Keselowski has leg up as Chase nears

Associated Press

HAMPTON, Ga.

Brad Keselowski knows these things can’t be explained. For some reason, his car just seems faster than any other machine on the track. Every move he makes is the right one, even though he’s been driving with a sore left ankle.

This much he does know: When you get on a roll like this, you want to ride it as long as you can.

Keselowski would love to keep it going right through the Chase for the Sprint Cup championship.

“It’s been an amazing run,” he said at Atlanta Motor Speedway, where he’s preparing for today’s next-to-last event before NASCAR’s 10-race playoff begins. “We’ll just ride the wave and hopefully it works out for us.”

Keselowski has won two of the last four races — and finished second and third in the others. His performance over the last month has virtually locked up at least a wild card in the NASCAR playoff, and it’s even more amazing since he’s done all this after breaking his left ankle during a road course practice.

Some wonder if he’s been able to step up his performance in the top series because he’s skipped the last four Nationwide races, giving his injured ankle more time to heal.

Keselowski clearly isn’t buying that theory. He’ll return to his Nationwide car for the race Saturday night after putting in 66 laps of practice with his Cup team in the No. 2 Dodge.

“I wish I could pinpoint what it is,” Keselowski said. “I have a hard time believing that having a broken foot makes you a better race car driver. I just think it’s the team coming together and clicking as one. I’m proud to be part of that.”

The 27-year-old is clearly one of NASCAR’s rising stars in just his second full-time year on the circuit. He’s shown plenty of bravado, earning the nickname “Bad Brad” for his no-holds-barred driving style. He’s had several frightening run-ins with Carl Edwards and tussled with current Cup points leader Kyle Busch in a Nationwide race last summer.

This season, he’s earned plenty of respect for not only his success on the track, but the way he carried on after the practice crash at Road Atlanta.

He came back four days later for a gutty win at Pocono.