Quaker State 400

 

BRAD KESELOWSKI WINS! That's three NASCAR Sprint Cup wins for Keselowski this season.

Radio chatter: Brad Keselowski: "Great job everybody. Hard work equals results."

"This is the hardest we had to work yet and we did a great job," crew chief Paul Wolfe said.

White flag: Brad Keselowski cruising away for the win.

Lap 265: Kasey Kahne, now in second, is cutting into Brad Keselowski's lead but it is still well over three seconds.

Lap 263: Carl Edwards pits for fuel.

Lap 262: Kasey Kahne is battling Denny Hamlin for second. Both are more than four seconds behind Brad Keselowski.

Radio chatter on Lap 262: Crew chief Darian Grubb tells Denny Hamlin: "Race what you got."

Lap 261: Brad Keselowski's lead is more than four seconds.

Radio chatter on Lap 261: Spotter TJ Majors is warning Dale Earnhardt Jr. of Kasey Kahne's line but it's too late. Kahne takes fourth.

Lap 260: Brad Keselowski continues to lead, with Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Kasey Kahne and Dale Earnhardt Jr. in the top five.

Radio chatter on Lap 258: Crew chief Steve Letarte to Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "You can make it buddy, keep going you're doing great."

Lap 254: Kasey Kahne takes fifth.

Radio chatter on Lap 252: Brad Keselowski's spotter: "Sounds like Dale Jr. can make it and he's going to press the 99 and 11."

Radio chatter on Lap 250: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "It's way too loose, I can't drive it any harder."

Lap 250: Brad Keselowski has a 3.018-second lead over Denny Hamlin.

Lap 247: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is catching Carl Edwards, who is running third.

Radio chatter on Lap 247: Crew chief Steve Letarte tells Dale Earnhardt Jr.: Keep pushing those three, they have to go on fuel.

Lap 244: Brad Keselowski continues to hold a large margin over the rest of the field as the laps wind down at Kentucky. Keselowski won at Talladega in May for his most recent Sprint Cup victory. He has two wins in the series this season.

Lap 239: Brad Keselowski has a 3.425-second lead over Denny Hamlin. They are followed by Carl Edwards, Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Martin Truex Jr.

Radio chatter on Lap 238: Carl Edwards' spotter says, “I’m going to keep you posted ... you have plenty of room to work."

Radio chatter on Lap 236: Matt Kenseth, after battle with Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "I was trying to get out of his way, but damn."

Lap 233: Brad Keselowski has a lead of more than a second over Denny Hamlin - and just posted the fastest lap on the track.

Lap 231: Martin Truex Jr. is picking up speed. He's now challenging Dale Earnhardt Jr. for fourth. Truex has challenged for wins this season, but has not won in his last 183 outings.

Radio chatter on Lap 227: Crew chief Chad Knaus: "Settle in, I think we can get a couple more here." Jimmie Johnson is running 10th.

Radio chatter on Lap 226: Crew chief Darian Grubb tells Denny Hamlin: "I think we have a shot at this."

Lap 226: Hendrick Motorsports is flexing its muscle once more. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is fifth, Jeff Gordon is seventh, Kasey Kahne is eighth and Jimmie Johnson is 10th.

Radio chatter on Lap 224: Jimmie Johnson says he has a tire going down. He says it doesn't feel soft but it's loose as (crap).

Lap 223: Carl Edwards surged to second on the restart, but Denny Hamlin reclaims the position.

Lap 222: Greg Biffle pits.

Lap 222: Jimmie Johnson is slipping back in the running order.

Lap 220: Matt Kenseth swings to the outside and around in an effort to challenge for the lead. Brad Keselowski, meanwhile, pulls away from the field on the restart.

RESTART - Lap 220: Brad Keselowski will once more lead the field to the green flag for the restart. Denny Hamlin will start alongside him.

Radio chatter on Lap 219: Crew chief Darian Grubb to Denny Hamlin: "Do what you need to do to get the lead here..."

