Brad Keselowski Apologies to David Ragan and His Fans

  

May 07, 2013 | by Brad Keselowski

   I finally had a chance to digest what happened at the end of the Cup race at Talladega on Sunday. I owe David Ragan and his fans an apology. I placed blame on David Ragan for the restart lineup confusion when it wasn’t his fault.

   I was very passionate about the finish because I thought we had a chance to win the race if I restarted the race in the 10th position instead of ninth. Passion is a very important characteristic to a champion driver. That passion is not something I will apologize for. The outside line – the 10th spot, in particular – was a huge advantage over the 9th position. David executed that positioning perfectly for the win.

   I know first-hand what it’s like to take a lower-budget team victory lane. My comments were never to detract from their victory. They were only to express my opinion that I thought we had been wronged.

   Basically what happened is that, when the yellow came out at lap 184 the lineup was supposed to be Scott Speed, myself and David. We were actually lined up David, Scott and me because we were unsure what the lineup was. NASCAR did not change this before opening pit road so by procedure we were lined up in the proper positions. NASCAR made a last-minute lineup change that we missed as we were getting ready to go back to green. David attempted to make it right by letting me go at the start/finish line with one to go. I thought he was attempting to change the pylon because the order is supposed to be set before pit road opens.

   With the multi-car wreck, the rain and the impending darkness it is easy to see how NASCAR could have made that mistake.

   It was a confusing time for all of us. I want to send a sincere congratulation out to David Ragan and everyone at Front Row Motorsports. It was a very cool win for our sport.

   - Brad

NASCAR This Week on ESPN

NASCAR Nationwide Series in Prime Time 

The NASCAR Nationwide Series competes under the lights in prime time at historic Darlington Raceway on Friday night, May 10, and ESPN2 will have a live telecast of the 200-mile race. NASCAR Countdown airs at 7 p.m. ET with the race’s green flag at 7:45 p.m. Also from Darlington, ESPN2 will televise qualifying earlier that day at 3:30 p.m. All NASCAR programming on ESPN and ESPN2 is also available on computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox via WatchESPN, accessible to fans who receive their video subscription from an affiliated provider.

Announcers:
Booth: Lap-by-Lap announcer Allen Bestwick; analysts Dale Jarrett, Andy Petree.

Pit reporters: Dave Burns, Dr. Jerry Punch, Shannon Spake, Vince Welch.

NASCAR Countdown: Nicole Briscoe (host); Rusty Wallace, Brad Daugherty (analysts).

NASCAR Now Schedule

ESPN2’s daily NASCAR news and information program NASCAR Now will preview the NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Darlington Raceway in the one-hour edition airing Saturday, May 11, at 11 a.m. ET. Host Mike Massaro  will be joined by ESPN NASCAR analyst Ricky Craven in the studio with reporters Ryan McGee and Jim Noble at the track. The week’s schedule:

Date             Time         Show                  Host Network

Tue. May 7       1:30 a.m.      NASCAR Now       Allen Bestwick       ESPN2

Wed., May 8     1:30 a.m. NASCAR Now Nicole Briscoe       ESPN2

Thurs., May 9   1:30 a.m. NASCAR Now Nicole Briscoe       ESPN2

Fri., May 10      2 a.m.         NASCAR Now Mike Massaro       ESPN2

Sat., May 11      11 a.m.          NASCAR Now       Mike Massaro        ESPN2

Tue., May14     1:30 a.m. NASCAR Now Shannon Spake     ESPN2

ESPN Media Zone News

Goodyear Tire Fast Facts - Talladega

Tire: Goodyear Eagle Superspeedway Radials:


Set limits:
Sprint Cup: 4 sets for practice/qualifying and 6 sets for the race;
Nationwide: 5 sets for the event

Number of Tires:
Sprint Cup: Left-side 800, Right-side -- 800;
Nationwide: Left-side 400, Right-side -- 400

