Brad Keselowski and his busted left ankle
exceeded expectations for the second straight week as the
No.2 Miller Lite Dodge was runner-up in Monday's running of
the rain-delayed Heluva Good! Sour Cream Dips NASCAR® Sprint
Cup race at Watkins Glen International. Following the race,
Keselowski's crew chief, Paul Wolfe, picked up his second
MOOG Chassis Parts "Problem Solver of the
Race" Award from
Federal-Mogul.
One of the most prestigious weekly honors in NASCAR
competition, the
MOOG Problem Solver Award is presented to the
Sprint Cup crew chief whose car posts the largest increase in
average lap speed over the second half of therace while
finishing on the lead lap. Keselowski’s Dodge Challenger
improved by an average of 0.577-second over each of the final
46 trips around the Glen’s challenging 2.45-mile road
course.
Keselowski, who started 12th, passed Kyle Busch to take the
lead during a green-white-checkered restart on Lap 91 but was
unable to hold off road course specialist and eventual race
winner Marcos Ambrose just twoturns later. As the No.2 car
moved into position to challenge Ambrose over the final
half-lap, the field was frozen due to a multi-car
accident.
The second-place finish was well beyond expectations,
however, as Keselowski was making only the 12th road course
start of his career and was still hampered by the broken
ankle sustained less than two weeks ago during an on-track
test in Atlanta. The 27-year-old driver responded by winning
last week’s Cup race at Pocono and quickly cracking the top 5
– and staying there – at the Glen.
“Brad told Paul and the Penske Racing crew that he was happy
with the car at the start, and it was obvious they had their
MOOG-equipped chassis zeroed in for today’s track and weather
conditions,” said Federal-Mogul Motorsports Director Tim Nelson.
“The number 2 was a very fast and great handling racecar from
the moment the green flag dropped. That’s a testament to
Paul’s rock-solid chassis setup and his intuitive race
strategy after Sunday’s long delay.”
Wolfe’s second weekly MOOG Award of 2011 puts him just one
behind leaders Bob Osborne (No.99 Ford), Steve Letarte (No.88
Chevrolet) and Gil Martin (No.29 Chevrolet) in the battle for
the prestigious
MOOG “Problem Solver of the Year”
Award.
MOOG steering and suspension components are the choice of
NASCAR crew chiefs and automotive repair professionals and
have helped drive an unprecedented 45 consecutive NASCAR Cup
champions to
For the latest news and statistics regarding the MOOG Problem
Solver awards, simply click on the “NASCAR” link on the
brand’s popular website. This technician-focused site
also includes extensive technical information about MOOG
steering and suspension components and a wide range of common
chassis repair challenges. To identify the rightMOOG part for
virtually any application, please use the convenient, free
electronic
catalog.