Keselowski turning big break into career catapult

Brad Keselowski was standing in the shop overlooking about 20 racecars, all at different stages in their lives. But the majority of them would only require an engine dropped under the hood and fresh Goodyears bolted on to be nearly race-ready at any moment.

His voice was clouded by the sound of air wrenches whirling, accompanied by the occasional beat-beat of a hammer. A muffled conversation was his vocal backdrop.

Brad Keselowski

Stats with JR Motorsports

Race	Start	Finish	Status
Chicago	33	14	running
Gateway	28	26	running
ORP	15	10	running
Michigan	28	13	running
Bristol	18	7	running
California	24	35	crash
Richmond	15	38	running
Dover	23	7	running
Kansas	22	36	crash
Charlotte	35	11	running
Averages	24.1	19.7

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"I'm standing here in the shop and we just had a meeting with 65 employees who work on the race team," Keselowski said from the floor of JR Motorsports' complex in Mooresville, N.C. "There's every bit of 20 racecars in front of us that can be ready to go in a day or two's notice."

Keselowski stopped, thought back to last year's partial schedule and the beginning of this season before he continued. "We used to be lucky to have two," he said, referring to the total number of chassis that sat in the shops of the low-budget teams for which he used to drive.

Life has certainly changed for the 23-year-old. What a difference a year makes? Try six months. "There's no real comparison at all," he said.

Keselowski has taken the typical "work your way up" route, driving for small-budget teams that operated with limited personnel -- sometimes with as few as four full-time employees. He drove two and a half years for his father, completing the entire 2005 Truck Series season for the family operation where he once worked full time in the shop. In seven other Truck starts scattered along the way, Keselowski has driven for four different owners.

He drove 20 Busch Series races for owner Keith Coleman, including the first 13 races this season. But lack of funding forced the outfit to shut down and it's currently selling off all equipment.

Keselowski, the man, hasn't changed. He's still the clean-faced Michigan native with that regional accent who is eager to go Cup racing one day -- quickly.

It's his surroundings that have altered, giving the former quarter midget racer his chance to shine in big-time equipment -- slowly.

It would have been difficult for Keselowski to script it any better. Ted Musgrave got suspended for the Truck Series race in Memphis back in June. Germain Racing needed a fill-in for the former champion. Keselowski obliged.

With championship-caliber equipment under the hood, he was second during the first practice, second during the second practice. Then he won the pole. He led 62 laps and was pacing the field with seven laps remaining on a storybook ending until Travis Kvapil made contact with Keselowski's truck, sending Keselowski spinning to a 16th-place finish.

The voicemails poured in, including one from Dale Earnhardt Jr.

"Dale Jr. and everybody were all watching the race and called me up afterward," Keselowski said. "They told me I got robbed. He said, 'You know, I'm looking for a driver, why don't you hop in my car and run it?' It just all worked out from there. (Continued)