Brad Keselowski talks about shot at second Sprint Cup

Sep 12, 2014; Joliet, IL, USA; NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Brad Keselowski during practice for the MYAFIBSTORY.COM 400 at Chicagoland Speedway. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Brad Keselowski heads into the NASCAR Chase for the Sprint Cup as the top seed with a series-leading four victories, resulting in a total of 12 bonus points with which to start the Chase that kicks off Sunday at Chicagoland Speedway in Joliet, Ill. Keselowski failed to make the Chase last year after winning the Sprint Cup in 2012.

During Chase Media Day in Chicago, Keselowski, along with the other 15 Chase for the Sprint Cup competitors discussed championship hopes and previewed the Chase, among other things. Here’s what Keselowski had to say:

JEFF GORDON SAID YESTERDAY THAT HE WOULD BE SATISFIED WITH NINE SECOND PLACE FINISHES GOING INTO HOMESTEAD BECAUSE HE THINKS HE CAN WIN WITH CONSISTENCY. DO YOU AGREE? “Well, you can win a lot of different ways with this format. I don’t think there is one way you can win or one way you can lose. That is definitely one of the ways you can win but not the only way.”

SO YOU THINK SOMEONE CAN MAKE IT TO HOMESTEAD AND WIN THE TITLE WITHOUT WINNING? “Absolutely. We could run through all the hypotheticals but there are so many different scenarios it is really a waste of time in my mind. The reality is you can just go out and perform and let it take care of itself.”

DO YOU HAVE A DIFFERENT APPROACH FOR THE DIFFERENT ROUNDS? “Well, I think you have four brackets and all four brackets are going to demand something different out of you. So in some ways you have to have a different approach. The first bracket is going to demand consistency. The second bracket we have seen Kansas and Talladega both be wreck-fests so that will demand survival. The third bracket will take you from eight to four and that bracket will demand performance and then the fourth bracket at Homestead will be about staying cool under pressure. You will have to be clutch at Homestead-Miami. I think all four will require something different out of you which is a good thing and part of the experience.”

WHY BRAD NATION? “Nobody asked me. It just kind of showed up and I didn’t really – I thought it was okay.”

WOULD YOU PREFER BK OR KES NATION? “I am guessing BK Nation was probably took. Just a wild guess. That is the problem with having BK as initials, all the cool stuff is already taken.”

YOU TOOK THE MY CHASE DRIVER QUIZ AND CAME UP WITH KYLE BUSCH. HOW DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT? “I am not really sure how I feel about that. How do you feel about it? You thought it was great? It is just a damn quiz. I don’t think it is anything more than that (laughing).”

HOW BIG A DEAL IS IT FOR NASCAR TO HAVE A DRAMATIC CHASE AFTER THE STINKER AT RICHMOND? “I don’t think it is that important. Hell, the NFL is thriving and their Super Bowl was probably the worst Super Bowl I’ve ever seen. It isn’t make or break for them. I think there are other factors that are make or break for our sport beyond that.”

WHAT AREAS ARE MAKE OR BREAK FOR YOUR TEAM IN THE CHASE? “The contender bracket, that one scares the crap out of me. Kansas and Talladega are just two tracks where, like I said, they have been wreck-fests the last few years and the only way you can really feel comfortable with that bracket is if you go to Charlotte and win the race. I think that bracket will break some hearts and that is the most concerning thing to us.”

IS THAT TOO MUCH OF A RANDOM ELEMENT? “I don’t know what is too much and what it too little. It just is what it is and we have to get through it.”

WITH NO POINTS ON THE LINE AT HOMESTEAD WILL TEAMS IN THE FINAL FOUR BE MORE ENCOURAGED TO PUSH THE LIMITS AS FAR AS THE TECH LINE? “Yeah, I think we have seen that year over year when the Chase comes. Everyone pushes technical inspection to its limits even more than the regular season. That is a tough spot to be in for NASCAR. Yes is the short answer. I would expect it to be and everyone pushing themselves and anything that can affect the performance to the limits and the interpretation of the rules is one of them.”

DO YOU UNDERSTAND THE NEW CHASE GRID SYSTEM? “Yeah, I understand it, I am just not sure I have it all memorized. The only part that is really hard for me is remembering the names of the brackets. Everything else is pretty easy.”

ANY CONCERN THAT FANS WILL BE CONFUSED WITH THE FORMAT? “Sure, it is not simple but this sport isn’t that simple and the reality is a simple format lends itself to someone doing something that isn’t all that compelling to watch and winning it. I understand that.”

A LOT OF GUYS ARE CHANGING PIT CREW MEMBERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. DOES THAT MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD? “The only thing that makes me feel good is when our team performs. I don’t take any confidence away from other teams that are struggling because I know that can be repaired at any time.”

YOU FEEL ANY MORE CONFIDENT THIS YEAR GOING INTO THE CHASE THAN YOU DID TWO YEARS AGO WHEN YOU WON THE TITLE? “Yeah I definitely feel more confident this year than in 2012. Like you said at Richmond we have a strong teammate to lean on and a manufacturer base with Ford that is underneath us for years to come. I have another two years of hopefully wisdom and we have had dominant performances to win three of our four races. I think those are some great reason to be more confident.”

YOU TESTED CHARLOTTE. WHY? “Because Charlotte is the track in the bracket that scares the crap out of me.”

HAVE YOU GOTTEN ALL YOUR TESTS OUT OF THE WAY? “No, we have Texas, Martinsville and Homestead left.”

ARE YOU WORRIED AT ALL ABOUT BACK LOADING THE TESTS? “A little bit year. Our guys go through a lot and make a lot of sacrifices through the year. We try to give them weeks off during the year but we are going to crack the whip hard on the team and I feel like if we are a championship group we should be able to respond to that.”

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