Radio chatter on Lap 216: Brad Keselowski: "Clean air, air condition, you don't get anything better than this." Spotter Joey Meier replies: "I've got something that will make it better in about 53 laps."

Lap 216: Brad Keselowski will once more lead the field to the green. Keselowski, Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, Matt Kenseth and Jimmie Johnson are the top five.

Lap 215: Kyle Busch pits again as teammate Joey Logano's team continues to work on his car to repair the damage he incurred earlier.

Lap 214: Kyle Busch's team is changing the shock on his car.

Radio chatter on Lap 214: Denny Hamlin is told he's short on fuel.

Radio chatter on Lap 214: Crew chief Jimmy Fennig tells Matt Kenseth that the team should run out of fuel at the checkers.

Radio chatter on Lap 213: Crew chief Steve Letarte says Dale Earnhardt Jr. is likely two-and-a-half laps short. Keselowski and Busch ran out of gas heading into their recent stops.

Lap 212: Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, AJ Allmendinger, Greg Biffle, Marcos Ambrose, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Casey Mears, Kevin Harvick, Juan Pablo Montoya, Kasey Kahne, Jamie McMurray and Paul Menard pit for fuel only.

CAUTION 4 - Lap 210: Ryan Newman hits the wall after spinning in oil after his engine failed.

Lap 209: Kyle Busch pitting.

Lap 208: Brad Keselowski , Joey Logano among those pitting.

Radio chatter on Lap 208: Dale Earnhardt Jr. asks, "Can we go to the end?" Crew chief Steve Letarte says everyone needs one more stop.

Lap 207: Matt Kenseth pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 206: Matt Kenseth: This thing is so big in dirty air.

Lap 205: Jimmie Johnson pits while leading.

Lap 204: David Ragan penalized for too fast exiting.

Lap 202: Dale Earnhardt Jr. comes in for tires. Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Casey Mears, Aric Almirola, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick among those pitting.

Radio chatter on Lap 198: Jimmie Johnson leads Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon, Kyle Busch, Martin Truex Jr., Carl Edwards, Kevin Harvick and Greg Biffle.

Radio chatter on Lap 196: Jimmie Johnson says his balance is barely snug center. Loose off of Turn 1.

Lap 196: Marcos Ambrose pits.

Lap 195: Jamie McMurray pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 194: Kyle Busch tells the crew the shock has broken.

Lap 193: AJ Allmendinger pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 192: Matt Kenseth: "This is how bad this thing is in dirty air, it's just plowing if anyone gets within 15 car lengths."

Lap 190: Dale Earnhardt Jr., in fifth, just ran the fastest lap on the track.

Lap 189: NEW LEADER - Jimmie Johnson takes the lead from Denny Hamlin.

Lap 187: Michael Waltrip pits.

Lap 186: Juan Pablo Montoya pits.

Lap 185: Jimmie Johnson has caught Denny Hamlin at the front of the field. He's looking inside of him in Turn 4. Hamlin is faster on the straights.

Radio chatter on Lap 184: Crew chief Darian Grubb tells Denny Hamlin to lift a little early in the corners so he can stretch his fuel mileage a little bit.

Lap 183: Denny Hamlin has a .526 of a second lead over Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 177: Bobby Labonte pits.

Lap 176: Jimmie Johnson, in second, just ran the fastest lap on the track. He trails Denny Hamlin by seven-tenths of a second.

Lap 173: Denny Hamlin continues to set the pace, with Jimmie Johnson in second. Brad Keselowski, Jeff Gordon and Kyle Busch round out the top five.

Lap 169: Clint Bowyer, who just pitted, is 32nd. Joey Logano is struggling on the track as well.

Lap 169: Dale Earnhardt Jr., in sixth, just ran the fastest lap on the track.

Radio chatter on Lap 167: Jimmie Johnson catches Denny Hamlin who says "definitely not as good." He drops to 27th on the stop.

Lap 167: Clint Bowyer pits after the previous contact with Joey Logano.

Lap 165: Denny Hamlin has a narrow lead of about three-tenths of a second over Jimmie Johnson, while Jeff Gordon just ran the fastest lap on the track.

