“I Don’t Like Losing” – Brad Keselowski on his Hunt for a Second Cup Title

Last year, NASCAR crowned Chase Elliott as the Cup Series champion. Finishing as the runner-up was Team Penske driver, Brad Keselowski, who was agonizingly close. Truthfully speaking, Keselowski had the car and the ability to earn a second title, but he fell short by one place.

To this day, the 37-year-old rues what could have been. Coincidentally, this weekend, the driver is going to race at the very track that saw him finish second best – the Phoenix Raceway. Speaking about that loss, he said, “I wouldn’t say I’m not over it. To be quite honest, I don’t like losing. I certainly don’t like being that close. I take solace in feeling like I did everything I could do.”

At the season finale, 2.7 seconds separated Brad Keselowski and Cup Series glory for a second time. As per the timing screens, he was arguably the fastest driver on the track. He even possessed superior passing skills at the racetrack and looked like a favorite. Unfortunately, a costly pit lane error resulted in him losing 13 positions during the caution. He scythed his way back, but it was too late to catch Elliott.

What else did Brad Keselowski say about the loss?

The Michigan native continued, “Losing hurts way more when you feel like you left something on the table personally. I don’t feel like I left anything on the table at Phoenix. That helped me quite a bit but still, obviously, I know that I was this close to realizing my dream of a second championship. But, you know, not close enough.”

Apparently, the fact that Team Penske did well at 750-horsepower tracks, also helped Keselowski’s quest. Additionally, since Phoenix was the season finale host and a 750-horsepower track, it was a big boon. Naturally, Brad Keselowski wants to go a step further in 2021. For that, he needs to perform well at 550-horsepower tracks, as well as 750.

It is also noteworthy that Keselowski was the sole Penske driver in the top 10 at Homestead-Miami. This was when all four of the top teams missed on long-run setup. Owing to a bizarre pit strategy and an untimely caution, he pitted with 30 laps to go. This meant that the outfit royally goofed up the strategy, and he ended up 16th.

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