Dodge Motorsports Notes & Quotes - Chase Notes - Homestead

November 17, 2011 , HOMESTEAD, Fla. -  Friday, Nov. 18, 2011
Denny Darnell
Scott Sebastian
Jimmy White
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2011 CHASE FOR THE NASCAR SPRINT CUP

Chase Race No. 10 – Homestead-Miami Speedway – Sunday, Nov. 20

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

Homestead
   o Has three previous Cup starts at Homestead.
   o Best finish (13th) and best start (18th) both occurred in the 2010 race.
   o First Cup start at Homestead in 2008.
   o Completed 99.9 percent of total possible laps in three previous races at Homestead (800 of 801 laps).
   o Average Finish: 20.3
Chase
   o Fourth in the series championship standings, 65 points behind leader Carl Edwards and six behind third-place Kevin Harvick. Leads fifth-place Jimmie Johnson by three points and sixth-place Matt Kenseth by five.
   o Has scored four top-five finishes in nine Chase races and led at least one lap in seven of those events.
   o Average Finish: 12.11
Season
   o Has three wins, 10 top-five and 14 top-10 finishes.
   o Recorded eight top-five and 11 top-10 finishes in last 18 races.
   o Won pole position for Coca-Cola 600 at Charlotte in May.
   o Scored 214 points in five-race span to move from 23rd after Loudon to 11th following his victory at Bristol.
   o Has led in 19 of the 35 races for 287 laps.
   o Has been running at the finish 34 consecutive races.
   o Enters Homestead with identical average start and average finish: 14.7.

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

Homestead
   o One win, four top fives and four top 10 finishes in 10 previous starts at Homestead.
   o Clinched the 2004 Sprint Cup championship at Homestead with a fifth-place finish.
   o Won 2002 race by 2.070 seconds over second-place Joe Nemechek.
   o Has two poles at Homestead – 2002 and 2004.
   o He and Bill Elliott (2001) are the only drivers to win from the pole at Homestead.
   o Has completed 83.5 percent of total possible laps at Homestead (2,233 of 2,675).
   o Average Finish: 19.4.
Chase
   o Eighth in the series championship standings, 107 points behind leader Edwards.
   o Won at Dover and is one of six different drivers to win a Chase race.
   o Has led laps in five of nine races.
   o Average Finish: 17.44
Season
   o Has two wins along with eight top-five and 16 top-10 finishes.
   o Will make his 400th career Cup start at Homestead.
   o Only Sprint Cup driver to remain in the top 10 in the series point standings all 35 races this season.
   o All three pole positions came in consecutive races: Kansas (race No. 13). Pocono (race No. 14) and Michigan (race No. 15).
   o Has led in 20 of 34 races for 770 laps
   o Kicked off 2011 by winning Bud Shootout and first Gatorade Duel and finished fifth in the Daytona 500.
   o Average Finish: 14.1

Results: Chase Race No. 9 – Phoenix International Raceway – Sunday, Nov. 13
Summary: Kurt Busch was leading late in the race when he ran out of gas half a lap away from a scheduled green flag pit stop. Busch slowed on lap 279 of the 312-lap race, coasting into his pit stall. But a lengthy stop on the pit lane to refire his car plus a speeding penalty entering pit road dropped Busch a lap down and out of contention for the victory. He was credited with a 22nd-place finish. He’s eighth in the Chase standings, 107 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Keselowski struggled early in the race, but after the first pit stop ran among the top 10. He was sixth in the running order when he hit pit lane for a routine four-tire stop during the event’s eighth caution on lap 221. But he lost nine positions due to an issue with the right side tire change then lost another handful of spots when he bounced around in traffic when the race restarted. Keselowski was credited with an 18th-place finish and is 65 points behind Edwards.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 12th Finished: 18th
            o Points Position: 4th Gain/Loss: +1 Behind Leader: -65
            o Average finish in nine Chase races: 12.11

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 17th Finished: 22nd
            o Points Position: 9th Gain/Loss: +1 Behind Leader: -107
            o Average finish in nine Chase races: 17.44

Results: Chase Race No. 8 – Texas Motor Speedway – Sunday, Nov. 6
Summary: Brad Keselowski started eighth at Texas but struggled with handling issues with his No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger throughout the race. And to make a bad day worse, he and Ryan Newman made contact on pit road during a round of stops under caution on lap 271. Newman, pitting directly in front of Keselowski, blocked in the No. 2 Dodge. When attempting to leave his stall, Keselowski backed into Denny Hamlin, damaging the right-rear of his car and forcing him to make an extra stop for minor repairs. He was credited with a 24th-place finish and is 49 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Kurt Busch also had a frustrating afternoon at Texas, struggling to a 30th-place finish. Busch is ninth in the series championship standings, 87 points behind Edwards.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 8th Finished: 24th
            o Points Position: 5th Gain/Loss: -1 Behind Leader: -49
            o Average finish in eight Chase races: 11.37