Radio chatter on Lap 162: Clint Bowyer's spotter: "No Smoke here, you're fine."

Lap 162: Now the Hendrick cars are picking up the pace again. Jimmie Johnson is once more closing on Denny Hamlin while Jeff Gordon slips around Kyle Busch for fourth.

Lap 160: Joey Logano and Clint Bowyer make contact on the frontstretch, but keep going.

Lap 160: Jimmie Johnson is losing ground to Denny Hamlin at the front now.

Radio chatter on Lap 159: Rusty Webb is spotting for AJ Allmendinger tonight. His regular spotter had a family emergency.

Lap 158: Here he comes - Jimmie Johnson is catching Denny Hamlin at the front of the field.

Lap 157: Jeff Gordon moves into fifth. Gordon has challenged for the win in multiple races this season, but is seeking his first victory of 2012. He is the only Hendrick Motorsports driver who has not won a Cup race this year.

RESTART - Lap 155: Denny Hamlin, Jimmie Johnson, Kyle Busch, Brad Keselowski, Martin Truex Jr., Jeff Gordon, AJ Allmendinger, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Carl Edwards and Clint Bowyer are the top 10 heading to the restart.

Radio chatter on Lap 152: Matt Kenseth tells spotter Mike Calinoff to go and apologize to AJ Allmendinger for his running into him. Says that he had too much speed going into Turn 2. "When he slammed his brakes, I couldn't stop...I didn't mean to get into the back of him," Kenseth said. Calinoff: "Message delivered."

Lap 151: Denny Hamlin leads the race off pit road.

Radio chatter on Lap 151: Matt Kenseth is reaching for straws, took four tires, thinks they should have taken two for track position: "We got to get it together here, we're really not that good."

Lap 150: Leaders pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 150: Crew chief Jimmy Fennig is asking about tires. Matt Kenseth says his car is loose.

CAUTION 3 - Lap 149: Dave Blaney has a mechanical failure.

Radio chatter on Lap 147: Kyle Busch: "I'm snug but comfortable, but slow."

Radio chatter on Lap 145: AJ Allmendinger says the car is tight with two tires.

Lap 144: Denny Hamlin is seeking his third NASCAR Sprint Cup win of this season. He is steadily pulling away from the field as the temperatures cool in Kentucky.

Lap 141: The Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing teams are starting to shine. Denny Hamlin leads, his JGR teammate Kyle Busch is third while Roush Fenway's Matt Kenseth has surged to ninth followed by teammate Carl Edwards.

Radio chatter on Lap 139: AJ Allmendinger says the car is tight with two tires.

Lap 138: Denny Hamlin is taking advantage of his lead. He is already more than a second ahead of the field.

Radio chatter on Lap 135: Points leader Matt Kenseth is racing 22nd. Spotter Mike Calinoff says to be smart.

Lap 133: With the sun setting in Kentucky, the battles at the front continue. Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson are in a heated battle for second, with Brad Keselowski closing the gap on the pair.

Lap 132: NEW LEADER - Denny Hamlin takes the lead from teammate Kyle Busch.

Lap 131: Battles everywhere at the front of the field.

RESTART - Lap 130: Kyle Busch has the lead. The top 10 on the track took two tires each.

Lap 128: Kyle Busch, who bounced off the wall slightly before the caution, remains in the lead. Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson follow.

Radio chatter on Lap 126: Crew chief Jimmy Fennig yells at Matt Kenseth: "Watch your brakes, watch your brakes."

Lap 126: Dale Earnhardt Jr. takes four tires; Jimmie Johnson's team makes a chassis adjustment. Jimmie Johnson, Martin Truex Jr., Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Newman among those taking two tires. Matt Kenseth asks his crew, "Give me a drink every caution, please."

Lap 126: Leaders pit.

CAUTION 2 - Lap 125- Debris on the track.

