NEWS & NOTES
FIRST TIME AT DOVER: Brad Keselowski will make his first NASCAR Sprint Cup Series attempt at Dover (Del.) International Speedway this weekend driving the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports. The 25-year-old Michigan native has made four NASCAR Nationwide Series starts at the one-mile racetrack, most recently scoring a third-place finish last September.
THIS SEASON: Keselowski, who is qualifying Sprint Cup Series Chevrolets for Hendrick Motorsports and Phoenix Racing this season, has recorded one win, one top-five finish and two top-10s in four Cup starts this season. Most recently, Keselowski scored a seventh-place finish driving the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet at Darlington (S.C.) Raceway on May 9.
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GO DADDY WEEKEND: This weekend, Keselowski will be doing double duty behind the wheel of a GoDaddy.com Chevrolet. Keselowski will drive the No. 88 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet in the Nationwide Series for JR Motorsports as well as attempt to qualify the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevy in the Sprint Cup Series for Hendrick Motorsports.
CHASSIS CHOICE: Crew chief Lance McGrew has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 25-537 for this weekend’s event at Dover International Speedway. This is the same car that Keselowski raced to a seventh-place finish at Darlington Raceway earlier this month.
HENDRICK AT DOVER: In 48 events (151 starts) at Dover, Hendrick Motorsports teams have scored 10 wins, 37 top-five finishes and 65 top-10s. Hendrick drivers have led 3,780 laps there.
FIRST WINNING CHASSIS: Dover is a special place for Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. On Sept. 20, 1992, Ricky Rudd drove the No. 5 Chevrolet to Victory Lane at Dover International Speedway, marking the first time a Hendrick Motorsports-built chassis had won a Cup-level event. Rudd started sixth and led 32 laps driving the No. 5 Chevy nicknamed “Midnight.” The win also was the first for crew chief Gary DeHart and the 32nd for team owner Rick Hendrick.
CHEERING ON THE RED WINGS: On Wednesday, Keselowski is attending Game 5 of the NHL Western Conference Finals at Joe Louis Arena to cheer on his favorite hockey team, the Detroit Red Wings. The Red Wings lead the series 3-1 going into Wednesday’s home match and need one more win to advance to the Stanley Cup Finals.
THREE TO GO: After this weekend at Dover, Keselowski will attempt to make the field in three more Sprint Cup Series races for Hendrick Motorsports during the 2009 season: Chicagoland Speedway on July 11, Michigan International Speedway on Aug. 16, and Kansas Speedway on Oct. 4.
QUOTES
BRAD KESELOWSKI, DRIVER, NO. 25 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON COMING TO DOVER AFTER HIS TOP-10 FINISH AT DARLINGTON.): “I enjoyed my first Cup race at Darlington a few weeks ago, and we were fortunate to come away with a solid top-10 finish. I feel like it showed the win at Talladega (Ala.) wasn’t just a one-time thing. It definitely gives me a lot of confidence coming into Dover, even though I’ve never raced there in the Sprint Cup Series. The more seat time I get in the Cup car, the more comfortable I get with it and the differences it has from my Nationwide Series car. Even though Dover is both physically and mentally challenging, it is a track I’ve been able to do pretty well at. I’m hopeful that this weekend will be no different and that we can get another solid finish for the folks at GoDaddy.com.”
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KESELOWSKI (ON RACING AT DOVER.): “Dover is one of the few concrete tracks we run at and, traditionally, I’ve been able to do pretty well on those types of tracks. You go into the corners really fast and get thrown down into the seat, which you need to be prepared for. With the concrete surface, tire management is really important so you can’t go out and burn the tires up at the start of a run or you’ll end up at the back of the pack by the end of the race. Track position is also important, and I know Lance (McGrew, crew chief) will be making the calls we need to get a solid finish.”
KESELOWSKI (ON CHEERING ON THE RED WINGS.): “I’ve been a Red Wings fan since childhood, and to see them doing so well, and hopefully headed for the Stanley Cup finals, is really exciting for me. They have had a really good year and a good run in the playoffs, and I’m pumped to be able to finally get to a game, especially a playoff game. I definitely think they can wrap up the series on Wednesday night.”
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