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 14th Finished: 30th
            o Points Position: 9th Gain/Loss: -1 Behind Leader: -87
            o Average finish in eight Chase races: 16.87

Results: Chase Race No. 7 – Martinsville Speedway – Sunday, Oct. 30
Summary: Brad Keselowski saw a top 10 finish disappear in the final laps of the TUMS Fast Relief 500. Keselowski was running eighth on the final restart with two laps to go when Dale Earnhardt Jr. made contact with Denny Hamlin, shoving Hamlin into Keselowski, sending the Miller Lite Dodge for a spin. He was credited with a 17th-place finish and dropped to fourth-place in the series championship standings, 27 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Kurt Busch overcame two spins and rallied from a lap down to score a 14th-place finish in the season’s final short track race. Busch took the wave around back onto the lead lap during the eleventh caution of the race on lap 404 of the 500-lap event. Five laps later caution number 12 waved, allowing Busch to make up the lost distance and join the pit sequence of the race leaders.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 3rd Finished: 17th
            o Points Position: 4th Gain/Loss: -1 Behind Leader: -27
            o Average finish in seven Chase races: 9.57

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 8th Finished: 14th
            o Points Position: 8th Gain/Loss: 0 Behind Leader: -58
            o Average finish in seven Chase races: 15.00

Results: Chase Race No. 6 – Talladega Superspeedway – Sunday, Oct. 13
Summary: Brad Keselowski made a good choice in a drafting partner in Dave Blaney as the two challenged for the win in the two-lap dash to the checkered flag following the ninth caution of the race. Keselowski ended up fourth, his best restrictor plate finish of the season and second top-five in 11 career plate races. He won at Talladega in 2009. It was his fourth top-10 in six Chase races and moved him to third in the standings, 18 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Kurt Busch saw his championship hope fade after being involved in an accident off Turn 2 on lap 175 of the 188-lap race. Bobby Labonte spun and came back up the track directly in the path of Busch, heavily damaging the No. 22 Dodge. Busch finished 36th. He’s eighth in the standings, 52 points behind the leader.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 16th Finished: 4th
            o Points Position: 3rd Gain/Loss: +3 Behind Leader: -18
            o Average finish in six Chase races: 8.33

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 14th Finished: 36th 
            o Points Position: 8th Gain/Loss: -1 Behind Leader: -52
            o Average finish in six Chase races: 15.2

Results: Chase Race No. 5 – Charlotte Motor Speedway – Sunday Oct. 15
Summary: Kurt Busch rallied from two laps down to score a 13th-place finish, best among Dodge drivers. Busch was zapped twice by untimely caution flags moments after making scheduled green-flag pit stops. He dropped one position to seventh in the standings, 27 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Brad Keselowski also had his share of misfortune, but salvaged a respectable 16th-place finish. Keselowski fell to sixth in the Chase, 25 points behind the leader. Ironically, both Busch and Keselowski have completed 99.93 percent of all possible laps in the five Chase races (1,572 of a possible 1,573).

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 26th Finished: 16th
            o Points Position: 6th Gain/Loss: -2 Behind Leader: -25
            o Average finish in five Chase races: 9.20

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 20th Finished: 13th 
            o Points Position: 7th Gain/Loss: -1 Behind Leader: -27
            o Average finish in first five Chase races: 11.00

Results: Chase Race No. 4 – Kansas Speedway – Sunday Oct. 9
Summary: Brad Keselowski led Team Dodge with a third-place finish. Keselowski won at Kansas in June and backed up that performance with his third top five in the four Chase races. He started 12th and steadily worked his way to the front, eventually leading the race for five laps. He gained two positions in the point standings, climbing up to fourth, 11 points behind leader Carl Edwards. Kurt Busch qualified 17th and finished 13th after leading the race once for six laps. Busch dropped to sixth in the standings and is 16 points behind the leader.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 12th Finished: 3rd 
            o Points Position: 4th Gain/Loss: +2 Behind Leader: -11
            o Has completed every lap of last 11 Sprint Cup races.