Lap 123: Kyle Busch leads by just over four-tenths of a second. Brad Keselowski is trying to close in second, followed by polesitter Jimmie Johnson and then Denny Hamlin, who just ran the fastest lap on the track.

Radio chatter on Lap 119: Clint Bowyer's spotter: (Denny Hamlin) adjusted his line to be like yours, he's running the bottom now. Currently running fifth.

Radio chatter on Lap 119: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says he's a little loose which is curious because as the temperatures drop, the track should get tighter.

Lap 119: Kyle Busch continues to set the pace in Kentucky as he seeks to once more win at the track. If he does so, he will remain the only driver to win a NASCAR Sprint Cup race there.

Lap 115: Kyle Busch is expanding his lead at the front of the pack.

Lap 113: Kyle Busch has pulled away slightly at the front of the field, but Brad Keselowski is posting the fastest laps on the track.

Lap 110: Jeff Burton goes down a lap.

Lap 109: There are 21 cars on lead lap. Kyle Busch is closing in on Jeff Burton.

Lap 106: The leaders are coming up on traffic at the track.

Lap 105: Kyle Busch has just a three-tenths of a second lead over Brad Keselowski.

Lap 102: Brad Keselowski has caught Kyle Busch at the front and is challenging for the lead.

Lap 101: After the round of pit stops, Kyle Busch continues to hold the lead. Brad Keselowski, Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, AJ Allmendinger, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Martin Truex Jr., Matt Kenseth and Greg Biffle round out the top 10.

Lap 100: Tony Stewart pits.

Radio chatter on Lap 99: The No. 88 team dropped a lugnut on the left rear during the stop. Dale Earnhardt Jr. tells the crew, "You can't be doing that on green."

Lap 99: Jamie McMurray pits.

Lap 98: Kyle Busch, Denny Hamlin, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Matt Kenseth among those pitting.

Lap 97: Brad Keselowski, Clint Bowyer, Ryan Newman among those pitting. 

Lap 96: Aric Almirola, AJ Allmendinger, Jeff Gordon, Greg Biffle, Martin Truex Jr. among those pitting.

Lap 95: Jeff Burton, Carl Edwards, Joey Logano among those pitting.

Radio chatter on Lap 94: Jimmie Johnson says that he's tight, free into Turn 3.

Lap 93: Travis Kvapil, David Reutimann among those pitting.

Lap 92: Casey Mears, Juan Pablo Montoya and Bobby Labonte pit.

Radio chatter on Lap 91: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says, "We're not going away like a lot of these guys are."

Lap 90: Kyle Busch has a three-tenths of a second lead over Brad Keselowski.

Lap 90: Kevin Harvick pits.

Lap 88: After challenging for several laps, Brad Keselowski has caught Kyle Busch at the front. A lapped car, briefly holds off Keselowski.

Radio chatter on Lap 87: Dale Earnhardt Jr. is about 10 laps away from his pit stop. He says his car isn't as good as the last run, but he wants no adjustments."

Radio chatter on Lap 85: Matt Kenseth says he's better in (Turns) 1 and 2, still too loose in 3 and 4.

Radio chatter on 80: Crew chief Steve Addington asks, "Is it ok, Bud?" Tony Stewart responds, "Yeah, so far."

Lap 79: Points leader Matt Kenseth moves up to 12th.

Radio chatter on Lap 77: Carl Edwards says he is having trouble keeping the nose planted on the car. He's currently running 15th.

Lap 74: Kyle Busch's lead is trimmed a little by Brad Keselowski, but the pair are pulling away from Jimmie Johnson.

Lap 72: Kyle Busch has almost a half of a second lead over Brad Keselowski. Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin and Clint Bowyer round out the top five.

Radio chatter on Lap 70: Matt Kenseth wants the track bar returned to where it was and perhaps more wedge added in his next stop. Spotter Mike Calinoff tells him the leader is running the middle lane.

Lap 68: Jimmie Johnson's car is coming back to life. He is running third - and just ran the fastest lap on the track.

Lap 65: Kyle Busch is pulling back away from the field, carrying a seven-tenths of a second lead.

