Keselowski Scores Stage Win, Finishes Second at Atlanta

By David Morgan, NASCAR Editor

Had it not been for the dominating day by Kevin Harvick, Brad Keselowski could have been celebrating two wins in a row at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

However, it was still a successful day for the No. 2 team in the Folds of Honor QuikTrip 500 as they ended the day with a runner-up finish, along with a stage win.

“I had a blast today,” said Keselowski. “Just really, really working your tail off in the car. It’s kind of old school.

“We were good, but we just weren’t as good as Kevin was. We had a strong race car, but just couldn’t quite find that last little bit of speed we needed.”

After starting fifth following a lengthy rain delay, Keselowski moved his way to the front of the pack under the caution at the end of Stage 1, leading his first 11 laps of the day. Though he would give up the lead to fellow Ford driver Kurt Busch at lap 100, he stayed in the hunt throughout the second stage and would retake the lead 12 laps from the conclusion of Stage 2 and led all the way until the green-checkered flag was thrown, scoring his first stage win of the year.

Keselowski would lead an additional 15 laps early in the final stage, but as the laps wound down, it became clear that he would have to settle for second place as Harvick would pull away to win by 2.690 seconds.