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 17th Finished: 13th 
            o Points Position: 6th Gain/Loss: -2 Behind Leader: -16
            o Led at least once in first four Chase races.

Results: Chase Race No. 3 – Dover International Speedway – Sunday Oct. 2
Summary: Kurt Busch earned his second Sprint Cup Series win of the season, defeating Jimmie Johnson by 0.908 seconds. Busch qualified on the outside pole, led 90 laps en route to his 24th NSCS win of his career – his first at the Monster Mile. The win vaulted Busch five positions in the Chase standings. He’s currently tied with Tony Stewart for third, nine behind co-leaders Kevin Harvick and Carl Edwards. Mid-race mechanical issues with a power steering belt relegated Penske Racing teammate Brad Keselowski to a 20th-place place finish. Keselowski dropped three positions to sixth-place in the standings, 14 behind the leaders.

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 2nd Finished: Race Winner 
            o Points Position: 3rd Gain/Loss: +5 Behind Leader: -9
            o Led five times for 90 laps

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 15th Finished: 20th 
            o Points Position: 6th Gain/Loss: -3 Behind Leader: -14
            o Has led at least one lap in each of the first three Chase races.

Results: Chase Race No. 2 – New Hampshire Motor Speedway – Sunday, Sept. 25
Summary: Brad Keselowski led Team Dodge with a runner-up finish. He started ninth but was running just outside the top 20 through the first half of the 300-lap event. Crew Chief Paul Wolfe used race strategy, choosing not to pit on lap 174 under caution, to gain track
position. Fuel mileage keyed Keselowski’s runner-up finish, a career best at Loudon. It vaulted him to third in the Chase standings. Teammate Kurt Busch qualified fifth, but lost track position early and was never able to recover as the race had only three cautions. Busch finished 22nd and dropped to ninth in the Chase standings.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 16th Finished: 2nd
            o Points Position: 3rd Gain/Loss: +3 Behind Leader: -11
            o Eighth to-10 finish in last nine Sprint Cup starts.

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 5th Finished: 22nd
            o Points Position: 9th Gain/Loss: -5 Behind Leader: -28
            o Worse finish since Michigan (34th) in August.
            o Led once for four laps.

Results: Chase Race No. 1 – Chicagoland Speedway – Monday, Sept. 19
Summary: Brad Keselowski finished fifth in his first career Chase race. He qualified fifth and was a top-12 car most of the race. He managed to stretch his fuel window for the race’s final 53 laps, something several other lead-lap cars were unable to do (four ran out of fuel). Kurt Busch qualified third, led the most laps (64) en route to a sixth-place finish.
Keselowski started the Chase 11th in the standings, 12 points behind the leader. Busch started the Chase nine points behind the leader in seventh.

• Kurt Busch – No. 22 Shell/Pennzoil Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 3rd Finished: 6th 
            o Points position: 4th Gain/Loss: +3 Behind Leader: -11
            o Seventh top-five and 15th top-10 of the season.

• Brad Keselowski – No. 2 Miller Lite Dodge Charger R/T

            o Qualified: 6th Finished: 5th 
            o Points Position: 6th Gain/Loss: +5 Behind Leader: -14
            o Seventh consecutive top-12 finish.
            o Career-best Chicagoland finish.

2011 Dodge Motorsports Driver Statistics
Driver Rank Points Behind Starts Poles Wins Top 5s Top 10s Earnings
Brad Keselowski 4 2294 -65 35 1 3 10 14 $4,992,586
Kurt Busch 8 2252 -107 35 3 2 8 16 $5,834,341
Robby Gordon 34 268 --- 25 0 0 0 0 $2,271,891

Dodge at Homestead-Miami Speedway

• Dodge has one NASCAR Sprint Cup Series victory at Homestead-Miami Speedway (Bill Elliott – 2001).
• Dodge has three poles at Homestead: Bill Elliott (2001), Jamie McMurray (2003) and Kasey Kahne (2006).
• Dodge has racked up six top fives and 22 top 10 finishes at Homestead.
• The most Dodge drivers to finish in the top 10 in a race at Homestead are FIVE in 2001: Elliott, Casey Atwood (third), Sterling Marlin (fifth), Dave Blaney (sixth) and Jason Leffler (10th).
• Former Dodge driver Elliott (2001) and current Dodge driver Kurt Busch (2002) are the only two Sprint Cup winners at Homestead to start from the pole. Busch also started from the pole in 2004.
• Busch clinched the 2004 Sprint Cup championship at HMS. It was the first year of the Chase format and came before he joined Penske Racing in 2006.