Brad Keselowski was so ill during Atlanta Motor Speedway his group had a standby motorist on call. The assistance wasn’t needed.
The winningest motorist in Team Penske story raced to an doubtful feat Sunday by recuperating from a stomach pathogen to win during Atlanta Motor Speedway. It was a initial feat for Ford’s new Mustang and a miscarry for a manufacturer after Toyota swept a season-opening Daytona 500.
2019 FORD MUSTANG BULLITT IS ON TARGET:
NASCAR debuted a new foe package Sunday that is designed to urge a on-track product and assistance a smaller teams contend. But a initial demeanour during a new manners was gradual since a disintegrating pavement is distinct any other aspect NASCAR will competition on this season.
But NASCAR successfully designed a package that slowed a cars and bunched them closer together, that done for heated racing when a margin was packaged on restarts. The inlet of Atlanta’s severe 1.5-mile speedway led drivers to eventually fan out into singular file, that NASCAR is perplexing to avoid, though a racing is approaching to urge relocating forward.
“I saw a sincerely interesting race,” pronounced Steve O’Donnell, NASCAR’s arch racing officer. “We didn’t know what to expect, either, and we suspicion this package would showcase itself some-more once we got to a West Coast. All in all, we are confident with a outcome and we’ve got a lot of work to do to go behind and examination it.”
Keselowski, meanwhile, raced to his 60th win for Roger Penske to pass Indianapolis good Mark Donohue’s symbol as a group leader. He has won 27 of his 28 Cup victories for Penske.
“Oh, yeah, we forgot about that!” Keselowski said. “I consider any win means a lot, though that’s a large number. Now we get to wear that yellow Mark Donohue helmet. This day is, wow, we don’t even know how to put it in words.
“I’m only vehement for this team, initial competition with a new manners or whatever they’re called now, and to be means to win it, that’s unequivocally special.”
Roughly 6 hours earlier, organisation arch Paul Wolfe wasn’t even certain Keselowski could go a full 500 miles.
“He pronounced he’s good to go, so we’ll see,” Wolfe pronounced as he entered a pre-race motorist meeting.
Keselowski arrived shortly after, hopped off a golf transport and jogged into a meeting. Asked if he felt healthy adequate to race, he pronounced only: “I’m here, aren’t I?”
Keselowski has valid his toughness before, many particularly in 2011 when he won during Pocono only days after violation his ankle in a pile-up while testing. This time he fell ill late Friday night after startling fans in a Atlanta infield with drink during their stormy night of partying.
Keselowski’s mother was also sick, and Keselowski missed a start of Saturday’s final use as Austin Cindric incited laps in a No. 2 Ford. Keselowski was means to finish dual runs before use ended, though medical workers took him around golf transport from a garage to accept treatment.
“I’ve got to give a lot to credit to my wife, she was ill only like we was, and she took good caring of me along with everybody in a caring center,” Keselowski said. “I couldn’t be here currently though them. So appreciate you.”
Martin Truex Jr. finished second in a miscarry from his unsatisfactory opening with Joe Gibbs Racing. His 3 JGR teammates swept a lectern in a Daytona 500 while Truex unsuccessful to ever contend in his Toyota. He was unfortunate after a competition since he pronounced lapped trade slowed his shot during throwing Keselowski.
“Just a small upset,” Truex said. “We had a best car. We substantially should have won that one.”
Kurt Busch was third in a Chevrolet for Chip Ganassi Racing while celebrating his 650th career Cup start. Kyle Larson, his Ganassi teammate, led a race-high 142 laps though was taken out of row by a speeding penalty.
“To finish third … and to run with a who’s who of a sport, it only shows Ganassi has got a right stuff,” Busch said.
Kevin Harvick and Clint Bowyer dull out a top-five in a span of Fords for Stewart-Haas Racing.
Kyle Busch started final though gathering by a margin to finish sixth a day after he became a Truck Series’ all-time wins personality with his 52nd careervictory. His JGR teammate Erik Jones was seventh, pole-sitter Aric Almirola finished eighth. Chris Buescher was ninth in a clever finish for JTG-Daugherty Racing, while Daniel Suarez finished 10th in another SHR entry.
Ryan Blaney, Keselowski’s teammate, led 41 laps until a bad array stop busted his race.
Other equipment of seductiveness from Atlanta:
LOOK OUT: There was a pile-up on array highway for a second uninterrupted competition and B.J. McLeod was in both wrecks. He crashed with teammate Cody Ware as they headed to a opening to array highway in a Daytona 500. At Atlanta, McLeod was strike by Ryan Preece as Preece was looking during his gauges and didn’t see McLeod in front of him. The hit finished Preece’s race.
UP NEXT: NASCAR heads to a West Coast for Sunday’s competition during Las Vegas Motor Speedway. Harvick is a fortifying competition winner.
