Catchfence

2010 NSCS Brad Keselowski - Photo Credit: Sam Greenwood/Getty Images for NASCAR

• This Week’s Charger… The No. 12 Penske Dodge team will use chassis PRS-633 during Sunday’s Daytona 500 at Daytona International Speedway. PRS-633 is a brand new chassis to the No. 12 Penske Dodge team.
• Double Duty… Driver Brad Keselowski will be competing in both the NASCAR Cup Series and Nationwide Series events at Daytona. In addition to racing the No. 12 Penske Dodge in Sunday’s Daytona 500, he will also drive the No. 22 Discount Tire Dodge in Saturday’s Nationwide Series event. Keselowski enters the 2010 Nationwide Series season as a favorite to pick up the first NASCAR title for Roger Penske after consecutive third-place championship finishes.
• Follow Me on Twitter… Fans can now follow Keselowski on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/keselowski. Followers can get a glimpse inside his everyday life while keeping up-to-date on the latest news for the No. 12 Penske Dodge team.
• A Family Affair… While Keselowski has competed in Cup Series competition at Daytona before, this will be his first Daytona 500 start. This weekend’s start comes 40 years after Brad’s uncle, Ron Keselowski, made his Cup Series debut in the 1970 Daytona 500.
• Watch and Listen… The Daytona 500 will be seen live on Sunday, February 14 on FOX-TV. Race coverage is scheduled to begin at 1:00 p.m. ET. The event will also be heard live on MRN Radio as well as Sirius Satellite Radio, channel 128.

• The Rest is History… Penske Racing has earned one victory in 78 Cup Series starts at Daytona. Ryan Newman drove the No. 12 Dodge to the win in the 50^th-running of the Daytona 500 in 2008. Additionally, Penske Racing boasts 18 top-five finishes – including two each with Bobby Allison and Ryan Newman, five with Kurt Busch and seven with Rusty Wallace – and 26 top-10 finishes at the 2.5-mile superspeedway.

Brad Keselowski on competing in his first Daytona 500

“Every young race car driver tries to visualize what it would be like to start their first Daytona 500 because it is our biggest race. Now my opportunity is here and I plan on making the most of it. It has been a busy off-season. Everyone at Penske Racing has been putting in long hours and I think we are very prepared for this race. It’s hard not to think back to the fact that this team won the 50^th running of this race just two years ago.  I don’t like to live in the past, but it does give you a sense of confidence because you know that you have a capable team behind you.”

Crew chief Jay Guy on racing at Daytona International Speedway

“Our season is pretty unique in that we start off with our biggest race of the year. Over the off-season a lot of emphasis is placed on this one race. If you win Daytona, you are recognized as the Daytona 500 champion for the rest of the year. We all know that Brad can win a restrictor-plate race because he has done it before. The fact that NASCAR is allowing ‘bump drafting’ all over the track is a little bit of a wild card for this race. Hopefully we can stay out of trouble early, have good pit stops, and race for the checkered flag at the end.”

- Penske Racing, Press Release