KESELOWSKI IN SPRINT CUP: Brad Keselowski, driver of the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet, will attempt to qualify for his third career NASCAR Sprint Cup Series event on Friday at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Keselowski made his Cup debut driving the No. 25 Chevy for Hendrick Motorsports last season. He scored a 19th-place finish at Texas Motor Speedway on Nov. 2 and a 23rd-place finish at Homestead-Miami Speedway on Nov. 16.
KESELOWSKI AT LAS VEGAS: Keselowski has some experience with the 1.5-mile Las Vegas racetrack, having competed in two NASCAR Nationwide Series events and one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series contest there. He recorded his best outing at the track during the Nationwide Series race in 2008, when he started 15th and led 12 laps. Keselowski was running in the top five when he was involved in a late-race accident, giving him a 23rd-place finish.
SEVEN THIS SEASON: Las Vegas marks the first of seven races for which Keselowski will attempt to qualify the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet this season. GoDaddy.com also will serve as the primary sponsor for 18 Nationwide races with Keselowski’s No. 88 JR Motorsports Chevrolet in 2009.
DYNAMIC DUO: Keselowski will partner again this season with Lance McGrew, the veteran crew chief who coached him through his first two successful Cup attempts in 2008. Most recently, McGrew sat on the pit box for Tony Stewart’s Nationwide Series win for Hendrick Motorsports on Feb. 14 at Daytona (Fla.) International Speedway.
CHASSIS CHOICE: The No. 25 GoDaddy.com team has chosen Hendrick Motorsports Chassis No. 25-441 for Sunday’s event at Las Vegas. This is the same chassis that Keselowski drove at Texas and Homestead — both 1.5-mile racetracks — last season.
HENDRICK AT VEGAS: Hendrick Motorsports, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary this season, has scored four wins, 11 top-five finishes and 15 top-10s in 11 Cup events at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Most recently, Jimmie Johnson won at the 1.5-mile racetrack in 2007.
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BRAD KESELOWSKI, DRIVER, NO. 25 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON GETTING BACK INTO THE NO. 25 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET FOR HENDRICK MOTORSPORTS.): “I am really excited to be getting back behind the wheel of the No. 25 GoDaddy.com Chevrolet for Hendrick Motorsports at Las Vegas. I feel like we were able to do some good things last season that we will be able to build on this year. My Hendrick Motorsports team is really strong, and I know they have a good car for me. I really think we are going to surprise some folks this season with good, solid finishes, and I’m just thrilled to have the opportunity to do it.”
KESELOWSKI (ON WORKING WITH CREW CHIEF LANCE McGREW.): “It’s great to be working with Lance (McGrew) again this season. He brings a lot of knowledge and experience to the team, and I feel like he and I are able to communicate well, which is really important when we’re trying to make adjustments on the car. We are both so focused on getting solid finishes in this No. 25 car.”
LANCE McGREW, CREW CHIEF, NO. 25 GODADDY.COM CHEVROLET (ON HIS TEAM’S APPROACH TO RUNNING AT LAS VEGAS.): “Because of our position in the points, we mainly focus on qualifying. We plan on unloading and doing a short race run, then switching to qualifying trim. It’s a lot to ask of a driver to just run a qualifying lap right off the truck at a track that he has never been on before in a Sprint Cup car. Running a few laps helps him calm down and settle in on the line he needs. It also gives us an opportunity to make a balance adjustment if necessary.”
McGREW (ON HOW KESELOWSKI HAS MATURED SINCE HIS CUP DEBUT IN 2008.): “I think that Brad is even more focused on what it takes to be successful in this series. He is more in tune with the cars and understands what little nuances they have. I believe that he will most certainly continue to develop his ability to give accurate feedback and really hone in on the feel that he needs. I’ve been very impressed with his thoughts and questions.”
Hendrick Motorsports, Press Release