Bob Keselowski celebrated his 58th birthday Saturday in one of the best ways possible, watching his son Brad beat Kyle Busch head-to-head in Iowa and take his second Nationwide series win of the year.

All year, Brad – a Rochester Hills native – has been solid, racking up top-5 finishes on a regular basis. But he almost always had the same thing to say after each run: “I wish we could catch up to those Gibbs cars”

Well, he finally caught up … and then he passed them.

The first time Brad took the lead from Kyle Busch during the inaugural running of a Nationwide race at the Iowa track, the 60,000+ crowd roared their approval. I doubt all of them were Brad Keselowski fans, but they were cheering for the realization of something that we’ve been waiting for all year … a Nationwide regular taking the top position from Busch, who has been stinking up the entire season in Nationwide by double-dipping every weekend in a series he has no real reason to run, and dominating races.

Every week, it has been all about Kyle Busch and Carl Edwards, when this week was a showcase of what this series could be. The early part of this race – when young drivers Ricky Stenhouse Jr., Eric Darnell, Brad Coleman, Justin Allgaier and others were putting on a great show – is what this series should offer.

It used to be that way, back when Matt Kenseth and Dale Earnhardt Jr. were on the rise in this sport, battling each other for titles BEFORE they got to Cup. Kyle Busch, along with Edwards and others who have done it in the past, have it backwards. After establishing himself as a Cup driver, he decided to go win a Nationwide title.

Quite frankly, it shouldn’t be allowed. I say let the Cup guys race for money, but no points. Brad Keselowski should be this year’s Nationwide title winner, but he will most definitely finish behind Edwards and Busch.

I know of no other sport that allows players to compete for a title in both the minor league and major league at the same time on a full-time basis. NASCAR should be no different.

But back to Brad, this background info highlights why his win at Iowa is so big. Despite the fact he is out of the title hunt barring extremely crazy circumstances, he still represents hope for this series … hope that the interlopers like Busch can be defeated.

He represents the hope that someday, this series could one day return to being a proving ground for young talent on its way up to Cup, a place Brad will most certainly be full-time next year.

So Bob Keselowski, I hope you enjoyed your birthday and congratulations on your son’s victory. He’s one of the few reasons left to watch the Nationwide races.

Family team does well, too
The K Automotive team entry, usually driven by Brian Keselowski, got an assist from driver Michael McDowell this weekend, as he drove their unsponsored #26 car to an 8th place finish, boosting the team back to the top-30 in owner points. McDowell will also fill in as driver of the #26 car at Watkins Glen. This is the best finish of the year for the #26 team.


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