Contract Extension Another Win for Brad Keselowski

credit: Janine Cloud/Skirts and Scuffs

Maybe the Magic Mile really is magical, because the day after Brad Keselowski took his third checked flag of the season in Sunday's race at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, Team Penske announced a contract extension that keeps him in the No. 2 Ford Mustang for at least through the 2021 season.

With NASCAR’s Silly Season in full swing, the extension ends speculation that had Keselowski as a favorite to replace Jimmie Johnson in the No. 48 at Hendrick Motorsports. While neither Team Penske or the 2012 NASCAR Cup Series champion released any details of the agreement, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenna Fryer of the Associated Press reported that her sources stated the deal was for one year.

Team owner Roger Penske expressed his satisfaction with the development.

“Brad not only demonstrates talent and skill on the track, but his leadership away from it and his dedication to our partners have had a huge impact in making our organization one of the best in NASCAR.”

Keselowski stated, “I have been racing for Team Penske for the vast majority of my NASCAR career and to continue to represent Roger Penske, our partners and his organization is exactly where I want to be. We’ve accomplished a lot of things together over the years, including winning both the Cup and Xfinity Championships, the Brickyard 400, the Southern 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Now, my goal is to win the Daytona 500, another championship and continue to build Team Penske into the best NASCAR team in the garage area.”

Sunday’s win tied Keselowski with Fireball Roberts on the all-time Cup wins list with 33. All but one of those victories were for the Penske organization. In addition to 39 Xfinity Series wins, he not only earned the 2010 Xfinity Driver Championship, he also assisted in winning four Xfinity Series Owner Championships for Team Penske.

Heading into Michigan International Speedway this weekend, Keselowski must be hoping for that magic to last a little bit longer. In 21 Cup starts at his home track, the 2012 NASCAR Cup champion has six top fives, including two runner-up finishes, but no wins.

He’ll have two tries in this double-header weekend beginning with the FireKeepers Casino 400 Saturday, Aug. 8, at 4:00 pm ET, and the Consumers Energy 400 on Sunday, Aug. 9, at 4:30 pm ET.

To sweeten the win, the top-finishing Cup Series manufacturer from the weekend receives the Michigan Heritage Trophy, a tradition at MIS since 2013.

Keselowski’s first Cup win came in a Chevrolet, but 24 of the others have been for Ford, which has visited Victory Lane in 11 out of 20 races this season. Three of the 11 belong to Keselowski, so the odds may be in his favor to score the prestigious award for the Dearborn, Michigan-based company.
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