Keselowski Survives Talladega to Win Geico 500

Originally written for CLNS Radio.

Brad Keselowski won the Geico 500 from Talladega Superspeedway on Sunday afternoon.

Keselowski was one of the few cars that wasn’t involved in an accident on Sunday, where 33 of 40 drivers were involved in an accident.  Keselowski said staying up front helped him avoid the big accidents.

 

Photo courtesy Sarah Crabill/Getty Images

“That’s one of the tickets to staying out of the wrecks; stay out front,” Keselowski said.  “The guys at Team Penske gave me a great Miller Lite Ford, and this Fusion was hauling it.”

Keselowski said he got two big pushes on the final restart that helped him stay in the lead.

“As the leader, it’s really…out of your control, you need the cars behind you to push,” Keselowski said.  “Jamie McMurray behind me gave me a great push, then Kyle Busch gave me a push…to clear the 41 [of Kurt Busch].”

Austin Dillon was one of the many damaged cars, and was involved in two accidents during the race.  Despite his damage, Dillon was able to work his way to the front under the final run to finish third.  Dillon said it was a testament to his team and their new attitude.

“I’m so proud of our Dow Intellifresh guys, they worked their butts off,” Dillon said.  “We did 15 pit stops today, and what we’ve been really focused on going forward is trying not to panic.”

“No one panicked, they did their jobs, they fixed the car and what a run to the finish.”

Unofficial results:

1. Brad Keselowski

2. Kyle Busch

3. Austin Dillon

4. Jamie McMurray

5. Chase Elliott

6. Tony Stewart

7. Clint Bowyer

8. Kurt Busch

9. Ryan Blaney

10. Trevor Bayne

11. Landon Cassill

12. Michael Waltrip

13. Martin Truex Jr.

14. AJ Allmendinger

15. Kevin Harvick

16. Ricky Stenhouse Jr.

17. David Gilliland

18. Cole Whitt

19. Bobby Labonte

20. Greg Biffle

21. Michael McDowell

22. Jimmie Johnson

23. Matt Kenseth

24. Danica Patrick

25. Joey Logano

26. Paul Menard

27. Aric Almirola

28. Ryan Newman

29. Kyle Larson

30. Brian Scott

31. Denny Hamlin

32. Regan Smith

33. Casey Mears

34. David Ragan

35. Carl Edwards

36. Matt DiBenedetto

37. Chris Buescher

38. Michael Annett

39. Kasey Kahne

40. Dale Earnhardt Jr.

Photo courtesy Sarah Crabill/Getty Images