- Brad Keselowski scored one of the biggest wins of his NASCAR career Sunday afternoon at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The driver of the No. 2 Autotrader Ford Fusion gave Team Penske win number 500 as a company and tied legendary driver Mark Donohue for most all-time wins as a driver at Team Penske.
- Keselowski’s victory in the inaugural South Point 400 propelled him into Round of 12 in the NASCAR Playoffs. He also tied legendary driver Mark Donohue for most wins all-time at Team Penske (each driver has 59). The win was Keselowski’s third in 11 races at Las Vegas Motor Speedway and his third consecutive MENCS victory this season (Darlington and Indianapolis are the others).
- The No. 2 Autotrader pit crew turned in one of their most impressive performances of the season at Las Vegas despite temperatures on pit road that soared past 100 degrees. Five times during the race the squad beat all other teams off pit road, giving Keselowski the lead each time.
- Keselowski struggled during Stage 1, saying that his car was both tight in the center of the corners and loose on exit at both end of the track. He finished 13th in the opening segment of the race. Crew chief Paul Wolfe made adjustments along with a four-tire stop during the stage caution on lap 84. The changes worked, greatly improving the handling of the No. 2 Ford Fusion.
- Keselowski took the lead for the final time when he passed Kyle Larson for the lead on lap 251 of the 272-lap race. From there he survived three cautions over the final 19 laps (including a ten-minute red flag for track cleanup following a five-car accident on lap 267) to win the race. On the final restart, Keselowski immediately pulled away from teammate Joey Logano and Martin Truex Jr. to secure the victory, crossing the finish line 1.2767 seconds ahead of Larson, who made a late rally to grab second-place.
“We’re so glad to be able to win and get in Victory Lane again with the Autotrader Ford. What a special day: 500 wins for Team Penske, three in a row this season and the first win in the Playoffs. There are too many storylines for me to get it all right, but we’re very thankful and very proud for all of them. I want to say thank-you to everyone who braved 100 degree heat all day. You guys are the real heroes. You guys pay to watch and thank you for doing that. Thank you for coming out today and tolerating the heat.”
SOUTH POINT 400
SEPTEMBER 16, 2018 . LAS VEGAS MOTOR SPEEDWAY
CAR: NO. 2 AUTOTRADER FORD FUSION
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