Catchfence

I stopped by Brian Keselowski’s hauler at Richmond International Raceway last month to ask about why his third car, the No. 96, had been withdrawn from the Nationwide Series entry list that weekend. The answer was not what I expected.

“Couldn’t get it done in time,” quipped Keselowski. “It’s sitting on the trailer outside, but that’s the absolute truth to that. With the way Texas went, with the days we had to stay there [for rain], we got home, got the Talladega stuff ready and got to the track. We barely got home in time from that deal, and I just couldn’t get it all done. There’s not enough time in the days to get all of that done to come here and run successful enough to make the show.”

“You can’t come and just play. You’ve got to come serious. It wasn’t going to be a serious enough effort to spend that kind of money to come and try to make it.”

Just like every other Nationwide Series team out there without the deep pockets of a Cup backer, the K-Automotive camp is struggling to find money to keep coming to the track. And this particular weekend, the team brought that struggle to the track, along with the third car they couldn’t find the time to prepare. Because the team’s second driver, Johnny Chapman, had the makings of a sponsorship deal in his pocket that Friday afternoon.

Brian Keselowski’s No. 26 car has been relegated to start-and-park status as K-Automotive struggles to stay on-track in 2010.

“That’s why Johnny’s in the [No. 26] car. He has the option to race, because he has a sponsor. If I’m in the car, I’m not making any money,” said the elder Keselowski of his team’s flagship ride. “It’s not what I want to do, I want to race. I want to race my car and go. But it ain’t gonna happen if you can’t pay the bills everyday.”

- Frontstretch.com