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Keselowski secure in Penske ride
Brad Keselowski is ready for the 2012 Sprint Cup season.
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CONCORD, NC –
Brad Keselowski has firmed up his future with Penske Racing with solid backing from MillerCoors.
While Keselowski acknowledged during the NASCAR banquet in Las Vegas last month that he had received a new contract, Penske Racing announced Thursday that Miller Lite will continue its association on the No. 2 Dodge -- a relationship that started with Rusty Wallace in 1991.
The extension comes at a critical juncture in the sport as owners are scrambling to maintain primary sponsors. But this deal offers Keselowski job security for the next several seasons.
Keselowski, who will turn 28 in two weeks, is coming off of a career-best fifth-place finish in the Sprint Cup standings bolstered by three wins.
“This is a car that has so much continuity with the fans and I’m proud to get to drive a car all season long that keeps the same paint scheme with some great messaging on the back of it,” Keselowski said of the car that, on the media tour, had the "Driven 2 Greatness" motto on the bumper. “I think if you look in the sport and there are maybe three or four cars (that) are able to do that and that is so important to our fans to be able to pick that car out right away. So it’s an honor to get to drive that car for many reasons.
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“Obviously look at the legacy with Rusty and Kurt (Busch) and what they’ve been able to do in that car and I’m just honored to get to drive it. And I think for Penske Racing ... today is a big day.”
The Coors Light brand will continue as the Official Beer of NASCAR. Coors Light transferred its support to NASCAR in 2008 following a 14-season association with Felix Sabates on the No. 40 ride.
While Keselowski is starting his third full year in the Sprint Cup series, 2012 marks his second season in the Miller Lite Dodge. And Keselowski is encouraged by Penske Racing’s direction.
“I can't emphasize enough how important this announcement is," he said. "It’s important, number one, for NASCAR to bring Coors back.”
It’s also very important to Penske Racing to bring the Blue Deuce back, the Miller Lite car.
“We’ve got two full-time Nationwide cars with the (Nos.) 22 and the 12 cars fully funded for the whole year,” Keselowski said. “And then we’ve got these two beautiful cars on the Cup side, Dodge Chargers, with Shell and now Miller, for long-term contracts. That’s a huge deal in this sport right now; very, very critical, and there’s no other place in racing that I feel like is any stronger than we are right now here at Penske Racing.
“We have the continuity and the brands that are just unprecedented right now and I’m very proud to be associated with it. I’m very proud to offer a place to work for fabricators, mechanics, all the way down, you know, engineers and so forth. There is some large stability, incredible stability, here at Penske Racing and that’s why it was a no-brainer for me to re-sign and be a part of this program because I really like where we’re heading.”
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