Tire Codes:
 Left-side -- D-4138; Right-side -- D-4412

Tire Circumference:
 Left-side -- 87.9 in. (2,233 mm); Right-side -- 88.4 in. (2,247 mm)

Technical Inspection Inflation:
Left Front -- 30 psi; Left Rear -- 30 psi;
Right Front -- 55 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi

Minimum Recommended Inflation:
Left Front -- 27 psi; Left Rear -- 27 psi;
Right Front -- 50 psi; Right Rear -- 50 psi

Notes: Teams in both the NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series will run the same Goodyear tire codes at Talladega this weekend. This is the same combination of left and right side tires that these teams have run at Talladega since the beginning of 2011. NASCAR teams have also run this same tire set-up at Daytona over the last three seasons. This left side tire code (D-4138) has been run by Sprint Cup teams at Talladega since 2009. As on all NASCAR ovals greater than one mile in length, teams are required to run inner liners in all four tire positions at Talladega. Air pressure in those inner liners should be 12-25 psi greater than that of the outer tire.

- Goodyear Racing News

NASCAR Driver Press Conference Schedule - Talladega

Press Conference Schedule, Talladega

NASCAR schedules driver press conferences at every race weekend event. These normally include the Top 12 drivers in championship points in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, along with other drivers of note. The press conferences will last approximately 15 minutes each and may be viewed at NASCAR.com. Times listed are local time.

Friday, May 3:

10:30 a.m. – Danica Patrick (No. 10 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet) – #10 hauler

11:30 a.m. -- Clint Bowyer (No. 15 5-Hour Energy Toyota), 5th in points (290) - Media Center

11:45 a.m. – Jeff Gordon (No24 Imron Elite Chevrolet) – #24 hauler

12 noon – Kevin Harvick (No. 29 Budweiser Chevrolet), 9^th in points (271)/1 win – Media Center

12:15 p.m. – Dale Earnhardt Jr. (No. 88 National Guard Chevrolet), 4^th in points (297) – Media Center

Saturday, May 4:

10 a.m. – Aaron's Announcement – Media Center
10:15 a.m. – Donnie Allison (International Motorsports Hall of Famer and member of the Alabama Gang) – Media Center

4:45pmCT/5:45pmET – Approx. Post NNS Race

Sunday, May 5:

9 a.m. – AJ McCarron (Defending two-time BCS championship quarterback of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Honorary Pace Car Driver) – Media Center
9:15 a.m. – Chipper Jones (Eight-time All-Star Atlanta Braves great and 1995 World Series winner, Grand Marshal) – Media Center
9:25 a.m. – Robin Meade (Recording artist and longtime host of "Morning Express With Robin Meade," National Anthem singer) – Media Center

3:45pmCT/4:45pmET – Approx. Post NSCS Race

- NASCAR  

NASCAR Driver Statistics - Talladega

Not all teams announce driver statistics in their weekly race previews'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the information in the teams race preview: 

#1- Jamie McMurray - With a total of 21 starts at Talladega, McMurray has one victory (2009), five top-five and six top-10 finishes at the 2.66-mile tri-oval. McMurray has an average starting position of 20.7 and an average finishing position of 20.0. McMurray has led 221 laps, including leading the most laps (38) in the last race at Talladega on October 7, 2012.

#2- Brad Keselowski - Keselowski has 8 Cup starts at Talladega earning 2 wins, 3 top 5's 6 top 10's and only 1 DNF. His most recent win came in May of 2012. 

#5- Kasey Kahne -  In 18 Sprint Cup starts at Talladega, Kahne has recorded three top-five finishes, four top-10s and has led 49 laps at the high-banked oval. Most recently, he won the pole position there in October 2012 and went on to finish 12th. In this race one year ago, he crossed the finish line fourth after lining up fifth.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - Ambrose has posted eight previous starts at the 2.66-mile superspeedway with a best finish of fourth in his track debut in 2009. The No. 9 Stanley Ford tallied a third-place starting spot and 14th-place finish in the spring event last season.

