RELATED: Full race results from Talladega
Brian Keselowski was all smiles on pit road after finishing 17th in the Camping World Truck Series race at Talladega Superspeedway on Saturday, as he debriefed with his team and chatted with those surrounding him.
But under the smile lay a level of disappointment — his chance at his first NASCAR major series victory in his first Truck start had faded away like his diminishing fuel cell, the culprit of Keselowski’s demise in the final laps of the fred’s 250 presented by Coca-Cola.
“I’m emotional. I’m really proud of how we ran,” Keselowski said on pit road after the race. “I’m disappointed that it was probably my only chance. We’ll see how it works out.”
Keselowski — who is a crew chief for ARCA driver Matt Kurzejewski and part-time driver in the series — seemed poised for victory, as he was lined up to restart fourth for a green-white-checkered attempt in a Ford owned by his brother Brad Keselowski. His performance throughout the day had shown brighter than his lack of experience behind the wheel of a truck, as he had battled back to the front after getting slapped with a pit road speeding penalty early, and even led 10 laps around the 2.66-mile track.
“We worked our way through the pack really quick and I was like, ‘Wow, that’s good,’ ” Keselowski said. “… All of a sudden we’re out in front of a pack and everybody is starting to pit and we’re weaving our way through traffic and the 4 (of Erik Jones) is with me and I’m like, ‘We might be leading this thing.’ ”
But determination can take a driver only so far. Prior to the restart, Keselowski made the disappointing trudge down pit road, his No. 29 truck fuel cell as dry as the Alabama asphalt.
It was a moment that was heart sinking for Brad Keselowski Racing team owner and younger brother Brad Keselowski, who had given Brian the opportunity to pilot the No. 29 for injured Austin Theriault.
“I really thought he was going to win it,” Brad Keselowski said, tilting his head back in dismay in the Talladega garage after Saturday’s Sprint Cup Series qualifying session.
“… He did great, he really did. I was really happy to see him run up front, disappointed he didn’t finish off, but he did everything I could ever ask him to and more.”
Brad Keselowski‘s girlfriend Paige White tweeted at Brian after the race, saying that their motorcoach needed a new floor due to Brad’s pacing during the Truck race. “You made him proud!” she said.
Despite the finish that was marred with disappointment, Brian Keselowski‘s strong showing at the superspeedway gave the 34-year-old driver one crucial element: confidence.
“It kind of validated what I always thought — that I could do it, I just never had a chance.” Keselowski said.
And win or not, its certainly a performance Keselowski hoped others were watching.
“We had a really good truck,” Keselowski said. “I hope I showed somebody I could do it.”