In case you didn’t hear, Penske Championship Racing has finally won a Nascar Championship. It wasn’t with Rocket Man Ryan Newman or 2004 Champion Kurt Busch – or even 1989 Champion Rusty Wallace!
It was with second year breakout star Brad Keselowski. In just 33 starts, Brad won six times, finished in the top five 24 times, the top ten 27 times, took home five poles and we still have two races to go!
No one can say that Keso doesn’t deserve the championship.
You may be able to say that things would be different with Kyle Busch running the full season, but he did not. Former Champ Carl Edwards ran the full year and he was no where near Brad for most of the year. Like him or not, Brad Keselowski is now and forever a Nascar Champion.
With the season almost over, Penske will need to decide if they want Brad to defend his title in 2011, or have him focus on improving an otherwise mediocre Sprint Cup campaign as Keselowski will be driving Penske Racing’s flagship Dodge, the Blue Deuce, next year.
Miller Brewing Company (Now Miller Coors) has been on a Penske car since 1991. They will celebrate 20 years with Penske by changing drivers and with Sprint Cup Champion Kurt Busch moving into a brand new numbered 22 Dodge, it will be on Brad to continue Penske’s resergence in Nascar.
It will take more then 2 top 10s in 30+ races for Brad to be considered a Cup driver.
Penske Racing may have a completly different look in Nationwide next year too as Justin Allgaier is leaving the 12 Dodge for the Turner Motorsports #31 Chevy. Sam Hornish may take his place, and there are still questions on Penske’s plan for Parker Kligerman. But that’s 2011. In 2010, Penske can spend the next two weeks going all out in the Championship Celebration!
Results and more after the JUMP
| Fin | Str | Car | Driver | Team | Laps | Pts | Bns | Driver Rating | Winnings | Status | Tms | Laps |
| 1 | 3 | 60 | Carl Edwards | Copart.com Ford | 205 | 190 | 5 | 135.8 | $141,920 | Running | 3 | 59 |
| 2 | 4 | 18 | Kyle Busch | Z-Line Designs / Conn’s Toyota | 205 | 180 | 10 | 142.7 | $56,275 | Running | 3 | 107 |
| 3 | 16 | 22 | Brad Keselowski | Discount Tire Dodge | 205 | 170 | 5 | 118.6 | $37,450 | Running | 1 | 1 |
| 4 | 10 | 20 | Joey Logano | GameStop / Gran Turismo Toyota | 205 | 160 | 111.1 | $33,450 | Running | |||
| 5 | 6 | 99 | Martin Truex Jr. | Out! Pet Care Toyota | 205 | 155 | 110.4 | $29,325 | Running | |||
| 6 | 17 | 38 | Jason Leffler | Great Clips / DIY Network – Garage Mahal Toyota | 205 | 150 | 101.9 | $33,693 | Running | |||
| 7 | 23 | 32 | Reed Sorenson | Dollar General Toyota | 205 | 146 | 89.1 | $29,153 | Running | |||
| 8 | 2 | 33 | Kevin Harvick | Jimmy John’s Chevy | 205 | 142 | 103.7 | $21,645 | Running | |||
| 9 | 12 | 98 | Paul Menard | Richmond / Menards Ford | 205 | 138 | 87.2 | $20,950 | Running | |||
| 10 | 9 | 66 | Steve Wallace | 5 Hour Energy Toyota | 205 | 134 | 79.1 | $26,743 | Running | |||
| 11 | 7 | 6 | Ricky Stenhouse Jr. # | CitiFinancial Ford | 205 | 135 | 5 | 108.8 | $28,493 | Running | 1 | 27 |
| 12 | 14 | 17 | Trevor Bayne | Roush Fenway Ford | 205 | 132 | 5 | 94.9 | $18,275 | Running | 1 | 4 |
| 13 | 20 | 12 | Justin Allgaier | Verizon Wireless Dodge | 205 | 124 | 91.4 | $24,218 | Running | |||
| 14 | 29 | 16 | Erik Darnell | 3M / Ace Ford | 205 | 121 | 74.7 | $24,193 | Running | |||
| 15 | 24 | 11 | David Reutimann | Rexall / Dollar General Toyota | 205 | 118 | 89.1 | $17,950 | Running | |||
| 16 | 25 | 88 | Aric Almirola | GT Vodka Chevy | 205 | 120 | 5 | 85.3 | $23,443 | Running | 1 | 3 |
| 17 | 27 | 62 | Brendan Gaughan | LoanStar Title Loans Toyota | 205 | 112 | 74.9 | $23,318 | Running | |||
