HAMPTON, Ga. — Brad Keselowski knows these things can’t be explained. For some reason, his car just seems faster than any other machine on the track. Every move he makes is the right one, even though he has been driving with a sore left ankle.
This much he does know: When you get on a roll like this, you want to ride it as long as you can. Keselowski would love to keep it going right through the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.
“It’s been an amazing run,” he said at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he’s preparing for today’s next-to-last event before NASCAR’s 10-race playoff begins. “We’ll just ride the wave and hopefully it works out for us.”
Keselowski has won two of the last four races — and finished second and third in the others. His performance over the last month has virtually locked up at least a wild card in the NASCAR playoff, and it’s even more amazing since he has done all this after breaking his left ankle during a road course practice.
Keselowski qualified 14th on Saturday as Kasey Kahne won the pole with a speed of 186.196 mph. Clint Bowyer was second and points leader Kyle Busch qualified third.
Today’s races
NASCAR
Sprint Cup: AdvoCare 500
Site: Hampton, Ga.
Schedule: 5:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Track: Atlanta Motor Speedway (tri-oval, 1.54 miles)
Race distance: 500.5 miles, 325 laps
INDYCAR
Baltimore Grand Prix
Site: Baltimore
Schedule: 12:45 p.m. (VS)
Track: Streets of Baltimore (street course, 2.0 miles)
Race distance: 150 miles, 75 laps
NHRA
Full Throttle U.S. Nationals
Site: Clermont, Ind.
Schedule: Today, qualifying (ESPN2, 9 a.m.-noon, ESPN2, 3-5 p.m.); Monday, final eliminations (ESPN2, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.)
Track: Lucas Oil Raceway
