Fusion got to the line only .175 seconds in front of Edwards’ No. 19 Toyota. With the field trying to stretch fuel up to five laps – 7.5 miles total – beyond the normal fuel window, it was telling when Keselowski couldn’t do the celebratory burnout and needed a push from the tow truck to the Victory Lane celebration.
Trust us when we say it wasn’t a problem, especially if you’re a fan of the Michigan native and 2012 champion. Keselowski has won three of the six Cup races at Kentucky, and with the new lower-downforce package on the cars, it was a load of work from start to finish.
To set the stage, the race’s last pit stop came at lap 196, and the restart was four laps later. That meant those who pitted were right at the top end of the fuel window, 67 laps.
In total, that meant Keselowski and his challengers were trying to stretch the fuel over more than 100 miles (Kentucky Speedway is a 1.5-mile oval). As most of the leaders put on two tires, the NBC voices in the booth thought none of them put enough fuel in to get safely to the end.
Somehow, Keselowski made his fuel work, even having enough to hold off Edwards, who was on his back bumper through most of the white-flag lap.
As the saying of a certain long-running reality show goes, Keselowski outplayed, outwitted and outlasted everyone. After getting Cup win No. 100 for Team Penske, it didn’t take long to get No. 101.
With the season now officially at halfway and only eight races remaining until the Chase, there are still 11 race winners and five open slots available for those still in search of the elusive checkered flag.
Among them, Tony Stewart was impressive in his 600th career start. He didn’t lead laps, but kept moving forward from his 22nd starting position and ended up fifth. The three-time champion is still 30th in points, but 31 clear of Brian Scott.
Rookie Ryan Blaney’s hopes took a bit of a hit as he got into a wreck with fellow rookie Chase Elliott and ended up 35th. He sits 24 points behind Jamie McMurray.
The other three drivers who have Chase spots at the moment are, in order: Ryan Newman (who ended up third at Kentucky), Dale Earnhardt Jr. (13th) and Austin Dillon (16th).
There are no more mile-and-a-half tracks left until the Chase starts, so the time to get the mental and physical adjustments made is now. Short track like Bristol, intermediate like New Hampshire, road course like Watkins Glen, superspeedway like Pocono and Indy, it doesn’t matter. Those who would be ready to run for a title need their A-game on point from this point forward.
And a little thank you to the gods of Gasoline Alley will certainly help. Brad Keselowski knows that feeling.

Follow Tom Zulewski on Twitter @Tomzsports or email tominator19@yahoo.com.

NEXT WEEK'S RACES

New Hampshire Motor Speedway (1.058-mile oval), Loudon, N.H.

-SPRINT CUP: New Hampshire 301, Sunday, 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT, NBC Sports Network. Radio: SiriusXM Channel 90 or your local PRN affiliate.

Race distance: 318.45 miles, 301 laps.

2015 champion: Kyle Busch

-XFINITY SERIES: AutoLotto 200, Saturday, 4 p.m. ET/1 p.m. PT, NBC Sports Network. Radio: SiriusXM Channel 90 or your local PRN affiliate.

Race distance: 211.6 miles, 200 laps.

2015 champion: Denny Hamlin.

-CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: Off until July 20 for the Aspen Dental Eldora Dirt Derby at Eldora Speedway.

Logano sweeps Contender races amid controversy

As the CampingWorld.com 500 unfolded Sunday at Talladega Superspeedway, there were more than enough good storylines to get and keep fan interest.

We knew four more drivers would see their Sprint Cup title dreams come crashing to an end. We knew the so-called Big One could happen at any time with all of the inches-apart, three- and four-wide pack racing that happens on NASCAR’s biggest track that measures 2.66 miles around.
At first, there was the serious prospect that the 188-lap race would be run completely caution-free, but that thought was dashed when Justin Allgaier lost his engine at lap 132. When the only other yellow flag flew, all insanity broke loose.
And Halloween is still a few days away. Then again, what followed in the closing laps was crazy and chaotic all by itself.
That is, before defending champion Kevin Harvick got involved.
The race’s second caution came out at lap 185 when Jamie McMurray lost his engine and forced a green-white-checkered finish, the only attempt NASCAR would allow. As USA Today motor sports writer Jeff Gluck wrote, the finish became “simply a colossal embarrassment.”
It all started when, on the first restart attempt, an 11-car group at the middle of the pack got tangled before the leaders crossed the starting line.
On the second try at the first restart, Harvick, who had an engine that was basically on its last legs, turned into Trevor Bayne and caused a wreck that handed the victory to Logano over Dale Earnhardt Jr., completing a sweep of the three Contender round races.
At a track where son and his late father combined for 16 wins, including Junior’s most recent one in May, the fans in attendance were none too pleased – along with several drivers – at the end result.
With the field frozen at the point of the wreck, Harvick finished 15th to keep his chances to repeat alive. Harvick finished six points ahead of Ryan Newman, who was eliminated at Talladega along with Kenseth, Dale Jr. and Denny Hamlin.
Kenseth, Hamlin, and Bayne did plenty to express their disgust at the outcome.
“What a joke we have a car with no motor wreck the field to end the race,” Hamlin tweeted afterward. “Complete crap. Sorry to anyone who spent $ coming to this circus.”
Kenseth doesn’t do Twitter, but he had plenty to say about Harvick’s intent.
“He clipped him and caused a wreck because he knew he’d make the (next round of the) Chase that way,” Kenseth said in the USA Today story.
The winner of five races in 2015 told USA Today’s Mike Hembree the closing laps “wasn’t really racing to be honest with you. It was just a bunch of games going on.”
Bayne added his thoughts this way: “That’s a crappy way for Harvick to have to get in the Chase, is to wreck somebody -- what I believe to be on purpose.”
NASCAR didn’t think so, at least not yet, following a video review by officials.
“We don’t see anything there that is suspect so far,” NASCAR vice chairman Mike Helton said.
Enter those fantastic key words: So far. Could there be more to come on this? Will any new evidence come to light that restores some happy vibes to a race that turned memorable for nothing but ugly reasons?
As the Chase heads to the final round over the next three weeks at Martinsville, Texas and Phoenix, only fortune tellers may know for sure.

Followers and comments welcome on Twitter @Tomzsports.

NEXT WEEK'S RACES

Martinsville Speedway (.526-mile oval), Martinsville, Virginia

-SPRINT CUP: Goody's Headache Relief Shot 500 powered by Kroger, Sunday, 1:15 p.m. ET/10:15 a.m. PT, NBC Sports Network. Radio: SiriusXM Channel 90 or your local MRN Radio affiliate.

Race distance: 500 laps, 263 miles.

2014 champion: Dale Earnhardt Jr.

-CAMPING WORLD TRUCK SERIES: Kroger 200, 1:30 p.m. ET/10:30 a.m. PT, Fox Sports 1. Radio: SiriusXM Channel 90 or your local MRN Radio affiliate.

Race distance: 200 laps, 105.2 miles.

2014 champion: Darrell Wallace Jr.

-XFINITY SERIES: Off until Nov. 7 for the O'Reilly Auto Parts Challenge at Texas Motor Speedway.