No. 6 – Brad Keselowski

Brad Keselowski entered Sunday looking for his third career Martinsville victory. Starting 27th, he used a combination of savvy, aggressive driving and astute pit strategy to gain track position early. Toward the end of Stage One, the BuildSubmarines.com Ford elected not to pit during a caution period when many leaders did. The net result was restarting inside the top 5 and finishing 4th in Stage One – gaining valuable stage points.

As the race progressed, the ebbs and flows of the event found Keselowski once again fighting for track position on the heavily congested half-mile. It’s a track where Keselowski has led more than 1,000 laps in his career, and his experience allowed him to work toward a solid finish. He ended Stage Two in 24th, confident that he could make his way to the front in the final segment.

Before Stage Three began, Crew Chief Jeremy Bullins made adjustments to give the BuildSubmarines Ford more drive off. The car was good, but a green-flag pit stop on lap 270 (of 400) proved critical. Keselowski lost a lap, and because a caution came out shortly after, that round of green-flag stops only affected him and a handful of others. Most drivers were able to pit under caution without losing a lap. Although the No. 6 team fought hard, they were never able to get back on the lead lap and finished 26th. Keselowski heads to Darlington next, where he is the defending winner.