#10-Danica Patrick - The Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway will mark Danica Patrick’s 20th career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start and her first at Talladega. Patrick has one NASCAR Nationwide Series start at Talladega in May 2012. She qualified 17th, led one lap and finished 13th.

#14-Tony Stewart - The Aaron’s 499 will mark Stewart’s 510th career NASCAR SprintCup Series start and his 29th Sprint Cup start at Talladega Superspeedway. Stewart has one win, six second-place finishes, nine top-fives, 13 top-10s and has led a total of 317 laps in his 28 career Sprint Cup starts at Talladega. His average start is 16.5, his average finish is 15.8 and he has a lap completion rate of 97.7 percent.

#15- Clint Bowyer - Sunday’s race marks Bowyer’s 15th start at Talladega. He owns two wins, four top-five and seven top-10 finishes. Bowyer won the fall race at Talladega in 2010 and 2011. In his last six races he has two wins, three top-fives and five top-10s and led 90 laps. 

#16- Greg Biffle - Biffle has 20 Sprint Cup career starts at Talladega, earning two top-five and five top-10 finishes. In 2012 Biffle finished inside the top 10 at both Talladega races.

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - The driver of the No. 17 Best Buy Ford will make his first NASCAR Sprint Cup series start at the 2.66-mile super speedway. Stenhouse has three Nationwide starts at Talladega earning one top-five finish. Stenhouse earned a 12th-place finish in his first start of the season at the circuit’s other restrictor plate track, Daytona International Speedway.


#18- Kyle Busch - Busch has one win, three top-fives, four top-10s, and has led a total of 146 laps in 16 career Sprint Cup starts at Talladega. His average Talladega finish is 22.1.

#20- Matt Kenseth -  In 26 Sprint Cup Series career starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Matt Kenseth has an average finish of 18.0, has completed 4,631 of 4,924 (94.0 percent) career laps, and has led for a total of 294 laps.  Kenseth’s first win at the track was last year in October of 2012.

#22- Joey Logano - Logano will make his 9th Cup start this week at Talladega. In his previous starts he has scored 2 top 5's, 4 top 10's with 2 DNF's. His best finish of 3rdwas scored in November of 2009.  

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will make his 699th Cup start this week at Talladega. In 40 starts at Talladega Superspeedway, Gordon’s six wins, 15 top-fives and 839 laps led are the most among active drivers. He also has three poles and 19 top-10′s at the Alabama track.

#27- Paul Menard - Menard has 13 starts at Talladega Superspeedway. His best start of fifth took place in 2008 and 2011, and best finish of second came in 2008. The Wisconsin native has completed 2,053 of 2,472 laps attempted (83.1 percent) at the 2.66-mile track, leading 28 of them. Menard is the only Cup driver to have completed all 2,990 contested laps this season.

#29- Kevin Harvick -  Since 2001, Harvick has made 24 appearances at the Alabama-based facility. In those 24 starts, the RCR veteran driver has collected one win (April 2006), one pole award (May 2005) six top-five and 10 top-10 finishes. Harvick has led 155 laps at the 2.66-mile track while completing 97.8 percent (4,446 of 4,548) of the laps contested.

#31- Jeff Burton - The Aaron’s 499 marks Burton’s 38th start at the 2.66-mile superspeedway and 665th-career Sprint Cup Series entry. He has earned five top-five and 16 top-10 finishes, along with 153 laps led at the historic track.

#39- Ryan Newman - In 22 Sprint Cup starts at Talladega, Newman has four top-five finishes and eight top-10s. Additionally, the 35-year-old from South Bend, Ind., has led 65 laps, has an average starting position of 13.7 and an average finish of 21.8 at the 2.66-mile 
super speedway.

#42- Juan Pablo Montoya -  Montoya has 12 starts at Talladega Superspeedway which include two pole awards, three top-five and three top-10 finishes. He has led 60 laps and has completed 2,166 of 2,284 laps (94.8%). His average starting position is 15.2 and average finishing position is 20.1.