Lap 62: Brad Keselowski is the fastest car on the track, running in second. He's just four-tenths of a second behind leader Kyle Busch.

Lap 59: Tony Stewart is coming back out onto the track. He is 34 laps down, in 41st.

Radio chatter on Lap 58: Dale Earnhardt Jr. says that his car is snug.

Lap 58: Sprint Cup points leader Matt Kenseth is running 13th.

Radio chatter on Lap 57: The right front tire was loose on Kasey Kahne's car. He has dropped to 35th, one lap down.

Lap 55: Kyle Busch has built up a .678 of a second lead over Brad Keselowski. He's followed by Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Clint Bowyer, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Greg Biffle, AJ Allmendinger, Martin Truex Jr. and Kevin Harvick.

Lap 53: Kasey Kahne makes an unscheduled stop for four tires. Kahne says he is feeling a vibration. vibration. "I'm coming," Kahne says.

Radio chatter on Lap 53: There was a miscue for Matt Kenseth in the pits during the recent stop. He thought the crew was changing two tires, the plan was for four.

Lap 52: Dale Earnhardt Jr. moves to sixth.

Radio chatter on Lap 50: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "It's tight, really tight at the start."

Lap 50: Brad Keselowski once more slips past Jimmie Johnson for second.

Lap 49: Kyle Busch once more pulls away with the lead on the restart.

Radio chatter on Lap 49: Dale Earnhardt Jr.: "It runs real snug the first few laps, then it goes away and it starts to get loose, tightens it back up. I feel like I got a lot of wheel in it the whole run, then it snaps loose on me until the air pressures come back up."

RESTART - Lap 48: Kyle Busch and Jimmie Johnson lead the field to the green.

Lap 46: Kyle Busch is once more the leader after winning the race off pit road. Jimmie Johnson, Denny Hamlin, Brad Keselowski and Dale Earnhardt Jr. round out the top five for the restart.

Radio chatter on Lap 45: Crew chief Steve Addington tells Tony Stewart that they'll change the fuel cell.

Lap 45: Tony Stewart is back behind the wall. Stewart says, "Didn't fix it."

Lap 44: Tony Stewart is back out on the track.

Radio chatter on Lap 44: Matt Kenseth gets a half-round track bar and air pressure adjustments. Crew chief Jimmy Fennig tells Matt to watch the brakes on entry.

Lap 44: Leaders pit.

CAUTION 1 - Lap 42: For Scott Riggs

Lap 40: Brad Keselowski, who went on a tear during the summer months a year ago, is pulling away. His lead is almost a full second over Kyle Busch.

Radio chatter on Lap 37: After Tony Stewart is told the team is changing the throttle body and will have to reset the computer, he chirps: I’m so (expletive) appreciative of our electronic ignition. It’s a great (expletive) idea.

Lap 37: Brad Keselowski begins to quickly pull away from Kyle Busch after taking the lead.

Lap 36: Tony Stewart's car is behind the wall.

Lap 35: NEW LEADER - Brad Keselowski, who is in his third NASCAR race of the weekend at Kentucky Speedway.

Lap 34: Brad Keselowski has caught Kyle Busch and is challenging for the lead. He moves inside of Busch to take the top spot.

Lap 33: Brad Keselowski us closing the gap on Kyle Busch, cutting it to half a second.

Radio chatter on Lap 31: Tony Stewart: "When you try to push the pedal it will run. He says it will barely idle."

Lap 30: Brad Keselowski has grabbed second from Denny Hamlin and is chasing down leader Kyle Busch.

Lap 29: Tony Stewart pits for four tires and fuel, car fails to leave pit road. The hood goes up on the car. 

Radio chatter on Lap 28: Tony Stewart: "The ignition is taking a (crap) or something."

Radio chatter on Lap 27: Tony Stewart: "I don't know what's going on here, it won't go."

Lap 25: Tony Stewart is off the pace.

Radio chatter on Lap 24: Leader Kyle Busch: "Started off a little snug all the way through, it's gone a little loose all the way through, as it's transitioned it's all on exit. ... I need front grip and a bunch of rear grip."

