Brad Keselowski, Team Penske stand united in turmoil

TALLADEGA, Ala. — Brad Keselowski concedes playing the role of NASCAR's most high-profile iconoclast is by design — but not by delight.

In butting heads with nearly every major player of the Sprint Cup Series establishment during the past five years, success hasn't come easy for Keselowski because he believes there is no other way to achieve it.

"It's not something I enjoy," he said after Sunday's victory at Talladega Superspeedway triumphantly capped a turbulent week in which he was fined $50,000 and took the brunt of criticism from fellow stars for an Oct. 11 fracas at Charlotte Motor Speedway. "I don't look to go out there and have to fight those battles. That just makes life a lot harder, but there's a part of me that's come to accept that this isn't going to be easy.

"That means sometimes there's going to be some uncomfortable moments. Certainly there were this week. I hope there's not any more uncomfortable moments in the future, but there probably will be. Until that cycles and the drivers that kind of have the old guard from the late '90s and early 2000s are still around — or aren't around — that will probably continue to be the case."

That could make for a long wait — current rivals Denny Hamlin and Matt Kenseth could be around for at least another decade — and one that Team Penske is prepared to endure along with him.

The resounding sentiment from the win that kept Keselowski's championship hopes alive was that his crew wants to match his defiant resilience no matter where it leads.

Without prompting, team owner Roger Penske volunteered why he thought why the No. 2 Ford driver had caught so much flak with a series-high six victories – and tacitly defended Keselowski's retaliatory postrace actions at Charlotte (where he hit the Toyotas of Hamlin and Kenseth, who responded by grabbing Keselowski and setting off a shoving match between their teams).

"No. 1, these guys are jealous of the job he's done this year," Penske said. "Nobody likes to see a guy win like that. The fact that he has a little edge on him, he's continually delivering, obviously I think makes a difference

"If everybody understood what happened (at Charlotte), when you get your rear fender knocked off on a restart, you get your front fender knocked off on a pass-by, I want him to get mad. I don't want him to take it."

Penske, 77, has built an automotive empire on the racetrack and showroom with an emphasis on image-conscious ideals and professionalism that eschews public conflict.

But he has defended his youthful NASCAR stars — both of whom have signed long-term extensions in the past year — with the unrepentant tenacity of a proud patriarch fiercely guarding his family's legacy from dishonor.

Last year, Penske staunchly supported Joey Logano, 24, when his aggressive driving came under fire from Hamlin and Tony Stewart.

With Keselowski, 30, in a similar situation of veterans questioning his deference, Penske again went on the offensive. Keselowski brought Penske his first title in NASCAR's premier series two years ago, but their ties transcend success. There always has been a special relationship between driver and owner, who once joked about wearing blue jeans to work at Keselowski's urging shortly after his arrival four years ago.

"I'd stand up for him anywhere," Penske said. "We have a long-term relationship with him. If he wants to get a little upset sometimes, that's OK with me. We'll let NASCAR figure out if he's over the line or not. I guess it cost us 50 grand. I'll take 50 grand and the win this week, wouldn't you?"

It was one of many examples of how the No. 2 team was galvanized by the tumult at Charlotte. After a two-day test at Martinsville Speedway last week, Keselowski said it was evident the team's bonds were strengthened despite the disruption.

Crew chief Paul Wolfe, a soft-spoken sort who showed a feisty side in yanking Kenseth off Keselowski at Charlotte, said it's a hallmark of a team that "is going to stick together no matter what happens," particularly when its driver's inveterate force of will stokes controversy.

"I don't think this is the first time we've seen Brad step up to the plate," Wolfe said. "Seems like everyone is against him. Seems like that fires him up more. I've got his back 100%. I didn't see anything that he did out of line. He does a great job and races hard. That's why we like him driving our car."

And the team's unquestioned loyalty and unvarnished feedback are why Keselowski is comfortable in his pursuit of calculated rebellion.

"It's having the support structure behind you," he said. "That's knowing that you listen to your team guys. I feel like I have a great group of people around me that are willing to tell me the inconvenient truth sometimes. In this case, the inconvenient truth would be if they felt I was wrong. The people around me weren't saying that. Those guys giving me the support helps me turn the page."

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