#43- Aric Almirola - Almirola will make his seventh start at Talladega this weekend. He posted his best Sprint Cup super speedway finish of 12th during the spring race at Talladega last season. At the 2.66-mile track, Almirola posted two runner-up finishes in the truck series in 2009 and 2010 and a ninth-place finish in the Nationwide series in 2011.

#47- Bobby Labonte - Bobby Labonte makes his 700th NASCAR Sprint Cup Series start this weekend during the Aaron’s 499 at Talladega Superspeedway. He is the 14th driver to be able to accomplish that feat. He is not far behind NASCAR Hall of Fame driver Rusty Wallace, who is in 13th at 706 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series starts. At Talladega Superspeedway, Labonte has one win, one pole, six top-five and 13 top-10 finishes. He has led 154 laps. His average start is 21.375 and his average finish is 18.850.

#48- Jimmie Johnson -  Two wins (April 2006 and 2011) in 22 starts. One pole that made him the youngest Talladega pole sitter at 26 years, 7 months, 4 days of age (April 2002). Five top-five finishes (22.7 percent) and nine top-10s (40.9 percent) in 22 starts.
•Completed 3,906 of 4,172 laps (93.6 percent) and led 234. Average start of 10.2 leads all drivers. Average finish is 17.7. Eight DNFs (did not finish) – April 2005, 2009, 2010, 2012 and October 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006. Sprint Cup’s 13th-best driver rating (80.9 average of a possible 150 points). His worst track.

#55- Michael Waltrip - Waltrip will make his 54th career NSCS start at Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday. In 53 previous starts, he has one win, seven top-five and 15 top-10 finishes. Waltrip has led 32 races for a total of 233 laps.

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr -  In 26 Cup starts at Talladega (Ala.) Superspeedway, Earnhardt has recorded five wins, nine top-five finishes and 13 top-10s. He scored a record-setting four consecutive wins at the 2.66-mile superspeedway from October 2001 to April 2003. Earnhardt's five wins at Talladega are the most for him at any track and rank him third all-time among drivers at the Alabama oval.

#99- Carl Edwards - In his previous 17 starts at Talladega, Edwards has one top-five and four top-10 finishes. Edwards’ average start at Talladega is 14.9, his average finish is 21.8.  Edwards has completed 88.4 percent of his laps attempted at Talladega, and led 25 laps. 

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

NASCAR Chassis Selections - Talladega

Not all teams announce their weekly race chassis'. Here is a list of those teams that do reveal the chassis in the teams race preview: 

#2- Brad Keselowski -  Primary Chassis for Talladega is PRS-649, a new chassis that tested at Daytona in January. Backup Chassis is PRS-648, which is also a new chassis.

#5- Kasey Kahne -  Time Warner Cable will adorn the hood of Kahne’s No. 5 Chevrolet SS this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway.  Crew chief Kenny Francis will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 5-768 for Sunday’s event. Most recently, Kahne drove this chassis to earn the sixth starting spot in the 2013 Daytona 500.

#9- Marcos Ambrose - The No. 9 Stanley Ford Fusion team has prepared chassis No. 836 for Talladega. Ambrose drove this chassis to an 18th-place finish in the Daytona 500 earlier this year.

#10-Danica Patrick - – Chassis No. 10-758: This was a new car for 2013 that was wind-tunnel tested in January before being used by Patrick in the 55th Daytona 500. Patrick qualified the car on the pole with a speed of 196.434 mph and then started first and finished 17th in the first Budweiser Duel. She started on the pole and led five laps in the Daytona 500 before finishing eighth – the best finish ever for a woman in the “Great American Race.” The car has not been used since. The team used chassis 10-573 during a Goodyear tire test April 16-17 and will apply data learned on that test to chassis 10-758.

