On the move? Brad Keselowski is quiet on his future in NASCAR
JR Motorsports' Brad Keselowski could be headed to the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series full time in 2010. // Jeff Robinson, NASCAR Scene
BRISTOL, Tenn. – Brad Keselowski was mum on his future Friday amid heavy speculation in the Bristol Motor Speedway garage area that he is headed to Penske Racing to drive in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series.
Sources indicated that no deal was done, and Keselowski remaining as a Hendrick Motorsports driver is still a possibility.
“I really am not in a position to talk about any of that stuff right now,” Keselowski said following his winning the pole Friday for the Food City 250. “I’m really not prepared to address any of the rumors about next year. I’m here to race the Nationwide car and win with it tonight and I am not going to let anything get in the way or distract us from that end.”
Keselowski typically talks freely about his situation, so his tight-lipped response could indicate that he has either made a decision or close to one. Dale Earnhardt Jr., who co-owns JR Motorsports and has been a mentor to Keselowski, said he has not been told anything.
“I can’t say if [the reports] are true or not, I haven’t heard anything,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “I don’t know any more than you guys do. I’m happy for Brad. He’s done a good job for us. We’ve got a lot more racing left this year and races to win in the JR Motorsports car. We’ll see what happens next year. Whatever it is, it will be good for him.”
Obviously if Keselowski goes to Penske, he wouldn’t be able to drive for JR Motorsports, a Chevrolet team.
“I don’t have anything to really say about it,” Earnhardt Jr. said. “When I first got Brad, for him to have an opportunity to go to a Cup team is our ultimately victory. If we have that happen – and as well as he’s doing, he surely will one day – I’ll be as proud as I’ve ever been as I was when he won races for us.
“He did a great job for us. We’ve got the rest of this year and want to win some more races. We’ll see what happens next year. No matter what he does in the future, he’s done an awesome job for us and we’ve had a great time so far.”
Penske Racing spokesman Jonathan Gibson said he could not confirm the reports on Keselowski.
“It’s no secret we met with Brad last year,” Gibson said Friday. “He’s an extremely talented race-car driver. He has a bright future. Other than that, I can’t confirm anything.”
Keselowski has spent more than two seasons with JR Motorsports in the Nationwide Series, where he has five wins in 92 starts. He finished third in the standings in 2008 and is third this year.
He also has one Sprint Cup win in 10 starts, thanks to his upset earlier this year at Talladega Superspeedway in a Phoenix Racing car. He is driving seven Sprint Cup races for Hendrick Motorsports and several others for Phoenix this season.
