During a test at Road Atlanta on Wednesday, Brad Keselowski was involved in a wreck that saw his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge plow through the turn one wall. Because Road Atlanta is not a Nascar sanctioned track, there are no SAFER barriers, so when Keselowski's Charger hit, it was destroyed beyond recognition. The accident left the Penske driver with an avulsion fracture on his left ankle, which had also swollen to the size of a grapefruit.
So once he was cleared to race in Pocono this weekend, everyone began to wonder how Keselowski was going to make it through a long, difficult race that is referred to by some as the "24 Hours of Pocono." He had showed speed in practice, but he did spin out in the final "happy hour" session. He would have to struggle on race day though. The amount of braking required going into turn one (to slow down from close to 200 mph) would be enough to make BK turn his car over to relief driver Sam Hornish, Jr.
Joey Logano led the field to green and showed strength early on. He would soon be joined up front by Joe Gibbs Racing teammates Kyle Busch and Denny Hamlin and the three of them would hold station at the front of the field for most of the race.
The race stayed green most of the first half (with the exception of David Ragan backing his Ford into the wall) until the rains came. The red flag was thrown on lap 124 and the cars led down pit road by Logano. It looked as if the 21 year old Logano was in the catbird seat, almost assured of his second career cup win. But the rain stopped, Nascar got the track dry and the race went back to green after a 1 hour and 40 minute delay.
When the race went back green, it looked as if Kyle Busch was going to run away with it. But because Keselowski had pitted before the red flag, he was able to go longer on gas than several other cars and was able to inherit he lead. Even with Busch breathing down his neck, Keselowski held off the charge and won his second race of the season and the third of his career.
Like Brad Keselowski or not, you have to respect the guy's toughness. Racing 500 miles around one of the toughest tracks in the sport with a brace on your foot is impressive. The fact that he won just makes it more remarkable. It's hard to imagine a driver like Jimmie Johnson or Carl Edwards playing hurt like that. Keselowski raced through the pain and came out with his second win of the season and now, he is almost a lock to make the chase as a wildcard. Now it's on to the road course at Watkins Glen. Can Brad repeat with his bad ankle or will another driver score the win in the Finger Lakes region of upstate New York?
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