Hellman’s 500 at Talladega: Takeaways and observations
By Ted Fleming
2. The best car doesn’t always win
Brad Keselowski showed right from the start that he was a force to be reckoned with as he was the leader or near the front for most of the race until he threw a rod with just 44 laps remaining ending his day and Chase chances.
The Team Penske No. 2 Ford was arguably the most dominant car on the track at Talladega and that is why Keselowski and his crew had the confidence they could advance with a win or a solid finish after coming into the elimination race seven points behind the cutoff line.
You could not blame Keselowski if his confidence grew as the final laps were clicking off because the only thing standing in his way would be a repeat of Kansas where he wrecked. Mechanical issues were something he didn’t worry about as he had not suffered a catastrophic failure all season long. That is, until Sunday.
“Something let go,” he said. “I’m not sure exactly what, but it’s unfortunate. We had a really fast Miller Lite Ford and that kind of ended our day. It was a lot of fun to be leading at Talladega. I really like this track. It’s been good to us.”