| 18 | 35 | 15 | Michael Annett | Pilot Flying J Coffee Toyota | 205 | 109 | 70.2 | $23,943 | Running | |||
| 19 | 13 | 04 | Jeremy Clements | Boudreaux’s Butt Paste Chevy | 203 | 106 | 70.9 | $23,268 | Running | |||
| 20 | 36 | 87 | Joe Nemechek | Gator.com Chevy | 203 | 103 | 58.5 | $24,093 | Running | |||
| 21 | 21 | 40 | Mike Bliss | HEILTrailer.com Chevy | 202 | 100 | 67.6 | $22,818 | Running | |||
| 22 | 28 | 7 | Danica Patrick | GoDaddy.com Chevy | 202 | 97 | 52.1 | $22,693 | Running | |||
| 23 | 37 | 01 | Mike Wallace | GK Services Chevy | 202 | 94 | 58.7 | $22,968 | Running | |||
| 24 | 39 | 28 | Kenny Wallace | Brookshire’s Food & Pharmacy Chevy | 202 | 91 | 41.0 | $22,443 | Running | |||
| 25 | 40 | 34 | Tony Raines | BeAStockCarDriver.com Chevy | 202 | 88 | 50.3 | $22,743 | Running | |||
| 26 | 33 | 24 | Eric McClure | Hefty Odor Block / Cattlemen’s Restaurant Ford | 202 | 85 | 42.4 | $22,168 | Running | |||
| 27 | 41 | 23 | Robert Richardson Jr. | North Texas Pipe Chevy | 202 | 82 | 41.2 | $22,443 | Running | |||
| 28 | 30 | 70 | Shelby Howard | Foretravel Motorcoach Chevy | 201 | 79 | 56.3 | $21,943 | Running | |||
| 29 | 38 | 35 | Jason Keller | Tri-Star Motorsports Chevy | 199 | 76 | 42.0 | $21,868 | Running | |||
| 30 | 5 | 21 | Clint Bowyer | Zaxby’s Chevy | 198 | 73 | 74.7 | $15,650 | Engine | |||
| 31 | 42 | 27 | Alex Kennedy | LawMemorial.org Ford | 197 | 70 | 33.4 | $21,763 | Running | |||
| 32 | 19 | 09 | Brian Scott # | Shore Lodge Toyota | 196 | 67 | 69.5 | $21,703 | Brakes | |||
| 33 | 11 | 31 | Stanton Barrett | KidsEmbrace Chevy | 189 | 64 | 44.6 | $15,200 | Engine | |||
| 34 | 22 | 42 | Parker Kligerman | GetMoreVacations.com / Bandit Chippers Dodge | 180 | 61 | 50.1 | $15,165 | Accident | |||
| 35 | 18 | 10 | Ricky Carmichael | Monster Energy Toyota | 89 | 58 | 56.7 | $21,578 | Oil Pump | |||
| 36 | 43 | 81 | Michael McDowell | Red Line Oil / Drive Reply Dodge | 59 | 55 | 45.1 | $21,543 | Engine | |||
| 37 | 1 | 30 | James Buescher # | Wolfpack Energy Services Chevy | 41 | 57 | 5 | 68.1 | $18,240 | Accident | 1 | 4 |
| 38 | 26 | 05 | David Starr | Cash America Chevy | 36 | 49 | 32.5 | $21,453 | Accident | |||
| 39 | 31 | 79 | Tim Andrews | 2nd Chance Race Parts Ford | 31 | 46 | 37.7 | $14,945 | Electrical | |||
| 40 | 8 | 91 | David Gilliland | D’Hondt – Humphrey Motorsports Chevy | 20 | 43 | 45.4 | $14,905 | Electrical | |||
| 41 | 32 | 07 | Danny Efland | Danny Efland Racing Chevy | 12 | 40 | 32.1 | $14,840 | Engine | |||
| 42 | 34 | 52 | Kevin Lepage | Metro Ministries / Cattlemen’s Restaurant Chevy | 12 | 37 | 29.9 | $14,795 | Ignition | |||
| 43 | 15 | 92 | Dennis Setzer | K-Automotive Motorsports Dodge | 3 | 34 | 29.3 | $14,721 | Vibration |
Edwards did everything he could do, but the racing gods just didn’t help him out. It was rough seeing James Buescher wreck after claiming his first pole.
The battle for the top 30 is winding down. Here’s the battle:
| 28 | Keller | 35 | 2,849 | +142 | ||
| 29 | Richardson | 23 | 2,849 | +142 | ||
| 30 | Howard | 70 | 2,808 | +101 | ||
| 31 | McDowell | 81 | 2,707 | -101 | ||
| 32 | Allen | 05 | 2,622 | -186 | ||
| 33 | McClure | 24 | 2,491 | -317 |
At the start of the race at Phoenix, Eric McClure will officially be a non-top 30 driver. The #24 team cannot make up 317 points in two races, so the team will not be locked into Daytona 2011 unless 3 teams close down before the start of next season.
This week we head to Phoenix for the second to last race of the 2010 season. Don’t think that just because the Championship is decided that Nationwide will no longer be exciting. Quite the opposite. Everyone has nothing to lose. Enjoy!