Lap 23: Brad Keselowski, in third, continues to close the gap on second-running Denny Hamlin. Keselowski finished seventh in the debut race at Kentucky last year.

Lap 22: Dale Earnhardt Jr., in sixth, just ran the fastest lap on the track.

Lap 21: Scott Riggs heads to the garage.

Lap 20: Kyle Busch is extending his lead over Denny Hamlin, but Brad Keselowski is catching the pair. Busch has a .646 of a second lead over Hamlin, but Keselowski is just over a second off the leader's pace.

Radio chatter on Lap 18: Matt Kenseth says he's tight in the center, started too loose off. The exit is starting to get tight.

Lap 16: Things are getting tight at the front. Kyle Busch has a three-tenths of a second lead over Denny Hamlin. Brad Keselowski is another second back.

Lap 15: Kyle Busch continues to lead Denny Hamlin and Brad Keselowski. AJ Allmendinger passes Kevin Harvick for eighth.

Lap 14: Brad Keselowski is on a tear. He passes polesitter Jimmie Johnson to take third.

Lap 12: Denny Hamlin, in second, just ran the fastest lap on the track. He still trails teammate Kyle Busch by six-tenths of a second.

Lap 10: Martin Truex Jr. moves up to eighth. Michael Waltrip Racing teammate Clint Bowyer, the series most recent winner, is running sixth.

Lap 8: Kyle Busch continues to set the pace. He has a .684 of a second lead over Denny Hamlin. Brad Keselowski, meanwhile, has moved up to fourth.

Lap 6: Scott Riggs is off the pace.

Lap 4: Kyle Busch leads Denny Hamlin. Jimmie Johnson, Ryan Newman, and Brad Keselowski round out the top five.

Lap 2: Denny Hamlin is running second to his Joe Gibbs Racing teammate Kyle Busch. Hamlin announced just prior to the race that he has signed a contract extension with Joe Gibbs Racing.

Lap 1: This looks familiar. Kyle Busch leads the first lap of the race after winning the debut at the track.

GREEN FLAG!

Prerace radio chatter: Spotter T.J. Majors is telling Dale Earnhardt Jr. that in the last two races, drivers have had a tendency to overdrive Turn 1 on restarts. Crew chief Steve Letarte, says, "We're going to be good"

Prerace radio chatter: Jimmie Johnson: "Everybody, let's buckle down and go to work. Long night, let's make something happen here."

Remember, this is only the second NASCAR Sprint Cup race at Kentucky Speedway. Kyle Busch won the track debut last weekend.

Prerace radio chatter: Brad Keselowski is having issues with some systems in his car. Keselowski says, "Get it right, we'll be fine here." He rolls off eighth. Update: Keselowski's issue was his steering wheel. The team replaced it before the race started

Prerace radio chatter: Crew chief Kenny Francis is telling Kenny Kahne that because of where the timing line is behind his box, he can't take any chances but he can be more aggressive on exit.

Prerace radio chatter: Crew chief Chad Knaus says to Jimmie Johnson, "Remember we have the 98 (team's pit box) behind us, but I don't think he'll be running too long."

Prerace chatter: Spotter Mike Calinoff tells Matt Kenseth, "Crank it up!"

7:38 p.m. ET: NASCAR gives the command to start engines. 

7:38 p.m. ET: Lee Spencer reports that no one will be going to the back in the race tonight, but teams will have an extra man over the wall.

There have already been fireworks at Kentucky. Juan Pablo Montoya and Brad Keselowski tangled in practice. This will also be the first race for Matt Kenseth since the announcement that he is leaving Roush Fenway.

Jimmie Johnson will lead the field to the green flag tonight at Kentucky Speedway. Check out the full lineup. In case you missed it, watch the highlights from qualifying.

Welcome to the FOXSports.com coverage of the NASCAR Sprint Cup Quaker State 400 at Kentucky Speedway.

The race is scheduled to start shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday night.