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Do-it-yourselfers like Brian Keselowski are worth rooting for
To the casual NASCAR fan, the name Brian Keselowski probably isn’t even on their radar. They know the big names in the sport’s minor leagues, including Brian’s younger brother Brad, but most of the rest of the field is nameless to them.
But do-it-yourselfers like Brian are a flashback to the older days of NASCAR, when drivers literally drove to the track and drove home in the same car they raced, and are worth rooting for.
He has no sponsor, and the only people who came down to Daytona with him were his dad Bob, his uncle Ron and a few people who work for the team. Assuming Brian, a Rochester Hills resident, can qualify today for Saturday’s race, he’ll likely have to assemble a pit crew down in Daytona who will take care of his stops.
To say the team is on a tight budget would be an understatement, but Keselowski’s current plan is to attempt to qualify the #26 car for the entire season, and hopefully attract some sponsorship along the way.
Brian’s goal is very simple: He just wants to race. That’s his life and what he’s always known. He’s not some big shot who’s full of himself like some of the big stars have shown they can be. He’s just a guy who wants to succeed at the sport he’s dedicated his life to, and is willing to put his own money and his own sweat into the team.
He doesn’t have outlandish dreams, and doesn’t expect he’ll be competing with the likes of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards for wins anytime soon. At the same time, he’s not willing to sit out the sport just because the road is difficult. If the breaks don’t come to him, he’s decided to try and make his own.
In an era of NASCAR where the big teams dominate so much and cup interlopers like Busch and Edwards will likely steal most of the headlines this year, it’s hard not to root for a guy like Brian to succeed in the Nationwide Series. He was 32nd out of 50 drivers on the speed charts in practice, so there’s a good chance he’ll be in the show.
If Keselowki can make the race at Daytona, that would a great start toward his goal of making a full-season run, and would be a great win for the little guy. The 43rd place car in the 2008 Nationwide race at Daytona took home more than $42,000, which would mean infinitely more to Brian than the big teams.
But do-it-yourselfers like Brian are a flashback to the older days of NASCAR, when drivers literally drove to the track and drove home in the same car they raced, and are worth rooting for.
He has no sponsor, and the only people who came down to Daytona with him were his dad Bob, his uncle Ron and a few people who work for the team. Assuming Brian, a Rochester Hills resident, can qualify today for Saturday’s race, he’ll likely have to assemble a pit crew down in Daytona who will take care of his stops.
To say the team is on a tight budget would be an understatement, but Keselowski’s current plan is to attempt to qualify the #26 car for the entire season, and hopefully attract some sponsorship along the way.
Brian’s goal is very simple: He just wants to race. That’s his life and what he’s always known. He’s not some big shot who’s full of himself like some of the big stars have shown they can be. He’s just a guy who wants to succeed at the sport he’s dedicated his life to, and is willing to put his own money and his own sweat into the team.
He doesn’t have outlandish dreams, and doesn’t expect he’ll be competing with the likes of Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards for wins anytime soon. At the same time, he’s not willing to sit out the sport just because the road is difficult. If the breaks don’t come to him, he’s decided to try and make his own.
In an era of NASCAR where the big teams dominate so much and cup interlopers like Busch and Edwards will likely steal most of the headlines this year, it’s hard not to root for a guy like Brian to succeed in the Nationwide Series. He was 32nd out of 50 drivers on the speed charts in practice, so there’s a good chance he’ll be in the show.
If Keselowki can make the race at Daytona, that would a great start toward his goal of making a full-season run, and would be a great win for the little guy. The 43rd place car in the 2008 Nationwide race at Daytona took home more than $42,000, which would mean infinitely more to Brian than the big teams.
posted by Matt Myftiu at
10:48 PM
1 Comments:
Here's wishing Brian finds success in Daytona and for the rest of the season. He's a heck of a racer and the passion is clear. Here's hoping he doesn't have to struggle to find his way.
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