Brad Keselowski gained attention, success during Nationwide run
JR Motorsports' Brad Keselowski enjoyed a strong Nationwide Series season and was voted the series most popular driver. // David Griffin, NASCAR Scene
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JR Motorsports driver Brad Keselowski made headlines during the 2009 NASCAR Nationwide Series season, but often it wasn’t in a good way.
Keselowski became somewhat infamous for his battles with Denny Hamlin, a feud that began at Lowe’s Motor Speedway in 2008. It carried over with several run-ins between the two, and the 2009 season ended with Hamlin vowing to spin Keselowski, which he did in the finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway.
Keselowski also caught flak from some other drivers for his aggressive style, a style that helped him win at Memphis late in the year.
That victory was his fourth of the season and came after his announcement that he was leaving the Dale Earnhardt Jr.-owned team to join Penske Racing and run the full schedules in the Sprint Cup and Nationwide series next year.
After an incredibly slow start – Keselowski finished 12th or worse in the first four races – he rebounded with a strong season. In the last 31 races, Keselowski finished outside the top 10 only three times: an 11th at Darlington, an 18th at Chicago and a 12th at Homestead.
Keselowski wound up with the four victories, 22 top-five and 28 top-10 finishes to cap his tenure at JRM.
“The last two-and-a-half years with JR Motorsports have been the time of my life,” Keselowski said at the Nationwide awards banquet. “It’s kind of like a sappy Hallmark card. I’ve had a lot of fun, won a few races, made some great friends on our team. I’m really going to miss them moving forward next year.
“I’m really looking forward to everything coming at us. And looking back at what we’ve done, I’m really proud of everybody and happy to be where I’m at.”
Driver: Brad Keselowski
Age: 25
Team: JR Motorsports
Finishing position: Third
2009 stats: 35 starts, 4 victories, 22 top-fives, 28 top-10s, 2 poles
Years in Nationwide: 3-plus seasons
Career stats: 104 starts, 6 wins, 33 top-fives, 53 top-10s, 3 poles