#14-Tony Stewart - Chassis No. 14-532 returned to action in the Sprint Unlimited in February at Daytona after a two-year hiatus.. There, Stewart drove from his 15th-place starting spot to lead twice for five laps and was second on the final lap before being passed by Greg Biffle and Joey Logano to finish fourth. While this car was tested at Daytona Jan. 10-12, it was the first time Chassis No. 14-532 had been on a racetrack since the 2011 Budweiser Shootout at Daytona, where it started second and led four laps before finishing 11th. It served as a backup afterward, but was totally rebuilt this off season. This car debuted in February 2009 serving as the team's primary machine for the Daytona 500. After clocking the 10th-quickest time during time trials, Chassis No. 14-532's first race of any kind was the Gatorade Duel qualifying race. There, it started sixth and led two laps before finishing second to race-winner Jeff Gordon. But during final practice before the season-opening Daytona 500, Chassis No. 14-532 was caught up in an accident. With the damage too significant to fix at the track, the team was forced to use a backup race car for the Daytona 500. Fully repaired, Chassis No. 14-532 returned to action in April at Talladega for its first career, point-paying start. There, it qualified 29th and finished 23rd. The Coke Zero 400 at Daytona marked the car's third career start, and it was a dandy. It started first when qualifying was rained-out and the field was set by car owner points. It then went on to lead nine times for a race-high 86 laps en route to victory. Chassis No. 14-532 was used in the final restrictor-plate race of the 2009 season at Talladega, where it was caught up in a late-race accident and finished 35th, delivering Stewart's first DNF (Did Not Finish) in 55 races. With a new body honed in the wind tunnel, it served as a backup for most of 2010 until reappearing at Talladega in October. It ran well but was handed a poor finish when it was caught up in a last-lap crash that turned a top-10 effort into a 31st-place result. With new front and rear clips, as well as a new body, Chassis No. 14-532 reappeared in the 2011 Budweiser Shootout.

#16- Greg Biffle - No. 16 3M Safety Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-852 is a brand new chassis. The backup chassis RK-794 first ran the Sprint Unlimited in Daytona last year earning a sixth-place finish.  Then ran the Sprint Unlimited this year earning a second-place finish.

#17- Ricky Stenhouse Jr - No. 17 Best Buy Ford Fusion primary chassis RK-830 is the same chassis that the No.17 team ran at Daytona finishing a respectable 12th. The backup Chassis RK-792 was a chassis that the No. 17 tested with at Daytona in the preseason.

#22- Joey Logano - Primary Chassis for Talladega is PRS-655 a new chassis. Backup Chassis is PRS-651 which last race at Daytona in the Sprint Unlimited and finished 3rd.

#24- Jeff Gordon - Gordon will drive Hendrick Motorsports chassis No. 24-772 this week at Talladega. The car finished 20th at Daytona earlier this year in it's only start.

#27- Paul Menard - This Week’s CertainTeed/Menards Chevrolet. Paul Menard will pilot chassis No. 406 at Talladega Superspeedway. This No. 27 Chevrolet SS was previously tested this season at Daytona International Speedway in January.

#29- Kevin Harvick - This Week’s Budweiser Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway. Kevin Harvick will pilot chassis No. 334 from the Richard Childress Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series stable in the Aaron’s 499. This is the same Chevrolet that teammate Austin Dillon drove to a 31st-place finish during the Daytona 500 this season.

#31- Jeff Burton - This Week’s No. 31 Caterpillar Chevrolet at Talladega Superspeedway. Jeff Burton will race chassis No. 337 this weekend at Talladega Superspeedway. This is a brand new No. 31 Chevrolet that will see its first on-track action during Friday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Series practice session.

#39- Ryan Newman - Newman will pilot Chassis No. 39-701 at Talladega Superspeedway. This chassis debuted at Daytona International Speedway in the 2012 running of the Daytona 500. Despite an incident that left him two laps down early, Newman and the No. 39 team were able to fight their way back onto the lead lap and contend for a top-10 finish before getting collected in a multi-car accident in the waning laps of the Great American Race. Although the race car sustained substantial damage, the crew was able to make repairs and sent Newman back onto the 2.5-mile oval to record the best result possible – a lead-lap finish in the 21st position. Since then, the car’s body has been updated for 2013, and it was wind-tunnel tested in January in preparation for 2013 super speedway racing.

