Keselowski vows not to change after Edwards crash

March 14, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

CHARLOTTE, N.C.

Glued to Carl Edwards’ bumper as they raced for the lead around Talladega Superspeedway, young Brad Keselowski showed no signs of letting off the gas pedal. He peeked high, and Edwards cut him off, then ducked low to try to pass.

Edwards, the veteran, quickly swerved down to block the pass, a move that guaranteed disaster if Keselowski didn’t back off. In the blink of an eye, Keselowski found himself in high-stakes game of chicken at speeds approaching 200 mph.

The rookie refused to blink.

He didn’t give an inch. Nothing slowed Keselowski that day last April, not even after the inevitable contact sent Edwards’ car sailing into the safety fence in a frightening accident that injured seven fans.

Keselowski just barreled on, stealing an improbable victory in just his fifth career start in NASCAR’s prestigious Sprint Cup Series.

Looking back now at those intense two minutes, Keselowski was clearly sending a message to his established, experienced competitors: he won’t back down to anyone, ever. That mentality has rankled a long list of top-name drivers, and finally came to the fore last weekend in Atlanta when Edwards, exasperated over a long list of hard racing between the two, intentionally wrecked Keselowski in contact that sent Keselowski airborne in a scene quite similar to the Talladega incident.

For all the public outrage over Edwards’ deliberate act, there was an equal amount of private sentiment that Keselowski had it coming.

Keselowski is well aware of the whispers, but remains unapologetic for anything he’s done that’s gotten him to his prime-time Cup ride with auto racing icon Roger Penske.

“It’s not possible to get a Cup ride right now without being aggressive, and without having some swagger in your step,” Keselowski said. “Does that make you a jerk? To some people, yes. To some people, no. It depends on where you’re coming from. If you look at the sport right now, there are no new drivers coming in.

“So whatever I’m doing is working, and it’s gotten me to where I’m at.”

The son of 1989 ARCA champion Bob Keselowski grew up in Rochester Hills, Mich., and entered NASCAR Truck races from 2004 through 2006 with his father’s backing. He picked up a couple Nationwide Series starts for an underfunded team in 2006 and early 2007, before his big break came midway through that season when Dale Earnhardt Jr. plucked him from obscurity to drive his flagship No. 88 for JR Motorsports.