- Brad Keselowski was sidelined by an accident during the final stage of the Gander Outdoors 400 Sunday afternoon at Pocono Raceway. Keselowski was pressuring Jimmie Johnson for 12th position when the No. 2 Alliance Truck Parts Ford Fusion snapped sideways at the entrance to Turn 2. Keselowski spun and made contact with the outside wall, causing considerable damage to the rear of his Ford Fusion. He made it back to the pit area where the Alliance Truck Parts team hastily made repairs. But despite their efforts, the damage to severe for Keselowski to continue. He was credited with a 38th-place finish and is seventh in the MENCS driver standings, 247 points behind the leader.
- Keselowski started fourth and ran third during the early laps of the 164-lap race. He pitted on lap 23 for four tires and adjustments but his car was a handful to drive. Keselowski finished seventh in Stage 1 and pitted under caution on lap 53 for four tires and fuel. He restarted 11th when the race went green on lap 56.
- Keselowski gained three positions during the next eight green flag laps before his Fusion started to lose grip. He was running in second position during a cycle of green flag stops when the second caution slowed the pace on lap 84. One lap later Keselowski pitted for four tires and more adjustments. A mix of pit strategies shuffled him back to 17th for the restart on lap 87. Despite driving a car that was “super-loose,” Keselowski was able to work his way up to seventh-position by the end of Stage 2 on lap 100. He pitted for four tires during the stage caution on lap 102 and restarted 13th when the final segment began on lap 105.
- Keselowski was running ninth when he and Kyle Larson made contact in Turn 3 racing for position on lap 109, costing him seven positions. He quickly recovered and began working his way through the field. The driver of the Alliance Truck Parts Ford was up to 12th when he spun on lap 121, ending his afternoon.
“We just blew a rear tire in the corner and backed into the wall. The car wasn’t terrible but wasn’t enough to get fixed in the time that was allowed so we limped it back to the garage and they made me come to the care center. That is just the way it was today for the Alliance Ford. We are fighting hard trying to get the most of everything we can get. We are in a position where we are pretty much locked into making the playoffs so now we are just driving the hell out of it trying to make something happen.”
Leave A Comment