#43- Aric Almirola - The No. 43 Gwaltney Ford Fusion team has prepared chassis No. 780 for Talladega. The team built chassis No. 780 this season.

#48- Jimmie Johnson - Johnson will drive chassis No. 764 at Talladega. Chassis No. 756 serves as the backup. No. 764 ran the Sprint Unlimited starting 11th and finished 14th. No. 756 last served as the #88 primary fo Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the 2012 Sprint Unlimited at Daytona, finishing 8th.

#88- Dale Earnhardt Jr - This weekend at Talladega, crew chief Steve Letarte and the No. 88 team will unload Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 88-773. This is the same chassis Earnhardt raced to a second-place finish in February at the 2013 Daytona 500.

#99- Carl Edwards - The No. 99 Fastenal Blue Team will unload RK-835 for the weekend which last ran in the Budweiser Duels in Daytona. Back Up Chassis: RK – 829 last ran as the primary for the Sprint Unlimited

- Reported in Team News/Press Releases

National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel Statement

On May 1, 2013, the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel heard and considered the appeal of the No. 2 and No. 22 Penske Racing NASCAR Sprint Cup Series teams.

The penalties concern Sections 12-1: Actions detrimental to stock car racing; 12-4J: Any determination by NASCAR Officials that race equipment used in the event does not conform to the NASCAR rules detailed in Section 20 of the NASCAR rule book, or has not been approved by NASCAR prior to the event; and 20-12: All suspension systems and components must be approved by NASCAR. Prior to being used in competition, all suspension systems and components must be submitted in a completed form/assembly to the office of the NASCAR competition administrator for consideration of approval and approved by NASCAR. Each such part may thereafter be used until NASCAR determines that such part is no longer eligible. All suspension fasteners and mounting hardware must be made of solid magnetic steel. All front end and rear end suspension mounts with mounting hardware assembled must have single round mounting holes that are the correct size for the fastener being used. All front end and rear end suspension mounts and mounting hardware must not allow movement or realignment of any suspension component beyond component normal rotation or suspension travel.

The penalties stemmed from a pre-race inspection at Texas Motor Speedway April 13.

The original penalties assessed to the No. 2 team were:
· Crew chief (Paul Wolfe): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

· Car chief Jerry Kelley, team engineer Brian Wilson and team manager Travis Geisler (serves as team manager for both the No. 2 and No. 22 cars): Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

· Car owner Roger Penske: Loss of 25 championship owner points;

· Driver Brad Keselowski: Loss of 25 championship driver points.


The original penalties assessed to the No. 22 team were:
· Crew chief (Todd Gordon): $100,000 fine; suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

· Car chief Raymond Fox and team engineer Samuel Stanley: Suspended from NASCAR until the completion of the next six NASCAR Sprint Cup Series championship points events; placed on NASCAR probation until Dec. 31;

· Car owner Walt Czarnecki: Loss of 25 championship owner points;

· Driver Joey Logano: Loss of 25 championship driver points.

The Appellants appealed all penalties listed above. The Appellants also requested and were granted a deferral of the suspensions until such time as the hearing could be convened.

Upon hearing the testimony and carefully reviewing the facts, it was a unanimous decision by the National Stock Car Racing Appeals Panel to uphold the original penalties assessed by NASCAR.

The Appellants have the right under Section 15 of the rule book to appeal this decision to the National Stock Car Racing Chief Appellate Officer.

Brandon Igdalsky

Paul Brooks

Dale Pinilis

Shawn Rogers – Appellate Administrator and non-voting member

Update: Per NASCAR - Penske Racing's final appeal will be heard next Tuesday. John Middlebrook has deferred the crew suspensions until then.

- NASCAR