Blown engine cuts Keselowski's day short

Keselowski wheeled his steaming Team Penske No. 2 Ford into the Daytona garage to the attention of crew chief Paul Wolfe. After the white Deuce simmered for a while, Roger Penske crackled over the team's two-way radio with the grim diagnosis: "We're done, Paul."
 
Last season's most polarizing driver ended his day on Lap 161 in the prestigious NASCAR Sprint Cup Series opener. For Keselowski, who's shown a special agility at restrictor-plate tracks with three victories at similar Talladega Superspeedway, the early exit left him 0-for-12 at Daytona.
 
"It is what it is," Keselowski said. "We had a good car. We were in position in the top five, top 10 and was just kind of counting down some laps and getting ready for a crazy finish, and just wanted to be there for it, but, unfortunately, that's not gonna happen."
 
Keselowski didn't lead a lap during his stint in the race, but he put himself in position for a chance at victory in the lead pack. One moment he was running competitive laps in close formation with teammate and eventual Daytona 500 winner Joey Logano; the next moment, his powerplant erupted with gusto.
 
"It scares the crap out of you, to be honest," Keselowski said. "It's a big explosion and you're sitting right next to it, so it's not fun. Once you get recovered from that, then all you can think about is you had a shot to win the race, and that's pretty cool."

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